Ho Chi Minh City authorities handed over 109 apartments in a social housing project to owners at a ceremony on April 18.

The apartments are part of the 490-unit Useful Apartment project funded by Esaco Group, covering nearly 6,714 square metres on Lac Long Quan Street in Tan Binh district.

Between 2011 and 2014 more than 6,000 apartments were completed under 20 social housing projects, according to the municipal Department of Construction.

Another 880 apartments were shifted from commercial projects and six other social housing projects were approved.

The city has had 43 social housing projects to date, and 8 others shifted from commercial projects, offering a total of nearly 50,000 apartments.

In 2015, the city intends to complete five social housing projects providing more than 3,500 apartments.

It plans to build an additional 40 million square metres of social housing through 2020, offering 10,000 apartments and accommodating hundreds of thousands of workers and students.-VNA