A view of an accommodation for workers at Tân Thuận Export Processing Zone in HCM City’s District 7. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City continues to accelerate the implementation of related procedures for the city’s housing development programme by 2030, including social housing, affordable accommodations for workers, and relocating houses in slums along canals and rivers.

This was announced at a press conference held on September 29 by the municipal People's Committee to provide a review of socio-economic development in the first nine months of the year, the outlook for the entire year, and COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control work.

Phạm Đức Hải, deputy head of Propaganda Department of the city Party Committee, chaired the press conference and said the city’s economy saw a strong continued recovery in the first nine months of the year.

The city’s gross domestic product in the first nine months of the year grew by 9.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The total state budget revenue was estimated at nearly VNĐ350 trillion (US$14.6 billion), up 27.7 per cent year-on-year, reaching 90.5 per cent of the whole year's plan.

In the first nine months of the year, total import-export revenue was VNĐ104.7 trillion ($4.4 billion), up 19.7 per cent year-on-year, reaching 89.9 per cent of the year’s estimate.

The city welcomed 20.6 million domestic tourists, a 66.1 per cent year-on year increase, and 2.1 million international tourists, up 10 per cent year-on year.

In the last months of the year, the city strives to safely, flexibly and effectively control and adapt to the pandemic, improve the quality of infrastructure, urban development and management, and accompany businesses to build a favourable investment environment.

It will promote the market stabilisation programme and solutions in price management in order to stabilise price levels.

It will prepare enough supply of goods to meet the needs of consumers at year-end and the Lunar New Year festival, and also hold its annual sales promotion month from now until the end of the year.

Promoting tourism development, cooperation and linkages in tourism with localities and tourism promotion activities abroad will be strengthened in the last months of the year.

The city will implement a strategy to ensure a suitable labour supply for socio-economic development, and improve the quality of human resources.

It will boost urban development, urban embellishment, and re-construction of old apartment buildings, reduce urban flooding and environmental pollution, and gradually expand public green outdoor spaces to meet the needs of residents.

It is mobilising all resources to complete metro line No.1, and preparing the investment of metro line No.2, Ring Road No. 4 and HCM City-Mộc Bài Expressway projects.

The city continues to review and complete procedures for the implementation of the housing development programme by 2030.

It expects to build about 35,000 social housing units by 2025, including about 7,000 lease houses and 4,500 accommodations for workers.

In the following five years from 2026 to 2030, the city will build 58,000 social housing units, including 11,600 lease houses and 8,000 accommodations for workers.

The city is working to set up a working group to carry out a renovation project in Xuyên Tâm Canal and the relocation of thousands of houses.

Xuyên Tâm Canal is about 8.2km long, of which the project's scope from Nhiêu Lộc - Thị Nghè Canal to Vàm Thuật River is 6.4km long.

The project, estimated to cost about VNĐ9.4 trillion ($392 million), has been delayed for many years and is also one of 25 urgent projects on the city’s list of urban betterment and development plans in the 2021-25 period.

It aims to relocate 6,500 houses on and along the canal while tackling drainage-related problems and improving the environment. 

The pre-feasibility study report of the project must be completed and submitted in October. After that, the municipal People’s Council will make further decisions regarding investment policy in the last meeting of this year.

Lê Thiện Quỳnh Như, deputy chief of the city’s Department of Health Office, said the department has implemented many solutions to strengthen and increase medical human resources of the grassroots health network.

It plans to attract students graduating from colleges and universities of medicine and pharmacy to work at commune and ward medical stations across the city. — VNS