The program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses is both an urgent task and has long-term strategic significance in ensuring social security and socio-economic development.
Thai Nguyen - "Borrowing age to build a house"
As early as April 2025, Thai Nguyen province (before the merger) had completed the goal of eliminating all temporary and dilapidated houses, while supporting housing for people with meritorious services with a resolute and synchronous approach. At the same time, Bac Kan province also implemented a plan to support house construction for 4,979 households, and by July 27, 2025, 100% of households had started construction as planned.
However, the journey was not easy; after overcoming the capital difficulty, the next obstacle came from the habits and traditional concepts of "age to build a house". Many people insisted on postponing the start of construction just because this year was not suitable for their age.
Realizing that the program cannot be delayed for this reason, localities in the province have come up with a creative solution: "borrowing age to build a house".
Cho Don Commune (Thai Nguyen) is a typical example of effectively applying this solution. According to Ms. Hoang Thi Phuong Dung, Vice Chairwoman of the Commune People's Committee, the commune has established special working groups, including officials, civil servants, and people with "good ages" to stand in for groundbreaking ceremonies on behalf of households with unsuitable ages. At the same time, the commune has also proactively assigned officials to approach and mobilize prestigious people in the family to participate in persuading households.
Thanks to that, instead of waiting until the end of the year to start construction, many households started construction a few months earlier, contributing significantly to speeding up the overall progress. By the end of July 2025, 100% of households eligible for support in Cho Don commune - including 74 households in the original decision and 21 additional households - had started building houses. A vivid demonstration of the effectiveness of flexible approaches that understand people's psychology.
It doesn't matter whose house it is, as long as we can help each other build a home. Sometimes in the morning the workers work, in the afternoon the villagers take over the shift.
Quang Ninh - Community joins hands
In Quang Ninh, the program to eliminate temporary houses is not only a matter of the government but has become a movement of the people. A typical case is that of Mr. Chiu Chan Senh in Doan Ket village, Ha Lau commune (now Dien Xa commune). After many years of living in a dilapidated corrugated iron house, having to stay up all night to watch for flooding in the rainy season, Mr. Senh now has a new, solid roof.
Mr. Senh was moved to share that what touched him the most was not only the 80 million VND support from the State, but also the sharing from the neighbors. Some contributed their working days, some lent bricks, some cooked lunch for the workers… Those small but warm actions helped him turn his dream of having a solid roof into reality.
The story of Ly Tac Quay in Na Nhai village, Binh Lieu commune is similar. Despite financial support, without the help of the community, the new house would still be a distant dream. The villagers - some contributing labor, some contributing materials - have created a festival-like atmosphere every time a new house is built.
In Na Luong village, Binh Lieu commune, where there are 25 households, mainly Dao people, every time a household receives support to build a house, the whole village rolls up their sleeves to work. Mr. Phun Sau Dung - a prestigious person in the village said: "It doesn't matter whose house it is, as long as we can help each other build a warm home. Sometimes in the morning the workers work, and in the afternoon the villagers take over the shift."
The simple lunch during the break between "construction sites", with a bowl of bamboo shoot soup and a plate of braised fish, suddenly became warmer and more precious than ever. It was not just a meal, but also a living proof of the neighborly love, the spirit of sharing and solidarity, where hearts know how to "share food and clothes" together to overcome difficulties.
Kindness is not only present through material things, but also through seemingly impossible things, such as giving a "golden inch" of land to someone who needs it more than you.
Tuyen Quang, Bac Giang – A piece of land of love
If in Quang Ninh, people contribute their working days, then in Tuyen Quang, many households are willing to donate land - the most valuable asset - to help people have a roof over their heads.
The family of Ms. Du Thi Phui in Tan An commune (Chiem Hoa) is one of the poor households living in a makeshift wooden house, and water floods into the house every time it rains heavily. Although they are on the support list, the difficulty lies in not having land to build on. In the context that the commune has less than 0.06 hectares of vacant land left, the solution to change the purpose of land use cannot be implemented in time, especially when the rainy and stormy season is approaching.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Ha Thi Ban’s family in the same village proactively donated more than 100 square meters of residential land to the government to build a house for Mrs. Phui. Thanks to this noble gesture, along with the help of the neighbors, the solid house was quickly completed before the rainy season.
Not only Mrs. Ban, according to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tuyen Quang province, from the beginning of 2025 until now, there have been 10 families who have volunteered to donate a total of more than 1,000 m² of land to support poor households to eliminate temporary houses. A clear proof that compassion is not only present through material things, but also through seemingly impossible things, such as giving a "golden inch" of land to someone who needs it more than you.
The program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses is not only a government matter but has become a popular movement.
Similar to Tuyen Quang, in Bac Giang (before the merger), about 40 households were also given land to build new houses from the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses launched by the Prime Minister. This is a vivid expression of the spirit of "the whole leaves cover the torn leaves" that has become the identity of the Vietnamese people through many generations.
With the upcoming rainy season, the family of Ms. Tu Thi Oanh (born in 1996, San Diu ethnic group), a poor household in Nghia residential group, Chu ward, no longer has to worry about "leaking". The old, dilapidated house on the bank of Luc Nam river has been replaced by a spacious, 60 m² level 4 house with clean outbuildings, worth nearly 150 million VND.
Despite her husband's illness and her own congenital hemolytic disease, Ms. Oanh still worked hard to raise her two children. Her family used to live in a temporary house on a piece of land that had not yet been granted a certificate. Sympathizing with their situation, the local government and people contributed land to help build a new house. The leader of the ward People's Committee shared: "Donating nearly 100 square meters of land is a valuable gesture, helping Ms. Oanh qualify for support policies in 2025". In addition to receiving 70 million VND in support from the "For the Poor" fund, people also contributed labor and materials to help the house be completed soon.
Connecting Love – The Root for Sustainable Development
From Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang to Bac Giang, each approach shows the creativity and flexibility of Party committees and authorities at all levels - but above all, it is the consensus of the people.
The program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses is not simply an activity to build infrastructure, it is also a way for the State, the government and the people to work together to inspire trust and create a sustainable foundation for social development. Good and creative practices from the grassroots need to be spread and replicated, so that the journey of "leaving no one behind" is always a reality, not just a slogan.
According to the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, by the end of July 2025, 23 out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide had completed the goal of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses, with about 283,000 newly built and repaired houses.
Son Hao (synthesis)
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/tu-muon-tuoi-den-hien-dat-nhung-sang-kien-vi-mai-nha-an-cu-102250804094952191.htm
Comment (0)