HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Finance (MoF) will assess the practical implementation of a new scoring system for public investment disbursement, as part of efforts to accelerate spending in the final months of this year.

The ministry has asked other ministries, central agencies and authorities to ensure that monthly disbursement targets are realistic, data is accurate and consistent, and implementation difficulties are fully reported.

During the pilot scoring exercises for September and the third quarter of this year, agencies are expected to provide specific details of any obstacles and propose solutions where necessary. 

The Ministry of Finance will review the September and third-quarter results alongside those from July and August, and issue guidance or report issues requiring higher-level decisions.

Under a plan approved by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng in June, agencies are scored partly on how closely their actual monthly disbursement matches their registered targets, with this criterion carrying a maximum of 45 points. Agencies are required to set targets based on project progress and their actual capacity to disburse funds, while taking into account factors that could affect implementation.

As of September 17, the country had disbursed VNĐ540.6 trillion (US$20.7 billion) in public investment funds, equivalent to 52.9 per cent of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister. However, 24 ministries and central agencies and 15 localities remained below the national average.

The state-funded 2026 public investment plan totals VNĐ1,022.6 trillion, including VNĐ372.4 trillion from the central budget and VNĐ650.2 trillion from local budgets. Including additional local budget allocations, the total had risen to VNĐ1,037.3 trillion.

By September 17, VNĐ998.1 trillion, or 97.6 per cent of the Prime Minister-assigned plan, had been allocated to specific projects. The remaining funds were mainly linked to new projects that had yet to complete investment procedures or to proposed reallocations.

An additional VNĐ16.8 trillion was disbursed between September 10 and 17. Nine ministries and central agencies and 19 localities had reached or exceeded the national average. Major disbursements included the Ministry of National Defence (VNĐ31.8 trillion), Ministry of Public Security (VNĐ29.8 trillion), Hà Nội (VNĐ97.6 trillion), HCM City (VNĐ82 trillion), and Hải Phòng (VNĐ24.5 trillion).

Excluding VNĐ32.5 trillion in local budget funds set aside for the planned Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway, the national disbursement rate stood at 54.6 per cent of the Prime Minister-assigned plan. — VNS