Strengthening Management, Ensuring Supply, and Stabilizing the Construction Materials Market in the Province

On the afternoon of September 23, the Provincial People’s Committee held a conference to hear reports from the Department of Construction and various departments and sectors regarding the production, demand, supply, and prices of construction materials in Phu Tho province. Comrade Tran Duy Dong — Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee — chaired the conference.

Also in attendance were Comrades: Vu Viet Van — Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; Quach Tat Liem — Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; heads of provincial departments, sectors, agencies, and units; and Project Management Boards of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh areas.

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong delivering directive remarks at the conference.

According to the report from the Department of Construction, local construction material production capacity is fairly large, featuring 5 cement production plants; 93 valid licenses for building stone exploitation with a total capacity of nearly 12 million m3/year; and 47 riverbed sand and gravel mining licenses with a total capacity exceeding 2.3 million m3/year.

Regarding leveling soil, in addition to 5 commercial mines with an exploitation reserve of 4.334 million m3/year, the province has granted 34 licenses serving specific construction projects with a reserve of approximately 24 million m3...

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Vu Viet Van speaking at the conference.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem speaking at the conference.

Currently, material demand for projects remains high. In 2026 alone, the demand for building stone is approximately 10.8 million m3, construction sand is nearly 7.5 million m3, and leveling soil is over 25.4 million m3.

However, several mines have small extraction capacities and uneven geographical distribution. Transportation costs for soil, stone, and sand account for a large proportion, making it difficult to regulate material flow from supply-rich areas to deficit zones.

Notably, prices for many construction materials have risen compared to the beginning of the year. Cement increased by 3–5%; construction steel rose by 4–5%; sand climbed 7–12%; building stone surged by an average of 25–40%; leveling soil rose 30–40%; and asphalt increased 30–35%...

The primary causes are fluctuations in fuel and raw material prices, transportation costs, and supply-demand imbalances for certain material types.

Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Xuan Quang reporting at the conference.

At the conference, delegates focused on analyzing the supply capacity of each material group, identifying difficulties in extraction, transportation, and price publication, and proposing solutions to guarantee supply for projects—especially public investment works and key projects pushing for accelerated progress.

Proposed solutions include accelerating mineral extraction licensing in eligible areas, auctioning mining rights to supplement supply, and strengthening price law compliance inspections to prevent hoarding, price gouging, over-capacity mining, and unauthorized supply distribution.

Project investors were also required to proactively survey suitable material sources, minimizing material shortages that could impact construction schedules. The Department of Construction recommended speeding up licensing and expanding eligible mines to boost supply, particularly for public investment and key projects.

Leaders of Project Management Boards reporting at the conference.

Concluding the conference, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong assessed that organizational and coordination efforts in managing, extracting, and supplying construction materials have not been truly effective, leading to material shortages for works and projects.

The Chairman required relevant departments, sectors, and units to implement fundamental, long-term solutions while immediately executing short-term measures to promptly resolve supply bottlenecks.

Reaffirming the perspective that minerals used as construction materials are national resources and assets that must be managed, extracted, and utilized efficiently, the Chairman assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to coordinate with the Department of Construction, the Department of Industry and Trade, and local authorities to urgently review all licensed leveling soil, sand, and stone mines, accurately assessing their actual reserves and extraction capacities.

They must urgently complete procedures to grant licenses, expand capacity, or scale up eligible mines—especially those directly serving key works and projects.

Procedures related to licensing, extraction, and material supply for public investment projects should be considered for inclusion in a “green channel” to shorten processing times, rapidly supply materials to construction sites, and minimize intermediary costs.

The Chairman emphasized that this is a sensitive field; therefore, in all stages—from licensing, inspection, and review to planning adjustments—specialized agencies must uphold a high sense of responsibility, stay closely involved, and strictly follow regulations, ensuring zero tolerance for negative practices or corruption.

Regarding specific tasks, the Chairman requested project investors to base their plans on public investment project timelines, clearly determining construction material demands through 2030.

On that basis, specialized agencies will coordinate with Project Management Boards, investors, and contractors to review and research suitable mining areas, executing licensing procedures to serve projects.

Project Management Boards must proactively and flexibly implement solutions to ensure supply, preventing material shortages from affecting construction schedules.

Overview of the conference.

For soil, stone, and sand mines seeking capacity expansion, the Chairman requested a thorough review of actual demand, working in close coordination with Project Management Boards to prioritize material sources for public investment projects.

He assigned the Department of Construction to research and establish appropriate material norms and prices to help control general price levels.

At the same time, the department must step up inspections by establishing an inter-agency inspection team to monitor mining operations; promptly detect signs of violations—especially hoarding, price manipulation, unauthorized extraction, and non-compliant supply—and transfer cases to competent authorities for handling.

Material extraction, production, and trading entities must strictly perform price declarations, listings, and sales at listed prices. They are encouraged to study and adopt new and green construction materials to replace traditional ones, maintain and expand production operations, and guarantee supply for construction investment projects and public demand.

Dinh Vu