The Government has just issued Decree No. 136/2026/ND-CP effective from April 7, 2026, amending the income conditions for purchasing social housing in the direction of increasing the income ceiling from 5-10 million VND depending on the subject compared to previous regulations.
In case the applicant is a single person, the average monthly actual income does not exceed 25 million VND/month (an increase of 5 million VND compared to the old regulation). For single people raising children under the age of adulthood, the maximum income level is increased to 35 million VND/month (an increase of 5 million VND compared to the old regulation). For married people, the total average monthly income of the couple does not exceed 50 million VND/month (an increase of 10 million VND compared to the old regulation).
Mr. Tran Tuan Minh (29 years old, technical staff) has worked in Hanoi for many years, with an income of about 23 million VND/month. Despite having a stable job, the dream of owning a house is still far away as commercial housing prices are increasing, exceeding financial capacity.
Previously, with this income level, Mr. Minh did not have enough conditions to access social housing. However, when the new regulation officially raised the income ceiling to 25 million VND/month from April 7, 2026, Mr. Minh felt very excited.
This policy helps people with average incomes like me have more opportunities to access suitable housing" - Mr. Minh said.
Similarly, Ms. Le My Lan (27 years old, communication staff in Hanoi) currently has an income of about 25 million VND/month. Although she has accumulated a certain amount, buying a commercial house is still a difficult problem for her.
The new policy helps me feel more confident when thinking about buying a house. If I have a suitable financial plan, I can completely consider borrowing to pay in installments. I am researching social housing projects in the area, hoping to soon settle down in the near future" - Ms. Lan said.
Not only Minh and Lan, many young people with similar incomes are also looking forward to the opportunity to settle down thanks to the new policy. For them, relaxing the income ceiling is not only a change in numbers, but also opening the door to turn the dream of "having a house" into reality.
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nam - General Director of G-Home Joint Stock Company, a company specializing in developing social housing - said that raising the ceiling income for buying social housing is in line with reality.
He analyzed that although the income level below 25 million VND/month seems high, when having to cover living expenses, raising children and family expenses, the budget for housing is usually only about 20-30% of total income. With this ratio, raising the income ceiling is necessary for people to be able to borrow from banks and pay in installments to buy houses for 20-25 years.
In the context that social housing prices are also increasing, with some projects in Hanoi reaching nearly 30 million VND/m2, adjusting the income ceiling will help to be more suitable for the affordability of buyers" - Mr. Nam assessed.
From the beginning of 2026, social housing continues to be placed at the center of the Government and the Ministry of Construction's management, when a series of new mechanisms and policies are issued to remove difficulties for this segment.
The Department of Housing and Real Estate Market Management said that from the beginning of the year to now, the Government has issued 3 decrees, 3 resolutions, the Prime Minister has issued 1 directive, and the Minister of Construction has issued 1 circular related to the field of housing and the real estate market. In which, notably, there are mechanisms to handle difficulties and obstacles in social housing development and the assignment of social housing development targets to localities in the 2026-2030 period.
This move shows that the policy determination is very clear. In the context that the housing demand of low-income people, industrial park workers and workers in major cities is still very large, promoting the development of social housing is not only of social security significance but is also expected to contribute to adjusting the supply structure in the real estate market.
