He made the request during a meeting in Hanoi on March 10 to discuss a project on building at least 1 million social housing apartments.
Ha stressed that the long-term goal of the project is to improve Vietnam’s ranking in ensuring citizens’ right to access housing.
In each stage, specific targets need to be set such as building dormitories for students, social housing for workers in industrial zones and for vulnerable groups, based on which, appropriate solutions, policies, allocation of resources could be proposed, he said.
The Deputy PM reiterated the need to conduct a full study and evaluation of housing needs among the public, especially low-income workers and vulnerable groups up to international practices. In particular, consideration should be given to the average income of workers and their affordability for social housing.
It is necessary to study a policy that enables workers with stable jobs and incomes to access loans for home purchase or rent at low-interest rates, Ha said.
When it comes to launching any project, it is a must to clarify responsibilities of the State and private sector, and have criteria for projects using public, public-private and private capital, he said, adding that social housing projects should be added to land, construction and urban development planning.
In his view, social housing purchase and rent policies need to be flexible in order to encourage workers to stay longer with their firms.
