On May 7, more than 200 enterprises attended a conference to implement the interest rate support policy under Resolution No. 09/2023/NQ-HDND and Resolution No. 523/NQ-HDND issued by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council for enterprises operating in export processing zones (EPZs) and industrial parks (IPs).
The program was jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Finance and Investment State-owned Company (HFIC) and the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (Hepza).
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Quang Thanh, Deputy General Director of HFIC, said that Ho Chi Minh City’s loan and interest rate support policies focus on five priority sectors, namely high technology and digital transformation; startups and innovation; trade and services supporting agricultural production; healthcare, education, culture, and sports; and economic, technical, and environmental infrastructure.
Many enterprises called on the city to soon clarify lending mechanisms for green transportation, electric vehicle charging stations, food processing, industrial park technical infrastructure, and worker accommodation projects. Businesses also recommended providing more specific guidance on loan conditions, collateral requirements, legal documentation, disbursement procedures, and the timing for dossier submission.
Under this policy, eligible projects may be considered for interest rate support on loan amounts of up to VND200 billion (US$7.6 million) per project. Depending on the sector, projects may receive support covering 50 percent or 100 percent of the loan interest rates under the city’s preferential mechanism. The support level is calculated based on the average 12-month deposit interest rates offered by four state-owned commercial banks in Ho Chi Minh City, with interest payable at maturity, plus a management fee of 2 percent per year.
Notably, worker accommodation was among the issues that drew significant attention from enterprises, as the demand for housing in export processing and industrial zones remains very high while supply is still limited.
Mr. Le Van Thinh, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (Hepza), said that export processing and industrial zones in the city currently employ around 918,000 workers, of whom more than 727,000 are in need of accommodation.
However, the entire system currently has only nine worker accommodation projects with 1,619 apartments, providing more than 8,900 housing spaces. An additional four projects are under development with more than 2,800 apartments, expected to provide over 10,600 housing spaces.
According to Mr. Le Van Thinh, the wide gap between demand and supply shows that developing worker accommodation is not only a social welfare issue but also an important condition for stabilizing the workforce for enterprises. Therefore, in addition to providing financial support for production activities, the city should prioritize additional resources for worker accommodation projects.
For new industrial parks, Hepza will allocate appropriate service land funds, accounting for up to 10 percent of industrial park areas in accordance with regulations, in order to attract investment in worker accommodation projects. Ho Chi Minh City has currently been assigned a target of completing more than 194,000 social housing units, the highest in the country, of which the target for 2026 alone is 28,500 units.
Acknowledging enterprises’ recommendations, Mr. Nguyen Quang Thanh said that, cumulatively to date, HFIC has provided credit financing for more than 500 projects, with committed loans totaling approximately VND28 trillion (US$988.2 million) out of total investment capital exceeding VND42 trillion (US$1.6 billion). In the coming period, HFIC will continue simplifying procedures, shortening appraisal and disbursement times, and supporting enterprises in gaining easier access to capital.
