The Standing Committee of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Wastefulness, and Negativity has officially placed four cases under its direct supervision: the Vicem Operations and Trading Center project; Hoi Xuan Hydropower Project in Thanh Hoa Province; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters Construction Project; and Subproject 2 (Lim - Pha Lai), part of the Yen Vien - Pha Lai - Ha Long - Cai Lan railway line.

All these projects share a common issue: they have been delayed for years, only partially completed, and show serious signs of wastefulness.

Massive investments, years of stagnation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters project, managed by the Ministry’s project management unit, was approved in July 2009 with a total investment of 3.484 trillion VND (approximately 137 million USD).

It covers 16,282 square meters of land, with a total floor area of 126,282 square meters, excluding outdoor areas such as parking lots, green spaces, recreational areas, and internal roads.

Due to rising costs of materials, labor, and exchange rate fluctuations, the investment was adjusted in July 2014 to nearly 4.023 trillion VND. However, only part of the building has been put into operation.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the special mechanisms proposed to resolve project issues are only temporary solutions and may cause inefficiencies if applied rigidly, leading to potential losses and waste.

A decade of deadlock for the Yen Vien - Pha Lai - Ha Long - Cai Lan railway

This railway project, with a total investment of 7.665 trillion VND, was launched in 2005 and scheduled for completion in early 2012.

However, due to Resolution No. 11 issued in 2011 aimed at curbing inflation and stabilizing the economy, the project was halted.

Some construction, such as several incomplete railway bridges, had already begun. Many structures remain unfinished, with rusting steel and exposed foundations.

The bridges, although located in Bac Ninh Province, fall under the management of the Ministry of Transport. Plans to revive the project for implementation during the 2026-2030 period are currently under consideration.

Hoi Xuan Hydropower Project: More than a decade in limbo

Initiated in 2010, the Hoi Xuan Hydropower Project in Quan Hoa, Thanh Hoa Province, was expected to cost over 3.320 trillion VND, with a planned capacity of 102 MW and an annual output of 432 million kWh.

Construction milestones included initial river diversion in 2012 and commissioning the first turbine by September 2014.

The project received a 125 million USD loan guarantee from the Ministry of Finance in 2015. However, progress stalled between 2014 and 2018 and halted entirely due to funding shortages.

The project affected over 655 hectares of land and nearly 1,900 households in Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces.

Despite partial resumption in late 2022, financial difficulties persist. The supplemental funding plan submitted by the investor, Hoi Xuan VNECO, is still under evaluation by Agribank, with no disbursement as of the latest reports.

Vicem tower: Skeleton structure on prime land

Though structural work was finished by August 2015, the building has stood abandoned ever since, becoming a symbol of wastefulness. Investigations revealed serious violations, causing significant state property losses.

On March 2, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Agency officially initiated criminal proceedings for "violations of regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste" related to Vicem and its subsidiaries.

Four individuals, including Le Van Chung (former Chairman of the Board), Nguyen Ngoc Anh (former General Director), Du Ngoc Long (former Project Management Board Director), and Hoang Ngoc Hieu (former Chief of Appraisal Department), were prosecuted.

In early March 2025, Vicem officially resumed construction of the long-abandoned tower, with completion targeted for the second quarter of 2026.

Tam An