Ho Chi Minh City to limit government spending on resettlement homes

The Ho Chi Minh City government will limit state budget expense on new resettlement projects in the Vietnamese metropolis, Saigon Giai Phong Online reported.

In light of these austere measures, the private sector should take part in building resettlement houses for affected households in Vietnam’s largest city, suggested Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, at a meeting last Tuesday.

The government’s call to private businesses comes as it makes progress on hundreds of urban planning projects that are foreseen to affect 44,000 households by 2025.

Around 300 of these urban planning projects will be carried out through 2020, with potential to displace 19,000 households, according to Nguyen Van Danh, deputy head of the Department of Construction.

Around 226 projects will be implemented from 2021 through 2025 and consequently affect 25,000 households.

The government intends to maximise all completed resettlement apartments and limit further projects that use state budget, said Tran Vinh Tuyen.

HCMC currently has 12,197 unused apartments designed to help resettle affected households. Around 5,075 units that have been left unoccupied for five years will be auctioned to reclaim capital.

Around 16,800 households reportedly prefer compensation to resettlement and seek new dwellings on their own, according to a survey. Meanwhile, 27,200 households are exhorting the government to accommodate their resettlement needs.