On 16/9, at a regular press briefing, a representative from the An Giang Department of Home Affairs announced that the province had received 3,800 applications for policy benefits under the Government’s Decree 178. Following a review, 3,263 dossiers were deemed eligible, accounting for nearly 86% of the total.

The province processed the eligible dossiers correctly. However, the Department of Finance and the Provincial Inspectorate later found that 35 individuals had been overpaid a total of more than one billion dong, while 26 others received a similar amount less than due.

An Giang Department of Home Affairs representative speaks at press conference. Duong Dong

According to the Department of Home Affairs, these discrepancies arose from the rushed timeline for review, appraisal, approval, and payment, which occurred between 1/7/2025 and 30/8/2025.

For the 35 cases of overpayment, the Department of Finance, in coordination with the Department of Home Affairs, advised the Provincial People's Committee to adjust budget estimates and successfully recovered all funds.

Regarding the 26 underpaid individuals, the Provincial People's Committee requested guidance from the Ministry of Finance for supplementary payments. As the official payment deadline has passed, the locality currently lacks a legal basis to independently allocate budget for the remaining amounts.

Once the Ministry of Finance provides guidance, the advisory agencies will submit proposals to the Provincial People's Committee to process these payments.

This review follows findings by the State Audit Office, which identified numerous errors in the implementation of Decree 178 policy across 10 localities and four central agencies. A sample audit revealed that errors appeared from recipient selection and dossier appraisal to calculation and payment.

Consequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed all ministries, sectors, and localities to review all cases where policies had been applied, clarify the causes, and rectify the errors.

Ngoc Tai