Speaking about the plan to relocate and clear houses on and along canals and waterways at a press conference this afternoon (October 24), Mr. Ly Thanh Long - Chief of the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, said that so far the city has compensated and relocated 1,149 houses out of a total of 6,500 houses in the 2021-2025 period.

According to the current capital allocation plan, it is expected that compensation and relocation will be completed for 5,102 households by the end of 2025, with the main focus being the Xuyen Tam canal project with 2,215 households.

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Relocating houses along the Xuyen Tam canal is a key project of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: M. Quan

However, the city budget currently only allocates funds to transitional projects, those under construction, and a few key, urgent projects prioritized for investment. Funding is limited for projects lacking cleared land or those facing numerous obstacles in compensation procedures, which could affect implementation and completion within the 2021-2025 period.

The Department of Construction is proposing that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City assign the Department of Planning and Investment to consider and allocate additional capital to carry out investment preparation and land compensation for three projects not yet included in the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025.

These include the Hy Vong Canal renovation project (Tan Binh District); the Van Thanh Canal dredging and renovation project (Binh Thanh District); and the Te Canal infrastructure construction and environmental improvement project (District 4).

"If the three projects mentioned above are approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for inclusion in the medium-term public investment plan and allocated funds for compensation and land clearance, the total number of houses to be relocated on and along rivers, canals, and streams in the 2021-2025 period will increase to 6,906 units," Mr. Long said.

Proposal to provide support covering up to 70% of compensation for houses located along canals and waterways in Ho Chi Minh City.

Proposal to provide support covering up to 70% of compensation for houses located along canals and waterways in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to this new proposal, only cases of land use before July 1, 2014 will be eligible for 70% of the land compensation price.
When will households living along the canals in Ho Chi Minh City be eligible to rent or buy social housing?

When will households living along the canals in Ho Chi Minh City be eligible to rent or buy social housing?

Ho Chi Minh City plans to pilot a program allowing households living along or on canals and waterways to rent or rent-to-own social housing. However, this project is still in the identification and classification phase.
Ho Chi Minh City: Pilot program allowing all households with houses along canals to rent and buy social housing

Ho Chi Minh City: Pilot program allowing all households with houses along canals to rent and buy social housing

To expedite compensation procedures in projects involving the relocation of houses on and along canals and waterways, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has proposed a pilot program allowing these households to rent or rent-to-own social housing.