Steeped in apartment prices
"Change" her dream of buying an apartment for more than 10 years, up to this point, Ms. Bui Thi Nga, from Hoang Cuong commune, Phu Tho province, is depressed because she cannot afford to pursue it; buying a suburban apartment at a reasonable price that she can afford.
Ms. Nga has been a worker in the craft village cluster of Thanh Liet ward (Hanoi) for 16 years. Establishing a family with a colleague working in a handicraft production cooperative, Ms. Nga has 2 children. Currently, the whole family is renting a house in residential group No. 5, Ha Dong ward.
Ms. Nga said that her husband in Thanh Liet ward, when getting married in 2018, his parents-in-law gave him 300 million VND to make capital or borrow more to buy a house. Ms. Nga's family situation is difficult, her parents promised that if she and her husband bought a house, they would sell part of the land to support her, however, the amount of money did not exceed 100 million VND.
"We took each other to see many apartment buildings near Thanh Liet ward to make it convenient for parents to go to work, convenient for children to go to school and also wanted to be near their grandparents. The price of apartments for low-income people in Thanh Liet ward, Ha Dong... with an area of 60m2 in 2018 - 2019 is about 1.5 - 1.6 billion VND. We calculated boredly, weighing every tens of millions, and saw that the total amount of money the family supported, borrowed and from some savings was less than 800 million VND. If we borrow nearly a billion VND more to buy a house, we will pay interest, and our monthly salary will be gone, and we and our children will not know where to turn" - Ms. Nga recounted.
Every time, Ms. Nga discussed with her husband to go to work, save more, wait to have more money, then find a reasonable apartment or wait for social housing projects to open for sale. Ms. Nga could not have expected that at this time, the apartment she asked to buy for 1.5 billion VND in 2018 had reached approximately 3 billion VND.
"I was stunned and felt like I was losing weight as I chased my dream of buying a house. It is difficult to understand why an apartment for low-income people, other than a Ring Road 3, after 15 years of use, costs up to 3 billion VND" - Ms. Nga said boredly.
According to Ms. Nga, the couple repeatedly asked to confirm the cooperative's income, submit applications and related documents to register to buy social housing because they were in accordance with the requirements but it was not their turn.
"My wife and I both work in cooperatives, with a total income of no more than 30 million VND/month. Not to mention raising 2 young children to study, but thinking about raising children, then renting a house that is expensive... I gradually forget my dream of buying a house. Many times I heard that the policy of renting and buying houses for workers and laborers was disrupted, I was just happy and then disappointed... - Ms. Nga said sadly.
Ms. Nga expressed her desire to buy social housing at a price suitable for workers' income. In addition, there needs to be an interest rate support mechanism so that workers and laborers can balance their income and pay bank interest.
Waiting for social housing invested in and built by the trade union
Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Phuong - a worker at Daeyang Company (Bac Ninh) - with her husband and 2 children are living in the same house as their parents. When she heard that the trade union social housing project was about to start construction in the province, she was very interested.
"Living with parents has many advantages, such as being helped by grandparents to take care of their children. But like many other couples, I also want to have my own place to live, said Ms. Phuong. According to her, having a separate space for the family to live will help the children study and live more conveniently, and parents will work with peace of mind.
Ms. Phuong and her husband have been working as workers for more than 10 years. With the couple's current total income of 20 million VND/month, it is very difficult for them to build a house or buy an apartment. "Therefore, I find the social housing rental option very feasible. However, I think the price must be suitable for the income of workers and the distance to work is not far. With social housing invested in and built by the union, I believe there will be a suitable price for the worker's family to buy or rent" - the female worker said.
In Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuong, her husband and 3 children are renting a room in a workers' housing area (Tien Loc commune). Ms. Thuong said that while she did not have the conditions to buy a house, she really wanted to rent a house with a more spacious, clean, and new space. "I have been renting a house for nearly 20 years, so I really want to have a spacious private space for the whole family" - Ms. Thuong shared.
The couple's total income is about 36 million VND/month, but according to her, due to having many children, her elderly parents need support, and many expenses to cover living expenses, so they cannot save much. Housing prices are constantly increasing, making the dream of having a private house still very distant.
"If you can rent a social housing with a spacious and clean space, it will be very convenient for workers. However, I think that the rental price must be suitable for the workers' budgets, otherwise they will not choose. I hope that union social housing projects will be implemented in places with a large number of workers in Hanoi" - Ms. Thuong said. Currently, Ms. Thuong's family is renting a house to workers for 1.7 million VND/month. According to Ms. Thuong, this price is acceptable for her and her husband as well as many other families; if it is higher, many people will not rent a room.
Mr. Pham Duy Minh (character's name has been changed) said that his family is renting 2 rooms at a house in Nhue village, Thien Loc commune, Hanoi. "Every month, the rent and electricity bill that my country has to pay is 2.4 million VND. Therefore, if there is a social housing rental house for about 3 million VND/month, I will rent it; if it is higher, I will have to consider it. In social housing, my family will have more spacious space, more convenient for living, said Mr. Minh, and also expressed his hope that Hanoi will have more social housing projects, in which the trade union will invest and build to expand access to housing for workers.
