On September 24, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh chaired a high-level meeting urging departments to urgently review and update construction standards, regulations, norms, unit prices, and price indices to better reflect real-world conditions.
On September 24, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh chaired a high-level meeting focused on improving the system of construction standards, technical regulations, norms, unit prices, and price indices — the backbone of Vietnam’s construction management framework.
Minister Tran Hong Minh speaks at the September 24 meeting on improving construction standards and pricing frameworks.
Minister Tran Hong Minh underscored the urgent need to keep these regulatory instruments up to date, stressing that outdated standards and pricing frameworks can delay projects, distort cost estimates, and undermine construction quality.
Reporting at the meeting, Le Trung Thanh, Director Genenral of the Department of Science, Technology, Environment and Building Materials, said the current system broadly covers all project stages — from surveying and design to construction, acceptance, operation, and maintenance — but many elements have not been revised to match recent technological advances and environmental requirements.
Le Quyet Tien, Director General of the Department of Construction Economics and Investment Management, noted that while the framework for norms, unit prices, and price indices is largely in place, there are still gaps in certain project types that hinder effective cost management.
Deputy Minister Bui Xuan Dung called on relevant departments to step up regular reviews, fill gaps in missing construction norms, and improve coordination between project management boards and the Institute of Construction Economics to ensure consistent pricing methodologies nationwide.
In his concluding remarks, Minister Tran Hong Minh reiterated his directive that the two key departments must accelerate the review and updating process to make the system more practical, comprehensive, and responsive to current construction demands. He emphasized that timely improvements would help speed up investment preparation, enhance cost transparency, and raise overall construction quality.