While listening to reports on the progress of the city's housing development program, social housing projects, and accommodation for workers
Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Phan Van Mai informed that the Prime Minister assigned the southern metropolis to develop 69,700 social housing units by 2030 including 22,600 apartments to be built by 2025. City administrations registered to build 83,000 apartments. Therefore, the city ought to complete 35,000 affordable houses by 2025 including about 7,000 houses for rent and 4,500 worker accommodation houses.
To achieve the goal of 35,000 social housing units, Chairman Mai said that hiccups relating to planning, land, and procedures must be eliminated to create conditions for businesses to accelerate investment and complete projects. Besides, workers and students who from other places to the city to work and study have huge demands for housing.
According to the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the city must build affordable houses which officials, employees, and workers can buy. He requested relevant agencies and departments to focus on discussing plans and solutions to achieve the above goals.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Huynh Thanh Khiet said that the department is focusing on legal procedures to complete the goal of building 35,000 flats by 2025. Of the 37 projects that have been and are being deployed, one project has been so far completed while 36 other projects comprising 34,750 flats that have not been completed including 6 projects being under construction and 30 projects undergoing legal procedures.
Amongst 36 projects, a maximum of 13 projects comprising 12,000 apartments are expected to be completed and put into use by 2025. The department promised to accelerate the legal procedures for the remaining projects, but they may be difficult to complete on schedule.
Regarding accommodation for workers and students, according to a survey by the Ho Chi Minh City Confederation of Labor in September 2020, the city is home to 2.6 million workers. Of these, 400,000 workers need accommodation, equivalent to 280,000 accommodations. Meanwhile, cumulatively by 2020, Ho Chi Minh City had 34 completed projects supplying 6,198 rooms in the market and meeting 40,600 accommodations. According to a survey conducted at the end of 2021, Ho Chi Minh City has about 60,470 boarding houses, equivalent to 560,219 rooms.
Deputy Director of the Department of Construction acknowledged that social housing development is facing certain difficulties. In particular, there is currently no mechanism or sanction to force investors to carry out the project. The department just urged them to accelerate the progress of projects.
In addition, through review, there are 88 projects and land plots for building social housing construction in the city. Of 88 projects, 18 are undergoing investment policy approval procedures. The Department of Construction proposed that the municipal People's Committee direct the Department of Planning and Investment and the People's Committee of Thu Duc City to urgently carry out investment policy approval procedures for the 18 above-mentioned projects.
Talking about the 88 above-mentioned projects, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Architecture Phan Van Tuan said that the department has reviewed and divided them into 4 categories. The department is currently reviewing and will soon report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment said it will focus on solving related groups of issues such as reminding localities to quickly deploy annual land use plans and handle allocated public land areas such as slow implementation to recover for social housing development.
Concluding the meeting, the Chairman of the City People's Committee required units to focus on key solutions with the goal of developing housing for city dwellers. He emphasized that by 2025, Ho Chi Minh City must implement at least 26,200 flats according to the target assigned by the Prime Minister and at most 35,000 units according to the city's registration plan. Therefore, departments and branches must review plans, and determine specific tasks and specific progress for implementation.
The Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assigned the Director of the Department of Construction to work with social housing project investors to fulfill their commitment to implementing the projects. He emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City will create favorable conditions for investors to carry out projects and also punish investors who deliberately do not implement projects as per schedule.
Along with that, responsible departments and agencies should work together to develop social housing for officials, civil servants, public employees, soldiers in the armed forces and housing projects for workers and students in the city. He suggested promoting the role of state-owned enterprises in developing social housing and housing for workers and students.
