There are now 1,249 land lots covering 8,390ha for building social housing nationwide, according to the Ministry of Construction. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – The land area zoned for social housing development has increased by 5,031ha from the 3,359ha reported in 2020, said the Ministry of Construction (MoC).

As such, there are now 1,249 land lots covering 8,390ha for building social housing, data show.

The MoC and the State Bank of Vietnam recently submitted a report on the implementation of the plan on building at least 1 million social housing units for low-income earners and workers of industrial parks in the 2021 - 2030 period.

The MoC said many localities have paid attention to zoning land for social housing such as Dong Nai province 1,063ha, Ho Chi Minh City 608ha, Long An province 577ha, Hai Phong city 471ha, and Hanoi 412ha. However, some others haven’t, including the provinces of Ninh Binh, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Nghe An, Dak Nong, Ninh Thuan, and Dong Thap.

From 2021 to the end of 2023, 499 social housing projects with 411,250 apartments were implemented nationwide. Among them, 71 projects with 37,868 apartments were completed, 127 others with 107,896 apartments had their construction started, and the 301 remainders with 265,486 apartments had their investment policies approved.

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh noted thanks to strong directions from the Government and Prime Minister as well as the engagement of ministries, sectors, and localities, significant results have been obtained in social housing development over the recent past.

Many localities are actively attracting investment to build social housing such as Bac Ninh 15 projects with 6,000 apartments, Bac Giang five projects with 12,475 apartments, Hai Phong seven projects with 11,678 apartments, Binh Duong seven projects with 6,557 apartments, and Dong Nai eight projects with 9,074 apartments, he said.

Meanwhile, despite big demand for social housing, investment in this type of accommodation in several localities remains modest compared to the plan’s target for 2025. For example, Hanoi has only three projects with about 1,700 apartments, meeting only 9% of demand. HCM City has seven projects with 4,996 apartments, or 19% of demand, while Da Nang has five projects with 2,750 apartments, at 43% of the need.

Notably, such provinces as Vinh Phuc, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Long An, and Quang Ngai haven’t had any projects launched since 2021, according to the official.

Facing that fact, the MoC has frequently urged localities to promote the development of social housing and publicise the projects eligible for soft loans so as to meet the plan’s target, Sinh added.