Fierce competition to win the opportunity to buy social housing
Very fierce, very high competition" - that is the sentence I heard the most during my work at the social housing application receiving point in Hanoi.
I still remember the last days of 2025, when Hanoi was submerged in cold rain. From dusk, hundreds of people were present at the application receiving point of a social housing project to queue until the next morning. In their hands were dossiers wrapped tightly in nylon bags, carefully preserved to avoid getting wet. Because just a small mistake, all the preparation efforts for many months could become meaningless.
Present at the social housing application receiving point in Thien Loc commune (Hanoi) from about 7 pm, what surprised me was that many people were waiting right in front of the gate. Because office hours were over, everyone had to sit outside. Experienced people brought chairs, blankets, mats to prepare to stay up all night to reserve seats. Many others only had a few cartons spread temporarily on the ground to sit and wait.
In the role of someone who needs to buy social housing, I and the crowd patiently waited. It was drizzling, I only brought a thin raincoat. Accompanying me was a female colleague. We sat on the cold ground in the winter weather. It was in that moment that I felt even more clearly the hardship of the people who had to queue for a day or two just to have the opportunity to submit applications.
Here, I had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Tran Thi Mai (character name has been changed). Both husband and wife are workers, for many years they have rented a rented room of more than 20 m2 in Thien Loc commune to live with their young children.
Ms. Mai said that her family always wants to have their own house. Living in a cramped rented room for many years, the couple saved every penny with the hope that one day they could settle down. Now that their children are of school age, that desire becomes even more urgent.
While telling the story, Ms. Mai teared up. According to her, the price of commercial housing in Hanoi is currently too high, many apartments are priced from 4 - 5 billion VND, far exceeding the family's financial capacity. Although knowing that the opportunity to own a social housing apartment is not easy, she and her husband are still determined to try their hand.
She recounted that at about 5 pm on the same day, after finishing the application processing session, due to the large number of people coming to apply, up to thousands of people, many people had to return and wait until the next day. Her family decided to return to queue to reserve seats, ready to stay up all night to have the opportunity to apply early.
My husband and I have to take turns taking seats. If only one person leaves, just leaving the position is a loss of turn. Thousands of people submit applications while the number of apartments is only a few hundred units, so the level of competition is very high. I just hope to be able to submit applications tomorrow morning, which would also be considered a step closer to the dream of having a house," Ms. Mai shared.
Sleepless nights of people and journalists
That night, I heard many stories and witnessed many different situations. Not only young families, many people over 70 years old were also present to apply for social housing.
After recording images and interviewing people, I and my colleagues found a small corner on the side of the road to write articles to send to the editorial office. It was late at night, all shops were closed. The only light was from computer screens and street lights. We took the opportunity to complete the article to promptly update information for readers.
When returning to the application receiving point, the line of people waiting stretched hundreds of meters. It was a long night almost sleepless for both reporters and people.
The later it gets, the colder the weather gets. Many people huddle and hug their knees tightly. Some families lean on each other and take the opportunity to take a nap. Intermittent sleep due to cold rain, but no one gives up. They patiently wait, without complaining or scolding. Because for those workers and laborers, this is not simply a dossier, but an opportunity to realize their dream of settling down. They accept enduring the cold all night with the hope that one day they will have their own home.
Until dawn, it suddenly rained heavily. However, what moved me was that almost no one left the stall to take shelter from the rain. Thousands of people still stood in their positions, tightly holding dossiers, carefully shielding under umbrellas and raincoats. That was a moment that really moved me. Because in many years of writing about real estate, I have never witnessed the people's aspiration to settle down so genuinely.
At exactly 8 am, the investor began to receive applications. People were called inside one by one. In everyone's eyes, hope shone. After receiving the appointment to receive applications, many people could not hide their joy. The fatigue after a sleepless night seemed to have diminished a lot. The journey of owning social housing has just begun, but it is an important milestone in everyone's life.
As a regular reporter working at the scene, I understand that the most truthful stories always start from accompanying people. Only when directly experiencing those circumstances can I clearly feel their difficulties, worries and aspirations.
Sleepless nights with thousands of people waiting to submit applications to buy social housing not only leave in me photos or pages of notes, but also touching life stories. These experiences help me understand more about the journey of making a living, about the aspiration for settlement of workers, and also remind journalists to always be present at the scene, listen with understanding to truthfully reflect the breath of life. Because behind each article is not only information, but also fates, dreams and human values that need to be spread.
