Law on Social Housing for Low-Income Earners and the Practice of Implementation in Vietnam

Abstract

Social housing constitutes a core component of social security policy and a legal instrument through which the State guarantees the right to lawful accommodation for low-income earners in the context of rapid urbanization and continuously rising commercial real estate prices. This article analyzes the theoretical and legal framework governing social housing for low-income earners in Vietnam under the 2023 Law on Housing and its implementing regulations; systematically assesses the gap between approved social-housing development plans and targets (under Decision No. 338/ QĐ-TTg, Decision No. 444/ QĐ-TTg and Resolution No. 07/NQ-CP) and actual implementation results nationwide and in Ho Chi Minh City; and identifies the principal causes of implementation lag before proposing solutions to improve the legal framework and enforcement effectiveness. The findings show that although the legal framework has undergone positive reforms expanding eligible beneficiaries, simplifying procedures and diversifying incentive mechanisms, actual implementation throughout most of the 2021-2025 period lagged far behind the assigned targets, before a marked acceleration emerged from late 2025 through mid-2026. The article employs doctrinal legal analysis, document analysis-synthesis and comparative legal methods.