Vinh Phuc province has a thriving industrial sector, supported by many industrial zones that attract a large number of workers from other regions. Therefore, housing is essential, especially for workers and low-income earners who work in Vinh Phuc province.
Vinaconex’s low-income housing project
According to surveys, about 20,000 workers are renting over 2,000 houses in Vinh Yen City, Phuc Yen City and Binh Xuyen district of Vinh Phuc province. Workers in industrial zones often live in crowded rooms, with only 3-4 square meters of space per person. To address the social housing demand, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee of Vinh Phuc have implemented various mechanisms, policies and regulations on social housing management and development since 2014, such as Decision 159 of the Provincial People’s Council on providing support for social housing projects for workers and low-income earners in Vinh Phuc province in 2015-2020; Decision 14 of the Provincial People’s Committee on establishing priority criteria for selecting eligible buyers of social housing; Decision 179 on the action plan for Vinh Phuc housing development program to 2020, with a vision to 2030; and Decision 1247 on the five-year housing development plan in 2021-2025.
Currently, Vinh Phuc province has 13 social housing projects with over 10,000 housing units with a total floor area of over 960,000 square meters. Five social housing projects have been completed, including Vinaconex Xuan Mai low-income housing area; a worker and low-income housing project in Khai Quang ward; a high-rise social housing area for workers in Goc Nu area, Khai Quang Ward (Vinh Yen City); 8T low-income housing area in Xuan Hoa Ward, Phuc Yen City; and a social housing area in Phuc Thang Ward (Phuc Yen City). These social housing projects have provided 1,623 houses with an individual area of 50 - 70 square meters to workers and low-income earners since 2015. Currently, Vinh Phuc Provincial People’s Committee is seeking new investment capital for six social housing projects that plan to offer about 8,000 apartments and semi-detached houses for workers. Necessary procedures for implementing these projects are being carried out.
According to the Prime Minister’s project on “Constructing at least one million affordable apartments for low-income people and industrial zone workers in 2021-2030”, Vinh Phuc province aims to build 28,300 social housing units, with 8,800 units to be completed in 2022-2025 and 19,500 units in 2026-2030. This is a challenging goal that requires strong determination from relevant agencies to achieve. Accordingly, the Provincial People’s Committee assigned the Department of Construction to review construction plans and coordinate with localities and related authorities to propose a list of social housing projects to seek investment capital. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment was assigned to review land-use plans in different periods to supplement social housing projects for timely approval. At the same time, the governments of districts and cities with social housing projects need to regularly monitor and manage investors in construction investment to ensure that licensed projects are carried out as approved; allocate resources to accelerate land compensation and site clearance to allocate land to project investors. Any delay in site clearance is considered an unfinished task of the district leaders.
In addition to directing departments, branches and localities to strengthen management and attract investors for housing development projects, Vinh Phuc province also prioritizes allocating funds for housing development. In 2023, as much as VND8,606 billion has been allocated for housing development in the province, including VND2,748 billion for commercial housing construction, VND164 billion for social housing construction and VND5,694 billion invested by households and individuals for residential construction.
By Manh Dung, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
