The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new home of Đinh Hyôn's family in Hrak Village, Đăk Djrăng Commune, Mang Yang District in Gia Lai Province. VNA/VNS Photo Quang Thái

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Construction has emphasised that to achieve the goal of eliminating makeshift and dilapidated housing by the end of 2025, localities must proactively allocate and manage financial resources, including local budget funds and other legally mobilised sources.

The policy to eradicate makeshift and dilapidated houses nationwide is defined as a meaningful and humanitarian initiative of the Party and the Government. It reflects concern for disadvantaged communities, helping impoverished citizens stabilise their lives, ensuring secure housing for sustainable livelihoods and providing greater safety against natural disasters such as storms and floods.

To address housing issues for poor, near-poor and disadvantaged households, the ministry emphasised that local authorities should continue considering applications, conducting auctions and arranging for people to move into designated residential clusters and zones that have already been developed.

Eligibility criteria

The ministry has recently received numerous petitions from National Assembly deputies highlighting difficulties in eliminating makeshift and dilapidated housing. These petitions also propose financial support for building and renovating homes for households in need.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has set a target to complete the eradication of makeshift and dilapidated houses for these vulnerable groups by the end of 2025.

Currently, localities are making concerted efforts to fulfil this directive, however, there are still significant challenges in execution at the grassroots level.

For instance, according to a petition from the National Assembly deputies of Khánh Hòa Province, regulations on housing construction require that households possess a land-use rights certificate and that the land must comply with zoning regulations. Additionally, beneficiaries are required to contribute counterpart funding.

In reality, however, many households in the province lack the required land area to subdivide their plots or do not yet have land-use certificates. Moreover, some households consist of only one or two elderly individuals, without earning capacity, or families with multiple sick members, who cannot afford the required matched funding.

These families have remained in poverty or near-poverty for many years. As a result, constituents have requested special consideration for these cases and additional support for constructing or repairing homes for poor and near-poor households.

Similarly, a petition from the National Assembly deputies of An Giang Province, submitted to the ministry, underscored that many poor and near-poor households in the area do not possess land-use rights for housing. Instead, they live in temporary housing along rivers and canals, in precarious conditions.

The military check on a makeshift and dilapidated house in Vĩnh Trung commune, Vị Thủy District, Hậu Giang Province on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khương

Given these circumstances, NA deputies urged the Government to consider investing in the development of residential clusters and settlements to accommodate and relocate these vulnerable households, ensuring they have stable living conditions.

Mobilising resources

According to the ministry, in the conclusions of PM Chính on November 16, 2024, at the first session of the Steering Committee on eliminating makeshift and dilapidated housing nationwide, he affirmed the policy of supporting housing construction on legally undisputed land.

He also delegated authority to district and commune-level People's Committee chairpersons to decide within their jurisdiction or report to the appropriate higher authorities as required.

Based on this directive, local authorities must actively implement the policy.

For households under social protection programmes, the ministry has requested the Khánh Hòa Provincial People's Committee to assess the local situation and mobilise socialised resources to secure additional funding for the construction and renovation of homes for these vulnerable groups.

Regarding the Mekong Delta region, the ministry highlighted ongoing efforts to improve housing safety, enhance living environments and establish sustainable livelihoods for residents affected by flooding and erosion along rivers, canals and coastal areas. To support these goals, the Prime Minister has issued policies and mechanisms for implementation from 2001 to 2025.

Under the Mekong Delta Residential Cluster and Flood-proof Programme (2001–2015), 976 projects were completed, providing stable housing for approximately 191,000 households.

For the 2018–2025 period, reports from Mekong Delta provinces indicated a need for 62 additional projects for residential clusters, resettlement areas and embankments, ensuring approximately 17,800 safe and stable homes.

Notably, An Giang Province alone has reported the need for 29 additional residential cluster projects to accommodate around 7,500 households.

However, under the programme’s regulations, localities in the Mekong Delta must independently allocate and balance financial resources for implementation.

Therefore, provincial authorities must continue evaluating applications, conducting auctions and clear the way for the relocation of residents into newly developed residential clusters and zones. — VNS