Management Policy on Social Housing for Unskilled Labours from Rural Areas in Big Cities in Vietnam
Abstract:
Vietnam
has been experiencing rapid population change with rapid urban
growth, particularly
in
the last
15 years.
Housing
supply in
big cities
is
always
a
pressing
issue,
especially for immigrant labourers from rural areas.
However, the strategies concerning this issue have been misleading
and have not caught up with economic development and the speed of
immigration.
In
order to cope with this situation, besides the urban housing
development strategies, so called "social housing programs"
for people who cannot afford to buy a house have been implemented
across Vietnam
by the Government
and have
achieved
some
positive
results.
However,
in Vietnam "Social housing" only refers to houses for (1)
civil/ public servants, (2) students and workers in EPZs, (3) low
income groups who contributed a lot to their country's liberation
(determined
by The
Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs), (4) poor
people who are legal citizens of the city. The unskilled laborers
from rural areas are not eligible for social housing/ are not
included in the social housing scheme, because they still do not have
the right to complete their resident registration.
Therefore,
they have to live in bad conditions in the slum areas which spoil the
cityscape and cause difficulties in urban management. These slums are
built spontaneously, without land titles and can be destroyed at any
time. Despite their contributions e to the economic development of
the city, they are considered "second-class citizens", have
no legal
employment
contract
and do not get any support from the city government in order to pay
for accommodation.
According
to the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam, the average living space
per person is 16.7sqm/ person in urban areas. However, according to
our surveys in Hanoi and Danang in 2010, it is only 2-8sqm/ person
for immigrant laborers. They have to rent costly accommodations and
cannot access social services.
Meanwhile,
migration is inevitable and unstoppable. There should be policies to
support housing for immigrants. Budget rental housing in suburban
zones may be an applicable and flexible solution. Besides, the
definition of "social housing" in Vietnam needs to be
changed and legally expanded to include unskilled labourers from
rural areas - the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in urban
society.
Ms. Le Thi Thuy Ha
Deputy Manager
of Division for Urban Development and Architectural Building Research
Vietnam
Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning (VIAP)
Ministry of Construction of Vietnam
| Attachment | Size |
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| 19_Ha_Management Policy on Social Housing for Unskilled Labours from Rural Areas in Big Cities in Vietnam.pdf | 1.05 MB |