A social housing project in HCM City. The city has proposed easing planning requirements to accelerate investment approvals for social housing projects. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City has proposed easing planning requirements for social housing projects to speed up investment approvals, allowing developments to proceed without waiting for detailed zoning plans in areas where such plans have yet to be completed.

The proposal, submitted by the municipal Department of Planning and Architecture to the city People’s Committee, would allow authorities to assess social housing projects against higher-level planning documents, including general and master plans, instead of requiring approved detailed zoning plans.

Under the proposed mechanism, projects could obtain in-principle investment approval if their proposed land use is consistent with the applicable higher-level plans and national technical standards.

The change aims to remove a procedural bottleneck that can delay social housing developments, as investors often have to wait for detailed zoning plans to be completed before proceeding with investment approval procedures.

The draft decision sets out criteria for assessing planning compliance when authorities consider in-principle investment approvals and issue investment registration certificates for construction-related projects.

It also proposes different arrangements for other types of development. Commercial housing projects in areas where detailed zoning plans are compulsory would still need to comply with those plans before receiving in-principle investment approval.

For projects covering an entire functional zone, the city proposes using master plans to assess planning compliance.

In rural areas, residential developments would be assessed against approved detailed rural plans or, where these are unavailable, commune-level general plans.

Projects involving repairs, renovations or replacement construction could be exempt from planning compliance assessments if they retain the same objectives, location and land boundaries and do not increase land-use or technical planning indicators.

The draft does not introduce additional administrative procedures and is expected to be submitted for issuance by the city People’s Committee in December 2026.

The proposal comes as Việt Nam’s largest economic hub seeks to accelerate social housing construction to meet growing demand for affordable accommodation.

The city completed three social housing projects with a combined 2,283 apartments in the first nine months of 2026.

It expects to complete 13 projects providing approximately 9,402 apartments this year. Another 17 projects, with around 18,000 apartments, are expected to become eligible for market launch after completing their foundations.

The city also plans to break ground on six large-scale projects in the fourth quarter, with a combined capacity of approximately 84,000 apartments.

HCM City aims to develop 181,257 social housing apartments between 2026 and 2030. — VNS