Provinces in the Southeastern region are making efforts to build more social housing units to address the housing needs of migrant workers from other parts of the country.

Housing for workers has once again become a hot issue after tens of thousands of migrant workers left cities to return to their hometowns during the fourth Covid-19 wave. 

HCM City authorities will provide land to enterprises to build housing near industrial parks and export processing zones for workers. 

Vietnam needs an estimated VND220 trillion ($9.6 billion) to build about 294,600 units of social housing for low-income earners in urban areas and industrial parks in the 2021-2025 period, according to the Ministry of Construction.

The Ministry of Construction (MOC) is seeking approval from the Prime Minister for a VND65 trillion credit package as a part of socio-economic recovery in the post-Covid period.

The Ministry of Construction has proposed a VND30 trillion credit package for projects to build low-cost homes for workers.

A large amount of vacant public properties in Hanoi are a huge waste of social resources.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has proposed that commercial banks not be allowed to provide preferential loans to low-income people seeking to purchase, lease and lease-purchase social houses.

In many cases, people who bought, rented or leased-purchased social housing already had accommodations. Many people were found using social housing for the wrong purposes.

People planning to buy an apartment in HCM City might have to think twice due to the likelihood of disputes with developers, which have been proliferating in recent times.

Ho Chi Minh City will limit the construction of new residential high-rises in districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11 and Phu Nhuan, under a housing development plan for the 2021-2030 period.

Ho Chi Minh City is expected to need an additional 160,000 social housing apartments in the next decade to meet its rising population and demand for affordable housing, according to the city’s Department of Construction.

As the economic hub of the whole country, Ho Chi Minh City located in the Southern Key Economic Zone (KEZ) contributes strongly to the future "Diamond Octagon” of Vietnam.

Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has proposed the Government to allow enterprises in industrial zones (IZs) to purchase or lease-purchase social housing units for their workers.

The State of Vietnam will employ policies to encourage the development of cheap commercial houses to remove difficulties for the real estate market and enterprises due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HCM City plans to draw up specific policies for firms having capital of more than VND100 billion (US$4.3 million) in the first quarter of this year, and has committed to create more favourable conditions for enterprises.

Nine social housing projects for low-income earners with more than 4,100 apartments measuring 205,500 sq. m were completed and put into use in 2019.

The Ministry of Construction has asked cities and provinces throughout the country to make reports on land available for social housing projects.

The minimum wage is too low for workers to survive on while social housing is inadequate and too expensive for them, trade unions told HCM City’s leaders at a meeting on Sunday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The national housing development strategy targets having 12.5 million square metres of social and affordable housing by 2020.