Social housing projects in Ho Chi Minh City are behind schedule due to targeting the wrong beneficiaries.

According to Huynh Thanh Khiet, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, based on the city's housing development plan for the period 2021-2025 and the Prime Minister 's project "to invest in the construction of at least 1 million social housing units for low-income earners and industrial zone workers, in the period 2021-2030," Ho Chi Minh City is expected to develop approximately 26,200-35,000 social housing units.

Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City planned to implement 37 projects. However, to date, only 1 project has been completed, while of the remaining 36 projects, 6 are under construction and 30 have completed the legal procedures.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Khiet explained that, given the current legal situation and other related issues, Ho Chi Minh City plans to invest in and complete 13 projects, comprising approximately 12,000 social housing units, between now and 2025. The remaining projects are unlikely to be completed and will only reach the stage of finalizing the legal procedures.

According to the Department's review, there are currently 88 projects/land plots in Ho Chi Minh City planned for the construction of social housing, of which 18 out of 88 projects are in the process of obtaining investment approval.

Due to misidentifying the target group, the social housing program in Ho Chi Minh City is behind schedule.

The delay in the social housing program stems from the difficulty in attracting investors to build social housing projects and utilizing the 20% of land allocated for social housing in commercial housing projects. Furthermore, the challenging real estate market has led businesses to prioritize commercial housing projects. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City lacks sanctions for developers who delay project implementation. Therefore, the Department of Construction recommends that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee direct the Department of Planning and Investment and the Thu Duc City People's Committee to expedite the approval process for the 18 out of 88 projects currently undergoing procedures. The Department of Planning and Architecture should also urgently review and update the planning of these projects within the overall planning scheme of Ho Chi Minh City, in accordance with the Housing Law.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Phan Van Mai, also acknowledged that the social housing program is progressing too slowly, failing to meet the plan and the needs of workers. In reality, some projects were initially misidentified, resulting in very few applicants, while the overall demand is very high.

Mr. Phan Van Mai emphasized that the program is sluggish because the project's objectives were misidentified from the outset. If it were only intended for workers in surrounding industrial zones, it would be very difficult, as workers' incomes are limited, so they would choose to rent private accommodation instead of social housing. Therefore, the target group could be expanded to include civil servants, public employees, and members of the armed forces. The goal for social housing development by 2025 is to build at least 26,200 units and a maximum of 35,000 units as planned. To achieve this, the city welcomes and facilitates investors in implementing projects, but will also resolutely deal with investors who lack goodwill or intentionally fail to implement assigned projects.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/nha-o-xa-hoi-tphcm-cham-tien-do-vi-sai-doi-tuong-185240326122356974.htm