HCMC – The People’s Committee of HCMC is looking to address the issue of over 1,000 vacant or underutilized public properties, including land and buildings owned by both the city and the central Government.
The city is exploring various solutions, including auctioning off some properties to generate revenue and temporarily leasing others while awaiting new investment, said Phan Van Mai, chairman of the People’s Committee of HCMC.
Mai was speaking at a meeting with the city council on December 10, where concerns were raised over these idle resources, and officials expressed alarm about wasted resources and delayed projects.
Mai stated that the city is also considering reorganizing government offices and using shared spaces to optimize the use of public assets.
Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the Department of Finance, said that the city manages approximately 13,000 public properties. Of those, more than 1,000 are currently vacant.
Many completed buildings remain empty, while crucial infrastructure projects, such as the new Tan Ky Tan Quy bridge and upgrades to Duong Quang Ham Street, face delays.
The department is working with the University of Economics and Law to create a comprehensive management system for public properties. This system will digitize records and provide a clear picture of each property’s status.
The system will use a color-coded system, with green indicating properties being used effectively and red flagging those that are not, Hai explained.
This initiative comes as the city prepares for a nationwide public property audit mandated by Decision No. 213 issued by the prime minister in 2024. Starting January 2025, the audit will assess the management and use of public assets across 12 sectors, with results expected to be released in July 2025.
