Journey to Eliminate Temporary Housing: Improving Livelihoods, Creating the Future - Part 1: The Dream of a Home

Removing temporary and dilapidated houses is not only about building "3 hard" roofs, but also a vivid demonstration of a people-oriented regime, where the right to live safely, develop and be happy of each citizen is always placed at the center. More than 334,000 shelters have been built across the country in a short time, thanks to the participation of the entire political system with the spirit of "the healthy leaves cover the torn leaves" and the people's desire to escape poverty. That is a profound expression of the superior social security policy and more broadly, the core humanistic values ​​of the Vietnamese socialist regime, a regime that leaves no one behind.

From dilapidated, leaky, and rickety shacks in remote mountainous areas or impoverished coastal villages, many disadvantaged lives have been given hope thanks to the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing. These "three-solid" houses are not only shelters from rain and sun but also the starting point for a new life journey, the beginning of all social welfare values, a place that preserves faith and opens up a different future for an entire generation.

The home, the starting point of all well-being.

Throughout the country's transformation, people's lives have gradually improved significantly and noticeably. However, due to various historical factors, in many remote areas, thousands of makeshift, dilapidated houses remain, failing to ensure safety during the rainy and stormy seasons. For many poor households, a sturdy house is not only a shelter from the rain and sun but also a place to anchor hope, a starting point for a potentially different future.

The new house was built next to the old house of Mr. Chu Van Dao, in La Bo hamlet, Trang Xa commune, Thai Nguyen province.

With that profound humanitarian significance, on October 5, 2024, the Government, in coordination with the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front , officially launched a 450-day intensive emulation program with the theme "A Home for My People." The program aims to support each poor household in obtaining a house that meets the "three solid" standards: a solid roof, a solid foundation, and solid walls. However, this meaningful program was not launched on October 5, 2024; prior to that, hundreds of thousands of poor households had already received financial support from Party committees, governments, and mass organizations from the central to local levels to build new homes.

Beyond simply building new houses, this goal profoundly reflects the humanitarian spirit in the Party and State's policy of caring for the vulnerable and underprivileged families. As Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once emphasized: "With hundreds of thousands of decent houses built, hundreds of thousands of families can live in warm homes filled with love, and millions of lives have their futures illuminated."

In Cao Bang province, one of the leading localities in social welfare work, thousands of new houses have been built for people with meritorious service, poor and near-poor households, and families in particularly difficult circumstances.

In Lung Phay hamlet, Hoa An commune (Cao Bang province), the family of Mr. Luu Hong Su, a Mong ethnic minority, used to live in a dilapidated house built on the mountainside, with a crooked tiled roof and rotting bamboo walls. The family of five – Mr. Su and his wife, their two young children, and an orphaned grandchild – lived in precarious conditions amidst the biting cold of the highlands. In 2022, Mr. Su's family received 50 million VND in support from the Vietnam Investment and Development Bank (BIDV), allocated through the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Cao Bang province. Mr. Su decided to borrow an additional 120 million VND and sell two buffaloes – the family's most valuable asset – to build a new, sturdy house. With a flat brick floor and a solid corrugated iron roof, the new house has become a symbol of resilience and a pillar of support for Mr. Su's family in overcoming poverty.

The winding dirt road led us to the home of Mr. Chu Van Dao in La Bo hamlet, Trang Xa commune, Thai Nguyen province. Mr. Dao lives alone in the forest, suffers from mental instability, and is afraid of contact with strangers. He has lived his whole life gathering bamboo shoots and chopping firewood. “He’s not afraid of anything. Only we are worried for him. If a storm blows down his hut, we don’t know where he’ll run to,” shared Comrade Ly Hoang Nguyen, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Trang Xa commune.

Thanks to a donation of 30 million dong and the help of neighbors, a new house was built right next to Mr. Dao's old shack. Mr. Dao absolutely refused to leave his familiar dwelling. On the day of the new house's inauguration, with its gleaming red brick floor and bright corrugated iron roof, Mr. Dao's quiet gaze towards the porch moved everyone. "He didn't say anything, just sat there, looking at the sky. But that look in his eyes was enough to show that all the effort was worthwhile," said Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh, Mr. Dao's sister-in-law, emotionally.

Over 334,000 homes and acts of kindness.

The stories of Mr. Su's family and Mr. Dao are just two of more than 334,000 households that received financial support for building and repairing houses through the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. After more than a year of implementation, with 450 peak days, the program was completed 5 years and 4 months ahead of the target set in Resolution No. 42-NQ/TW of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on continuing to innovate and improve the quality of social policies to meet the requirements of national construction and defense in the new period, and Directive No. 42/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on accelerating the implementation of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses nationwide. A total of 334,234 houses have been completed with a total resource of nearly 50,000 billion VND; of which more than 24,700 billion VND was mobilized from the budget and social contributions. Many localities have proactively increased financial support to help people build houses, such as Tuyen Quang and Thanh Hoa (80 million VND/household), and the former Ha Nam (120 million VND/household); about 60% of households have contributed additional capital to improve the quality of the construction.

The children's study area is neatly arranged in their new home in Hoa An commune, Cao Bang province.

In this campaign, the image of the Vietnamese People's Army once again shone brightly. According to Colonel Do Xuan Bo, Head of the People's Mobilization Department, General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army: From 2019 to the present, the Ministry of National Defense has mobilized more than 2,100 billion VND to build and repair 35,249 houses; in 2025 alone, more than 18,000 houses will be completed with a budget of nearly 1,000 billion VND. More than 140,000 officers and soldiers have participated, contributing more than 414,000 man-days. Many military enterprises have also responded very actively, not only providing cash support but also selling construction materials at cost price and offering free transportation...

The Ministry of Public Security also mobilized 27,400 officers and soldiers, contributing over 534,000 man-days of work, materials, and funds totaling over 790 billion VND. The banking sector provided approximately 1,800 billion VND; the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front mobilized over 125 billion VND from the "For the Poor" Fund...

It's not just a number, but a profound expression of the spirit of national unity, the tradition of "mutual support and compassion," and the inherent humanity of our regime. It's a beginning, but not the end. New homes have sprung up, but the journey of building a future for these households still faces many challenges. The question is: How can these homes truly become the starting point for a life free from poverty and preventing its recurrence? This is the content that will continue to be clarified in the journey that follows: From "settling down" to "finding a livelihood"; from a roof over one's head to a sustainable income.

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Source: https://baosonla.vn/phong-su/hanh-trinh-xoa-nha-tam-nang-cao-sinh-ke-kien-tao-tuong-lai-bai-1-uoc-mong-an-cu-G2m5y8rHg.html