Currently, many blocks of houses in this project have been completed, but have been abandoned for nearly 10 years.
Abandoned student housing, overgrown with grass
Hanoi plans to complete the renovation of buildings A2 and A3 at the Phap Van - Tu Hiep dormitory into social housing for rent in 2026. This information was stated in the conclusion of the Chairman of Hanoi at a recent meeting on the situation of 5 projects that are slow to implement and put into use.
Accordingly, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh assigned the Department of Construction and the City Civil Works Construction Investment Project Management Board to urgently complete the procedures for implementing the social housing construction investment project on the basis of renovating and upgrading houses A2, A3 (with the rough construction) of the Student Housing Project (Phap Van - Tu Hiep Urban Area, Hoang Liet Ward, Hoang Mai District).
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen (Hoang Mai District, Hanoi) said that many rows of houses in this project are always abandoned, overgrown with grass and trees, increasingly degraded, causing great waste. Currently, housing prices in Hanoi are increasingly expensive, owning a house is very difficult. Therefore, renovating abandoned houses into social housing is a practical policy that needs to be implemented soon.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tri (Hoang Mai district, Hanoi), many rows of houses have been abandoned for a long time, so people around them use them as parking lots, vegetable gardens, etc. Occasionally, people come to survey, but after that, the buildings remain silent.
Ms. Do Thi Hong Hanh - Vice President of Khanh Viet Law Firm - said that students really need to live near their school to reduce travel time and costs. However, the Phap Van housing area is not near any university, so it is clearly not able to attract students.
Converting to social housing helps increase supply to the market
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nam - General Director of G-Home Joint Stock Company (a company specializing in developing social housing) - said that converting the Phap Van - Tu Hiep housing area into social housing is necessary, which will help increase the housing supply for the market. Because currently, the demand for buying and renting social housing in Hanoi is very large.
In addition, this area has a high population density, is located near Ring Road 3 and many large hospitals. Therefore, we need to take advantage of these advantages to develop social housing for the people. However, this transition process also faces many difficulties due to legal barriers and complicated procedures. Therefore, there needs to be specific support policies such as investing in infrastructure, utilities and determining appropriate prices to attract people to participate.
Architect Pham Thanh Tung - Chief of Office of the Vietnam Association of Architects - commented that social housing and student housing have different structures and functions. Accordingly, social housing is a closed apartment, with full functions of a family apartment, such as a bedroom and a separate kitchen. Meanwhile, student housing is only a temporary place to stay for studying, without the amenities of a family apartment.
Architect Pham Thanh Tung believes that converting abandoned student buildings into social housing is a correct policy. However, careful preparation in design and renovation is needed to ensure social housing standards and the needs of residents. This is a process that requires the attention and efforts of all parties involved.
The Phap Van - Tu Hiep student housing project (Hoang Mai, Hanoi) started construction in 2009 with a total investment of 1,900 billion VND. The initial goal of the project was to provide accommodation for about 22,000 students from universities and colleges in Hanoi.
Since January 2015, 3 buildings have been in use, with a capacity of 10,800 students. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the building has been closed and inactive.
