Assessment of Contractors’ Claims on Construction Projects in Vietnam

Background: Claims have increasingly become inevitable in construction projects. A great amount of money, time, and merit of claims are the most critical factors that prudent companies should not overlook. Objective: The objective of the study is to survey claim practices in the Vietnamese construction industry by collecting data from both contractors and consultants. Material and Methods: This paper presents findings that the lack of awareness of the on-site people is the major problem of claims management. Moreover, the inadequacy of supporting evidence, originating from the unawareness of personnel as well as improper documentation system, is also a serious problem causing the loss of chances to recover incurred damages. Conclusion: To overcome these problems, it is recommended that the management should pay more attention to these aspects in order to have effective claim management, by which unnecessary losses could substantially be reduced and deserving compensation would be recovered.