Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (30 years old, technical staff) has worked in Hanoi for many years with an income of about 23 million VND/month, but the dream of owning a private house is still out of reach as commercial housing prices continuously increase. In that context, social housing has become a support for him and many workers with average incomes. Previously, with his current income, he did not have enough conditions to access this type of housing. However, when Decree No. 136/2026/ND-CP (effective from April 7, 2026) raised the income ceiling to 25 million VND/month, he could not hide his expectations. "In the context of high house prices, this policy opens up opportunities for me to get closer to my dream of settling down" - Mr. Hung shared.
Not only Mr. Hung, many workers also expect social housing when commercial housing prices far exceed their ability to pay. Relaxing the conditions for purchasing helps them get closer to settling down, instead of renting long-term rooms or living far from the center.
According to a report by the Vietnam Association of Realtors (VARS), in the first quarter of 2026, the market recorded about 52,000 commercial housing products for sale, of which new supply reached about 38,000 products, slightly decreased compared to the previous quarter but still 2.5 times higher than the same period in 2025.
In Hanoi, the average primary price reached about 128 million VND/m2, an increase of 28% compared to 2025; while in Ho Chi Minh City, the primary price is maintained around 110 million VND/m2. Notably, in the structure of commercial apartments newly opened for sale, the luxury and super-luxury apartment segment accounts for about 20%, high-end apartments account for 53%, while the apartment segment priced at about 2-3 billion VND continues to be absent.
Ms. Pham Thi Mien - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Real Estate Market Assessment Research Institute (VARS IRE) - assessed that social housing is emerging as a bright spot when recording more than 7,000 products eligible for sale, contributing to filling the gap that the commercial housing segment has not yet met. According to her, this segment is gradually becoming a "support" for the market, both solving real housing needs and contributing to stabilizing supply and demand.
Ms. Do Thi Thu Hang said that in the coming time, the supply of social housing and affordable products will increase, expanding the target group of buyers. When the supply improves, the price level can be adjusted more reasonably.
Over the past time, social housing has continued to be placed at the center of attention in the management of the Government and the Ministry of Construction, when a series of new mechanisms and policies were 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.
The Ministry of Construction said that, accumulated to date, there are 737 social housing projects being implemented nationwide with a scale of 701,247 units. Among them, there are 196 completed projects with a scale of 170,673 units; 220 projects have started construction and are being implemented with a scale of 214,948 units; 321 projects have been approved for investment policy with a scale of 315,626 units.
