HCMC breaks ground on housing project for 3,000 workers

Hoang Tung, chairman of the Thu Duc People's Committee, said the project would have an area of 20,800 m2, about one fifth of which would be dedicated to greenery. The VND1.2 trillion ($52.3 million) project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Workers would be encouraged and supported to buy or rent properties from the project, he said.

"This is one of the first projects for workers since the Thu Duc City was formed, and is in line with HCMC's aim to build a million low-priced houses for workers and those with low incomes," said Tung, adding that the project's main investor is the Thu Thiem Joint Stock Company. It will be funded in part by the HCMC Finance and Investment State-owned Company.

Thu Duc is home to several major industrial complexes and hi-tech parks with nearly 200,000 workers. Around 70 percent are migrants, most of them have a low quality of life, living in rundown neighborhoods in cramped spaces.

HCMC Chairman Phan Van Mai recently admitted that while migrants have greatly contributed to the southern metropolis's development, not enough has been done to facilitate their stay and improve their quality of life.

Around 1.3 million workers in HCMC have housing demands, according to the municipal Labor Confederation. Among these, only around 40,000 get to live in dorms and neighborhoods within the industrial parks they work in. The rest live in rundown neighborhoods in bad living conditions. Workers spend up to 15 percent of their income on accommodation, according to the labor confederation.