According to the General Department of Statistics (GSO), the disbursed sum went up 10.6% year-on-year, with the disbursement of centrally managed capital reaching VND5.6 trillion (US$242.5 million), or 7.2% of the set target and up 13.6%.
The Ministry of Construction reported the highest disbursement rate, meeting 10.2% of the year’s plan, followed by the Ministry of Health with 9.4% and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with 9.1%.
Meanwhile, disbursement of public capital managed by localities stood at VND35.3 trillion (US$1.53 billion), equal to 9.4% of the year’s plan and up 10.1% over the January-February period in 2020.
Some localities with high disbursement rates included Bac Ninh (15.8% of the plan), Da Nang (13.1%) and Nghe An (12.9%).
In February 2021, around VND17.7 trillion (US$766.7 million) worth of public investment was disbursed, down 3.1% year-on-year, including VND2.6 trillion managed by ministries and central agencies (up 1.2%), and VND15.2 trillion managed by localities (down 3.7%).
The GSO attributed the decline to the fact that the month featured the Lunar New Year 2021 holiday and saw the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in some provinces and centrally run cities, causing a slowdown in the progress of some projects.
