Workshop seeks to develop social housing for worker in IPs

Hanoi (VNA) – Around 70-80 percent of workers at industrial parks (IPs) nationwide have housing needs, an official from the Ministry of Construction has said.

Trinh Truong Son, Vice Director of the ministry’s Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department, gave the estimation at a workshop in Hanoi in July 1, which aimed to announce results of a study on how to improve living conditions for workers in IPs in Vietnam.

Son mentioned a fact that only 20 percent of workers in IPs have their own houses, while a majority of workers have to rent houses from local residents, often small spaces with poor sanitation, which then badly affects their health.

Kenichi Hashimoto, an expert from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said the situation causes obstacles for enterprises in IPs to retain skilled employees.

He cited outcomes from a survey of 100 IP across the country that showed and very few investors are interested in building housing for workers, while planning for such housing projects does not suit real needs.

The study on how to improve living conditions for workers in IPs in Vietnam was conducted with the support of JICA, according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Trung.

JICA committed to supporting Vietnam in investigating issues related to living condition of workers in IPs and piloting a social housing project in My Hao district, the northern province of Hung Yen.

Through the project in Hung Yen, JICA proposed many measures to better living conditions for workers in IPs in the country.

JICA suggested giving preferential interest rate, land use fees and several other incentives for social housing developers, while employers should give workers housing allowance or rent housing quarters to re-lease to their workers.

Vietnam should also devise new policies on planning and designing social housing infrastructure projects for workers, and promoting public-private partnership models in the field.

Housing areas for workers should be located between 300-500metres from IPs and share social and technical infrastructure facilities with other local residential areas to facilitate workers’ travel and daily lives, Kenichi Hashimoto said.

Vice Chairman of the Hung Yen province People’s Committee Dang Ngoc Quynh affirmed that the results of the study will serve as a foundation for the local authorities to conduct follow-up plans for the project.-VNA