Ha Noi steps up social housing drive to improve housing access
VGP - The Ha Noi People's Committee is accelerating social housing development through sweeping administrative reforms and a streamlined "green lane" mechanism to expand affordable housing supply, improve access to homes for low-income residents, and create a new driver for the capital's sustainable economic growth.
The city identified social housing as not only a key social welfare priority but also an important contributor to achieving the double-digit economic growth target set by the Party Central Committee.
146 new social housing projects
Under Directive No. 16 of the Ha Noi People's Committee, Ha Noi's social housing development plan for the 2026–2030 period comprises 236 projects.
To date, investment policy approval has been granted for 146 projects, totaling around 132,000 apartments with registered investment exceeding VND 290.5 trillion.
To meet the Government-assigned target, the capital aims to complete at least 18,700 social housing units in 2026 while striving to deliver between 25,000 and 27,000 units to the market. The city also plans to simultaneously break ground on 114 projects during the second half of the year.
Administrative reform has been identified as the key breakthrough in achieving these goals. Under the newly introduced "green lane" mechanism, planning, land administration and construction procedures will be fast-tracked, while processing times for administrative procedures will be cut by at least 50 percent.
According to the Ha Noi Department of Construction, the time required for construction appraisal and permit issuance has already been reduced to no more than 10 working days.
Deputy Director of the department Luyen Van Phuong said the streamlined procedures would not only help projects stay on schedule but also accelerate investment by enabling developers to commence construction earlier and bring affordable housing to the market more quickly.
Alongside administrative reform, the city has strengthened project screening to improve implementation efficiency.
Low-income earners, poor and near-poor households in urban areas and workers in industrial zones will be facilitated in accessing preferential credit under the social housing lending program disbursed through the Ha Noi branch of the Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies.
Ha Noi will accelerate the implementation of projects that have already received investment approval and will promptly approve and designate investors for projects that have completed appraisal procedures.
Inspection, supervision and support for enterprises and investors will be strengthened to ensure progress. Strict monitoring and evaluation of investment activities will be carried out to speed up project completion.
The city will organize appraisal and selection of investors, review planning schemes and propose land plots for subsequent public disclosure of project information in line with regulations.
Land allocation, land lease and land use conversion procedures will be implemented after competent authorities approve the investment policy and designate investors without bidding.
For projects where investors have been selected but site clearance has not been completed, investors are responsible for allocating funds and coordinating with commune-level authorities to finalize land clearance.
Ha Noi will mobilize maximum social resources, including capital from organizations, households, individuals and enterprises, to participate in social housing development.
The city will allocate budget capital, either through the establishment of a municipal Housing Fund or integration into the functions of the Ha Noi Development Investment Fund, to invest in external technical infrastructure for social housing projects and core infrastructure within social housing areas. This is to ensure synchronized development alongside residential construction.
Priority will be given to public investment capital to build or purchase social housing units in projects for rental purposes, particularly on land plots located near industrial zones.
Under Decision No. 3602/QD-UBND, Ha Noi reviewed its social housing portfolio and removed 22 projects that were no longer feasible or whose investors lacked sufficient capacity. Priority will instead be given to projects with high implementation readiness in Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Dan Phuong and Soc Son.
The city has also tightened oversight of project implementation. Investors are required to commit to specific construction schedules, while those failing to fulfill their commitments without legitimate reasons may face strict sanctions, including project revocation in cases of prolonged delays or serious violations.
According to the council's supervision report on social housing and resettlement housing development since August 1, 2024.
According to the report, 36 social housing projects have already received investment policy approval but have yet to break ground. Covering a total area of approximately 69.1 hectares, these projects are expected to provide around 18,200 apartments.
Another 31 projects are currently undergoing appraisal of their investment policies and procedures for investor selection in accordance with regulations. Once implemented, they are expected to add about 10,350 apartments.
Notably, the city still has 21 land plots designated for social housing development for which no investors have yet been selected. With a combined area of roughly 14.4 hectares, these sites are projected to accommodate an additional 3,025 apartments.
Ha Noi will also continue reviewing and updating its social housing project portfolio, accelerate investment approval procedures, strengthen inspection and supervision, and prioritize public investment in technical infrastructure and rental housing, particularly in areas adjacent to industrial parks.
The council noted that the city's social housing stock is gradually expanding in both scale and geographical coverage, with investment models becoming increasingly diversified. More projects have secured investment approval, while others have already broken ground or entered the construction phase, reflecting steady progress in implementing the city's affordable housing strategy.
New projects to expand affordable housing supply
Ha Noi is also moving forward with a number of new affordable housing developments as part of its broader effort to increase supply.
Three years ago, initial selling prices at social housing projects were below VND20 million (US$757) per square metre. Today, projects priced at more than VND30 million per square metre are becoming increasingly common.
The city announced provisional prices for a new social housing project, with apartments expected to be priced from around VND 1.1 billion (approximately US$42,000).
A total of 83 apartments will be offered for sale at a provisional price of about VND 28.4 million (US$1,080) per square metre, inclusive of value-added tax and maintenance fees. Based on the proposed pricing, apartment values will range from roughly VND 1.1 billion to VND 1.5 billion (US$57,300).
Three rental housing projects
For years, owning a home in Ha Noi has been an aspiration for many families. However, rapid urbanisation and continuously surging property prices have widened the gap between incomes and housing affordability.
With average monthly incomes ranging from VND15-25 million, many workers, young civil servants, migrant labourers and even middle-income households find it increasingly difficult to access commercial housing.
Although social housing programmes have been expanded in recent years, supply remains insufficient to meet growing demand. Against this backdrop, rental housing is increasingly viewed as a practical solution.
Three flagship outstanding social housing projects, with combined investment of more than 34 trillion VND, are intended to diversify housing options that are affordable to workers. Among them, the 36-hectare project developed by Him Lam Joint Stock Company in Long Bien Ward is expected to provide more than 2,000 rental apartments and is regarded as a highlight development for the 2026–2031 period.
Alongside support mechanisms, Ha Noi has openly acknowledged persistent bottlenecks in site clearance and the determination of financial obligations.
To address these issues, the Ha Noi People's Committee has granted greater authority to commune- and ward-level authorities in appraising 1:500 detailed planning schemes, while reducing site clearance timelines to between 60 and 90 days, depending on the scale of each social housing project.To remove long-standing bottlenecks, the municipal government has delegated greater authority to commune- and ward-level authorities in approving 1:500 detailed planning schemes while reducing site clearance procedures to between 60 and 90 days, depending on project scale./.
