Ho Chi Minh City grapples with overload as new building‑permit rules cut processing time

From 1 July 2026 Vietnam’s 2025 Construction Law reduced the maximum processing time for single‑family house permits to seven working days and introduced exemptions for certain projects. In Ho Chi Minh City the change has overwhelmed ward and commune offices, which report a sharp rise in applications and insufficient staff to verify land‑use documents. Officials such as Trương Ngọc Thanh Nhân of Tân Vĩnh Lộc commune have asked the provincial construction department for detailed guidelines to avoid legal errors and ensure proper financial‑obligation checks.

A survey by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction shows that in the first half of 2026, 5,249 administrative violations were recorded among 18,559 construction projects, including 697 illegal builds and 121 cases of improper permits. Many single‑family houses were built without formal permits or oversight because local units applied the exemption before detailed procedures were in place, leading to gaps in monitoring and delayed enforcement.

The situation highlights the tension between speeding up housing development and maintaining regulatory control, prompting calls for additional personnel and clearer procedures to prevent backlogs and ensure compliance.