Many years away from home but still can't buy a house
Binh Duong province has about 1.3 million workers, most of whom have low incomes and are still unable to buy land to build houses and settle down.
The main reason is that in recent years real estate prices have increased, and workers' jobs and incomes are still unstable.
Mr. Vi Van Dong (42 years old, from Nghe An) has been a worker for nearly 10 years but his life is still unstable. "Both my husband and I are still renting. Our income is just enough to cover expenses, we cannot buy land to build a house, and we do not even dare to think about social housing. We do not have a stable home yet, so my husband and I have not decided whether we can stay in Binh Duong for a long time or not" - Mr. Dong shared.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (from Thai Binh) has been a worker in VSIP industrial park in Binh Duong for 10 years, but has not been able to buy a house yet. "My income, even if I work overtime, is only over 10 million VND/month, enough to cover my living expenses, and it is difficult to save enough to buy a house. I also hope there will be more social housing projects. With my income, I think that if the price of a house is about 600 million VND per unit, I can afford to buy a house," Mr. Hung said.
According to the People's Committee of Binh Duong province, it is forecasted that from now until 2030, the number of workers in Binh Duong with the need to buy social housing will be about 129,212 units.
With stable housing, workers will stay with Binh Duong
In Tan Uyen city, Poong In Vina Co., Ltd. has been operating for 19 years. Many of the workers who have been with the company since the beginning have bought land, built houses, and settled down. However, recently, the high price of real estate has made it more difficult for new workers to access.
Mr. Bui Minh Ha - Chairman of the Company's Trade Union proposed that the State build more social housing projects in Tan Uyen and create conditions for workers to access loans to buy houses.
"When workers have stable housing, they will feel more secure. From there, they will be more attached to Binh Duong, more attached to the factory; participate in production, and contribute to the development of Binh Duong" - Mr. Bui Minh Ha expressed.
In Thu Dau Mot city, Mekong Furniture Company Limited has over 1,000 employees. Mr. David Giraudet - General Director of the Company said that most of the employees working at the company are workers far from home. The need for social housing and kindergartens is a matter of concern and needs support.
During a meeting with the leaders of Binh Duong province, Mr. David Giraudet suggested: "In fact, the access to information and financial capacity of workers to have a home is an issue worth considering. Hopefully, the authorities will have more practical policies for workers to support them. This is an issue that our company expects so that workers can stick with the company for a long time and consider Binh Duong as their second home."
Build 20,000 units in 2025
At the ceremony to send workers home for Tet (January 25), Mr. Vo Van Minh - Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, said that Binh Duong province will continue to mobilize social resources to invest in building more social housing areas in areas with a large number of workers.
According to the project approved by the Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, in the 2021-2030 period, the whole province will invest in about 160,325 social housing units. In 2024, the province built 15,000 units. In 2025, the province aims to build 20,000 units.
