On October 28, during discussion of a draft amendment to the Housing Law, An Giang National Assembly deputy Ly Anh Thu proposed a mechanism to calculate social housing resale prices after five years. She said the rules should balance owners' interests with the goal of helping low-income people obtain housing. Deputy Truong Ho Hai of An Giang also called for clearer prices, penalties for bypassing the rules and stronger checks to limit speculation and repeated access to benefits.
Concerns that resale prices could reduce access
The draft limits the sale price during the first five years to curb speculation, but does not set a principle for controlling the resale price afterward. Thu said the issue matters because demand remains high, supply is insufficient and commercial home prices are increasingly unaffordable. A resale social housing unit may cost much more than its original price, leaving the next eligible buyer to pay more than expected. She proposed using the original purchase price and an index or adjustment coefficient set by a competent authority, taking construction costs and price changes into account. "The transfer must preserve the spirit and social objective of the policy," Thu said.
Checking declarations and repeated access to benefits
Hai proposed consistent and transparent eligibility rules, clearer separation between national and local decisions, and stronger checks across the process. Housing, land and population data should be connected to limit false declarations, speculation and repeated benefits, including disguised transfers to relatives. He also called for clearer rules covering social housing, rental housing and policy housing, including rent, contract termination and support for older people, people with disabilities and those unable to work.
Sources: Dân Trí
