Workers’ housing demand in industrial zones remains high, yet obstacles in mechanisms and policies continue to slow solutions. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The demand for housing among workers, labourers and low-income households in the southeastern region is becoming increasingly urgent.

In response, Đồng Nai and Tây Ninh provinces, along with HCM City have all moved to accelerate social housing development, with the dual aim of meeting Government targets and ensuring social security while laying the foundation for sustainable urban growth.

In Đồng Nai, the provincial People’s Committee has recently issued investment decisions for seven social housing projects.

The selected developers are major property firms with solid financial capacity and proven experience, marking an important step that will allow construction to begin as early as September 2025 to coincide with the provincial Party Congress.

According to Decision 444/QĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister, Đồng Nai must deliver 4,208 social housing units in 2025.

To achieve this, the province has shortened appraisal and licensing processes by 50 per cent and integrated fire safety requirements into the approval process to avoid duplication.

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hồ Văn Hà stressed that the goal is not only to meet central targets but, more importantly, to address the pressing housing needs of thousands of workers in the province’s large industrial zones.

Projects, he said, must ensure quality, include full amenities and remain affordable for low-income earners.

This year alone, Đồng Nai has started 3,736 units and expects to hand over more than 4,700, exceeding its assigned target by 500 units.

The province also plans to break ground on a further 24,000 units by the year’s end.

Among the flagship developments are K-Home Avenue, K-Home Midtown and K-Home Skyview, all designed as green buildings using precast concrete technology and integrating parks, swimming pools, schools and outdoor sports facilities.

In Tây Ninh Province, the provincial People’s Committee has set up a Steering Committee for Social Housing Development, chaired by Chairman Nguyễn Văn Út, to directly address bottlenecks and monitor implementation.

The province has mapped out 20 projects for 2025 with a combined scale of more than 32,000 units, of which four projects with nearly 1,600 units have already been launched in the first half of the year.

A notable project is located in Cầu Tràm Industrial Park in Rạch Kiến Commune, offering 947 units, while another in Phước Vĩnh Tây New Urban Area aims to provide more than 13,000 social housing units across nearly 1,100 hectares. Yet challenges remain.

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Hồng Thanh admitted that site clearance and lengthy investment procedures are the main barriers.

The province is now reviewing its entire planning framework, cutting processing times and actively courting additional investors.

Following Decision 444/QĐ-TTg, Tây Ninh, after its merger with Long An, must complete more than 83,000 social housing units by 2030.

So far, it has completed 11 projects with over 4,300 units, laying a base for the next stage of expansion.

HCM City, meanwhile, faces the greatest demand in the country, tasked with providing nearly 200,000 social housing units by 2030.

However, the city has so far completed only 6,657 units, or just 6.6 per cent of the target.

To increase supply, the city has announced the first sales phase of the Sonadezi Hữu Phước Residential Area, formerly under Châu Đức District of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province.

This phase offers 210 apartments ranging from 25 to 68 square metres, priced at between VNĐ12.4 million and VNĐ14.2 million (US$480–550) per square metre.

After this, the developer will add more than 1,000 units.

Since the beginning of this year, the city has completed six projects with 2,745 units and is expected to deliver nearly 2,900 more units from four additional projects before year-end.

At present, 11 projects with over 11,600 units are under construction, six more with almost 5,300 units are about to break ground, and investment approval has been granted to 26 projects totalling around 24,600 units.

Despite these efforts, land clearance and compensation remain the biggest hurdles.

Many projects have been delayed or frozen because compensation agreements cannot be reached.

Experts warn that without stronger and more decisive solutions, the city may find it difficult to achieve its 2030 target.

The southeastern region is home to millions of workers in industrial parks and export processing zones, making it the area with the highest demand for social housing nationwide.

Nevertheless, development continues to face obstacles such as cumbersome administrative procedures, limited land, high investment costs and low returns.

Nguyễn Văn Đính, chairman of the Việt Nam Association of Realtors, said that to attract more developers, the Government needs to introduce more compelling incentives, such as reductions in land-use fees, credit support, and permission for higher construction density.

At the same time, he added, strict mechanisms must be in place to control selling prices and prevent projects from turning into disguised low-cost commercial housing. — VNS