Compiled by Bảo Hoa

Fighting wastefulness is a pressing mission in Việt Nam’s journey towards economic development, a point emphasised by Tô Lâm, general secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam's Central Committee. His call for action highlights the importance of this effort as the country navigates significant socioeconomic changes.

Last month, the country’s top leader authored an article stressing the urgency of preventing and combating wastefulness. He identified it as a growing challenge requiring immediate and strategic action. The topic has also been a focal point of the National Assembly during its eighth session in October-November last year, where deputies emphasised the need to optimise human, financial and physical resources, including land, for sustainable development.

Citing President Hồ Chí Minh’s teachings that “embezzlement is harmful, but wastefulness can sometimes be even more harmful – it is more destructive than embezzlement and is very widespread,” Tô Lâm underlined the profound consequences of wastefulness.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm. VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

Lâm identified wastefulness as a pervasive issue with wide-ranging impacts.

It depletes human and financial resources, reduces production efficiency, raises costs, exhausts natural resources, and widens socioeconomic inequalities.

Moreover, wastefulness erodes public trust in the Party and State, creating obstacles to socioeconomic progress and causing missed opportunities for national development. As Việt Nam strives to seize its historic opportunity for advancement, overcoming wastefulness is essential to unlocking its full potential.

One major area of concern is the slow and insufficient development of laws. This issue hinders the implementation of public projects, resulting in delays, inefficiencies, and resource wastage.

Speaking at the opening of the eighth session of the 15th National Assembly on October 21 last year, Lâm identified the institutional framework as the root cause of multiple forms of wastefulness, describing it as the “bottleneck of the bottleneck”. He called for focused efforts to improve and implement reforms that would address these shortcomings and pave the way for sustainable growth.

Good, bad examples

Amidst challenges, there are shining examples of resource efficiency. One notable achievement is the rapid completion of the 500kV circuit 3 transmission line, which spans from Quảng Trạch District (Quảng Bình Province) to Phố Nối District (Hưng Yên Province).

A section of the 500kV circuit 3 transmission line going through Nam Đàn District in the central province of Nghệ An. The entire line is 226km long, going from Quảng Trạch District in Quảng Bình Province to Phố Nối District in Hưng Yên Province. VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

Through decisive government supervision and public support, the project was completed in just over eight months—a record-breaking timeline compared to the typical three to four years. The project’s success highlights the power of clear-sighted leadership, unity, and innovation in resource management.

"Resources come from thinking, motivation comes from innovation, and strength comes from the people," Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said at the project’s inauguration.

He attributed the achievement to the collective strength of all stakeholders, from central to local levels, and the determination to overcome challenges.

While projects like the 500kV line showcase effective resource utilisation, other initiatives illustrate the cost of inefficiency. One such example is the tidal flood prevention project in HCM City.

Launched in June 2016 with an initial investment of nearly VNĐ10 trillion (US$393 million), the project aimed to address tidal flooding for an area of 570 square kilometres, benefiting 6.5 million people. Its components included six major tidal control sluice gates, embankments, and related infrastructure.

The tidal flood control gate Bến Nghé, part of the project that aims to solve tidal flooding in HCM City, has not been completed even though the project was started in 2016. — VNA/VNS Photo

Despite 90 per cent of the work being completed, the project remains unfinished due to legal and financial obstacles. According to the investor, Trung Nam Investment JSC, the project has been suspended three times for a total of 66 months. The latest suspension occurred in November 2020 due to the expiration of the Build-Transfer (BT) contract and re-lending disbursement from the State Bank.

The HCM City People's Committee [administration] identified unclear authority, implementation procedures, and unresolved payment issues as the main barriers. Despite ongoing efforts, no feasible solution has yet been found.

Insights from NA deputies

During the National Assembly’s eighth session, deputies offered valuable insights and proposed solutions to address wastefulness.

Deputy Nguyễn Hữu Huân of Bình Dương Province underscored the pivotal role of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in combating wastefulness. He argued that as a lower middle-income country, Việt Nam must rely on SOEs to spearhead economic breakthroughs.

“The key to avoiding the ‘middle-income trap’ lies in maximizing investments, leveraging existing capabilities, training the workforce, and advancing science and technology,” Huân said.

He said that private enterprises, most of which are small- or medium-sized, could not achieve these breakthroughs alone.

Huân also pointed out that the substantial capital invested in SOEs must be used effectively to prevent waste and economic damage.

The eighth session of the 15th National Assembly convened in Hà Nội on October 21. — VNA/VNS Photo

Deputy Hoàng Văn Cường of Hà Nội highlighted the importance of institutional reforms to foster a supportive legal environment.

“The Party, National Assembly, and Government are determined to support businesses and create new growth. To achieve this, institutional reforms must not only remove obstacles but also provide opportunities,” he said.

Cường also stressed the role of people as the driving force behind innovation and development. “Scientific and technological resources come from people and must be unlocked. Without capable workers, the country cannot thrive,” he said.

To enable people to contribute effectively, Cường called for mechanisms that encourage innovative thinking among managers while protecting their achievements.

“Looking back at history, every time the country experienced a breakthrough or change, it was due to a change in mechanisms,” he said, citing Party Resolution 10 in agriculture and the economic reforms of 1986 as an example.

Deputy Nguyễn Thành Nam of Phú Thọ Province highlighted land as another critical resource requiring efficient management. He pointed out that the current exploitation and use of land were not meeting the needs of individuals and businesses, causing issues in sectors such as agriculture and forestry.

Nam said that some localities proactively proposed development projects to optimise land use but faced institutional barriers that hindered progress. He urged ministries and sectors to facilitate the rapid utilisation of land resources and transfer unused land for socioeconomic development.

“Despite instructions from the Party, State, and the National Assembly, there has not been a concerted strategy to combat land wastefulness with the same intensity as the fight against corruption,” Nam added.

Stunted rubber trees in a plantation of HAGL JSC, which the company rents from Pờ Tú Commune in Ia Pa District, Gia Lai Province. In August, voters in the commune petitioned the province's authorities to reclaim more than 93 hectares of land leased to the company, and transfer them to 214 poor households lacking land for farming. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoài Nam

Party General Secretary Lâm stressed that fighting wastefulness would require a cultural transformation.

“To seize this historic opportunity and shape our future, the prevention and combat of wastefulness must be carried out drastically and concertedly,” he wrote.

He called for effective solutions to create widespread impact, transforming wastefulness prevention into a voluntary and self-conscious practice among officials, Party members, and the public. This cultural shift, he argued, was essential for building a sustainable and prosperous future for Việt Nam.

As the country stands at a historic crossroads, the fight against wastefulness is not merely an economic necessity but a cultural and institutional imperative. It requires concerted efforts from individuals, businesses and the whole political system to ensure that resources are used wisely and sustainably, securing Việt Nam’s path to a brighter future. VNS