Revealing the trick of "securing a goodwill space" for social housing projects in Quang Tri

Pay 10 million "reserving a goodwill space"

Just type the phrase "Quang Tri social housing" on Facebook, a series of fanpages and personal accounts appear with promotional content about "Dong Hoi City Central Social Housing Area".

Many posts attached brightly colored photos, attractive introductions and especially invitations to "receive goodwill bookings". These contents make many people believe that the project is preparing to open for sale and can register early to choose an apartment.

From the phone number contacted on the N.H.L fanpage, in mid-November 2025, the reporter was guided to a consultation point on Le Truc Street, Dong Hoi Ward and noted that the consultation area was in a crowded location. In front of the door are two large signs with the words "Social housing project" and "Place to receive social housing project documents", creating the feeling that this is the official dossier receiving point.

Posing as a person in need, the reporter was approached by a man named Khien (name changed). He said that he belongs to the project management board and was assigned the task of consulting to "set a goodwill spot". This person asked many questions about work, housing status, travel distance and income. When he heard reporters answer that he was working in an office, not having a house and having an income not exceeding 20 million VND, Mr. Khien started introducing the project.

According to him, the project consists of two 15-storey apartment buildings, with a total of 560 apartments with an area of 36.1 to 74.3 square meters. Estimated price is 16-17 million VND/m2. Buyers can borrow up to 85 per cent of the apartment value, with a loan term of 25 years. Mr. Khien affirmed that "nearly 100 people have booked charity", each place has 10 million VND and if they do not buy it, they will be refunded. Booking early, according to him, helps buyers choose apartments in advance.

To strengthen confidence, he informed that the project will start on December 19, 2025, while at this time the project has not yet started construction.

At the end of the consultation, Mr. Khien gave reporters a sample "Willingness booking" with a red seal and the signature of Mr. H.H - representative of Dong Hoi Central Social Housing Company Limited. People only need to fill in information and pay 10 million VND according to instructions.

Mr. Vo Viet Dung - Deputy Head of Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department said that social housing is a special social security product, only sold to 12 groups of subjects according to regulations. The purchase process includes two steps: submit the application for condition testing, then review, send to the Department of Construction for review and draw if the application number is more than the number of apartments. Only when these steps are completed can the contract be signed.

Mr. Dung said that booking, depositing, reserving or "reserving a goodwill place" to get the right to buy social housing is all against regulations. If violations are detected, the authorities will check and handle them according to the law.

Start refunds

After Lao Dong Newspaper reported that a project had not yet started but had collected 10 million VND "to reserve a goodwill", the investor had to adjust the way of doing things. On the morning of November 25, at the consultation point, the reporter noted that one of the two large signs had been removed, leaving only the "Social housing project" sign.

The investor's representative admitted that the content reflected by Lao Dong Newspaper was correct. The unit met and agreed to return the entire amount of 10 million VND. A total of 71 people have transferred money. At the time of recording, 6 people had brought money payment papers to receive the money back through the form of payment authorization because the money had previously been transferred directly to the business account. The investor expects to complete the refund within the week.

The unit also announced that it will replace the "reservation for goodwill" form with a demand survey form, without collecting money during the consultation period. This form is only used to count actual needs before instructing people to submit documents in accordance with regulations. According to a source from Lao Dong Newspaper, the authorities have begun investigating the incident.