Decisively Removing Planning Bottlenecks, Accelerating Social Housing Development

On October 21, Comrade Vu Viet Van, Member of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, chaired a conference to hear reports from the Department of Construction regarding urban-rural planning and the implementation status of social housing development projects across the province.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Vu Viet Van delivers directive remarks at the conference.

Attending the conference were leaders representing departments and branches: Construction, Finance, Agriculture and Environment, Office of the Provincial People’s Committee; the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board, alongside leaders of the Hoa Binh Ward People’s Committee.

At the conference, representatives of the Department of Construction and the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board reported and proposed local adjustments to the 1/500 Scale Detailed Planning for the Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Creating Land Funds to Serve Urban Development in Hoa Binh Ward.

According to orientations approved in 2025, the planned area covers approximately 7.13 hectares (formerly land designated for medical facilities and the old funeral home), designated for conversion into resettlement residential land and educational land to construct a kindergarten facility.

However, pursuant to Scheme No. 09/DA-UBND dated August 21, 2026, issued by the Hoa Binh Ward People’s Committee regarding current local needs, the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board proposed omitting the kindergarten facility at this location and converting the entire area into resettlement residential land to meet site demands for key transport infrastructure projects.

Departmental, branch, and local representatives focused discussions on analyzing and evaluating the legality and appropriateness of this proposal relative to zoning plans and general master plans.

Leaders of the Department of Construction report on urban-rural planning and social housing development across the province.

Concluding this agenda item, Vice Chairman Vu Viet Van emphasized the core principle: The original option allocating land for kindergarten construction in the approved plan must be preserved to guarantee stable land reserves and long-term social welfare facilities for the local community.

He assigned specialized agencies and local authorities to coordinate a review, calculating specific quantitative figures regarding urban impacts should land usage functions be converted, while clarifying technical-economic calculations and livelihood infrastructure compensation plans in the event of changes.

He stressed: Rearranging and adjusting planning is not merely a task of population distribution, but an opportunity to expand and upgrade social welfare spaces. Every proposed option must guarantee harmony between technical infrastructure development and optimizing educational and cultural benefits for the people.

He requested the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board and the Hoa Binh Ward People’s Committee to strictly absorb directives, urgently finalizing proof reports backed by specific data to establish a basis for submission to competent authorities for consideration in accordance with regulations.

Leaders of departments and branches focus on analyzing and clarifying obstacles in planning, site clearance, and investment procedures for the 20% social housing land fund.

Reporting on the implementation of the 20% land fund reserved for social housing construction across urban area and commercial housing projects, the representative of the Department of Construction stated: The province currently has 68 urban and housing projects with a planned 20% social housing land fund covering a total area of over 3,231 hectares. Among these, total land dedicated to social housing reaches 212.6 hectares (projected to supply approximately 45,415 apartments).

To date, the province has assigned investors to 23 projects (scale of 81.2 hectares, approximately 19,603 apartments), but only 9 projects are actively under construction, while 14 projects remain unexecuted. Notably, 45 projects (scale of 131.4 hectares, approximately 25,812 apartments) have yet to select or assign investors.

Discussing at the conference, delegates candidly pointed out key “bottlenecks”: 56 out of 68 projects encounter compensation, grave relocation, or clean site availability issues in the 20% social housing zone; 22 projects have expired implementation periods under investment policy approval documents; 4 projects are undergoing local planning adjustments; and 2 projects are coordinating 1/2000 zoning plan adjustments.

Regarding investor progress, 2 projects have completed technical infrastructure but have not commenced social housing construction (Au Co New Urban Area; Thanh Minh New Urban Area), while 1 project requested to return its 20% land fund (Viet Sec New Urban Area, Viet Tri Ward).

Delivering directive remarks, Vice Chairman Vu Viet Van affirmed: Fulfilling obligations to dedicate land funds and construct social housing is not a barrier or burden, but a legal responsibility and mandatory social obligation for investors. Investing in synchronized infrastructure to bring residents into social housing areas early will increase population density, perfect amenities, create attraction, and enhance commercial value for entire project developments.

To accelerate progress, the Vice Chairman assigned specific targets and tasks to relevant departments, branches, and localities in compensation and site clearance to create clean sites for the 20% land funds and concentrated social housing projects. The determination is to complete all procedures within 2026, strictly avoiding delays that waste land resources.

He assigned the Department of Construction as the lead focal point to directly review and work with each investor across the 45 unexecuted social housing and urban projects to promptly resolve difficulties. State management agencies will create maximum administrative procedure conditions, supporting information publication to attract capable investors; while resolutely handling or advising strict handling of cases intentionally evading obligations or causing schedule delays according to regulations.

Concurrently, the province encourages investors to flexibly apply legal regulations to raise social housing development targets beyond minimum thresholds, committing to strictly execute synchronized technical and social infrastructure investments that fully connect social housing areas with entire urban developments, ensuring the best quality of life for residents.

Dinh Vu