What changes do these new regulations bring and how will they affect those who need to buy or rent social housing in the future? A reporter from Tin Tuc va Dan Toc newspaper interviewed lawyer Pham Thanh Tuan, an expert in real estate law, on the topic.
Dear Sir, from the end of 2025 to the beginning of 2026, the government has issued numerous new policies aimed at simplifying administrative procedures and thereby facilitating access to social housing. How do you view these changes?
The recently adopted guidelines show a significant change in management thinking regarding social housing. Instead of placing a strong focus on control to prevent profiteering, as has previously been the case, the current guidelines are more focused on creating the conditions for people to actually have access to social housing.
In the past, the procedures for purchasing or renting social housing were often considered quite cumbersome, particularly proving eligibility and income. Many people with real needs faced difficulties because they did not have secure employment contracts or their income did not reach the required ceiling, although they still could not afford regular housing.
One of the most important changes is the adjustment of the income requirements to reality. According to Decree 100/2024/ND-CP, the income limit for purchasing social housing was previously a maximum of VND 15 million/month for single people and VND 30 million/month for married people. With Decree 261/2025/ND-CP, valid from October 10, 2025, this limit was raised: a maximum of 20 million VND/month for single people, a maximum of 30 million VND/month for single people or people without children under 18 years old, and a maximum of 40 million VND/month for married couples.
This adjustment has significantly expanded the pool of eligible people for social housing, making it more in line with current income levels and the cost of living in urban areas. Many middle-income workers who previously exceeded the income limit but could not afford to rent an apartment now have a better chance of taking advantage of this support. At the same time, the new regulations help to reduce the pressure on proof of income and limit the need for circumvention or falsification measures. In the long term, this is a necessary adjustment to make social housing policy more practical and to align it with the state’s social policy goals.
Dear Sir, is access to social housing easier today than before for disadvantaged groups such as low-income urban workers without a contract or people whose land has been expropriated?
It can be said that access to social housing for disadvantaged groups has become easier compared to before, although in reality there are still areas that need further improvement.
For low-income city dwellers without employment contracts, such as street vendors, ride-hailing drivers and online sellers, the new regulation has initially removed the biggest obstacle: proof of income. Previously, those affected had to apply for this to the police at the municipal level, but since the police lacked the necessary data, the process was practically impossible.
With the new provisions of Decree No. 54/2026/ND-CP, effective from February 9, 2026, citizens can self-declare and commit to their average monthly income. The community police then check the personal data within seven days. This procedure significantly simplifies the application process and allows citizens to fill out the necessary documents for the purchase of social housing, instead of, as before, not knowing how to provide the necessary evidence.
Secondly, the current regime provides clearer prioritization for people whose land and houses have been expropriated by the state and who have not yet received compensation in the form of housing or land. According to the provisions of the Housing Law of 2023, this group could previously buy or rent social housing with an option to buy without having to meet income requirements. However, they still had to meet certain housing requirements, i.e. they were either not allowed to own any living space or the average living space of their current apartment was below the required standard.
Pursuant to Article 2(3) of Resolution No. 66.15 of February 13, 2026, households and individuals whose land and housing have been expropriated by the State in the national interest, national defense, security or socio-economic development and who have not yet received compensation in the form of housing or land are entitled to purchase or rent social housing without having to participate in a lottery system. This group is also exempt from the housing and income requirements set out in the regulations.
The new regulations thus create a clearer and more practical priority mechanism for particularly vulnerable groups, especially those whose land has been expropriated, and help to stabilize their housing situation more quickly. At the same time, this policy helps to address difficulties in land clearance and better ensure social welfare objectives.
Dear Sir, do you think that the new regulation in Decree 54/2026/ND-CP, which allows workers without an employment contract to self-declare and commit to their income when applying for social housing, will make the situation easier for people if implemented in practice?
In our view, this new regulation represents a significant step forward as it has removed the biggest and long-standing barrier to workers without a contract. Due to a lack of income data, the verification center has so far been unable to verify income, which has resulted in many applications being submitted by applicants but not being able to complete the process. The ability to self-report and verify income has helped process these previously blocked applications.
However, when we take a closer look at the implementation process, we still see potential for improvement. Currently, police at the community level primarily check personal information such as full name, date of birth, personal identification number and place of residence – information that is already stored in the state population database. Income is not checked by the police; it is stated by citizens themselves. In this context, the fact that citizens still have to print forms, travel and wait for verification does not necessarily increase the reliability of applications.
From a management perspective, the fact that, even with complete and connected population data, citizens still need to request confirmation of their information raises questions about the usability of current administrative procedures. If there is a risk of false information, it would be more effective not to subject all low-income earners to the same procedure, but rather to process applications based on citizens’ voluntary commitments with clear legal obligations and to carry out targeted checks.
In the long term, we believe that the government could further simplify procedures for low-income urban workers, particularly those without employment contracts, to the point where simply requiring proof of income is sufficient.
In order to rapidly increase the supply of social housing, many companies believe that Vietnam needs to simplify the approval process for projects, the selection of investors, and the processes of buying, selling and pricing apartments. They propose that social housing projects be included in the accelerated administration process in the future. This would help investors accelerate project progress and reduce investment costs. If companies committed to the public good continue to face bureaucratic hurdles, it will be difficult to get them to participate.
Thank you, sir !
Those:
