Income is just enough to manage, there is no extra to accumulate
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan - a worker working at a company in Thang Long Industrial Park - shared that he and his wife are renting a room in a room of about 12 square meters. The couple's total monthly income is nearly 14 million VND, but after deducting rent, food, electricity, water, childcare and travel expenses, there is not much left to save.
"Every month I try to save money, but then there are things that come up like sick children, parents in the countryside needing help, or simply a wedding proposal. Talking about buying social housing is very far away," said Mr. Tuan.
According to Mr. Tuan, the average income of workers in industrial parks currently ranges from 710 million VND/month, while the cost of living here is increasing. Most workers are only able to cover their living expenses, very few people have the ability to save significantly.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong (from Nghe An) said: "After working for 5 years, I also wanted to settle down to avoid renting a room forever, but to be honest, my savings are not enough. To buy a social housing, you must also have a few hundred million VND to borrow, which is too much for him.
Workers really need a real place to live, but financial conditions do not allow it. Currently, social housing prices range from 17 to 26 million VND/m2. With an income of about 8 million VND/month, workers have to spend on daily activities, so accumulating enough money to buy a social housing apartment is almost impossible, Mr. Cuong shared.
Renting a room is a mandatory choice, not a requirement
According to the reporter, near Thang Long Industrial Park, many temporary rental areas are located deep in small alleys. It is not difficult to see cramped, hot rooms, temporarily surrounded by corrugated iron or rough bricks. This is the home of many workers working in Thang Long Industrial Park, renting accommodation to save costs.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - a worker working at a company in Thang Long Industrial Park - shared: "I have been working in Hanoi for more than 5 years. The couple rented a room of about 12 square meters, with a room fee of more than 1.5 million VND, plus nearly 2 million VND for electricity and water per month. The couple's salary is more than 15 million but they have young children and have enough to spend, so they have nothing left. Therefore, renting a room is still the only choice for workers like us.
Similarly, Ms. Phuong Mai - a worker working at a company in Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi City) - shared: "I have been a worker for nearly 5 years now, earning an average of about 8 million VND per month. After deducting rent, food, electricity and water... there is no extra money.
To be honest, renting a room is not my wish, but a mandatory choice. The rental room is cramped, the summer is hot, but even if you want to change your life, you don't know where to start. I just hope that the salary will increase, the price of social housing will decrease and the minimum cost of living will decrease so that tenants like me have the opportunity to own a small house and work with peace of mind for a long time".
