Building at Scale: Vietnam Social Housing Program Targets 2026 Delivery Momentum

Vietnam is entering a pivotal year for subsidised housing delivery. Under targets assigned by the Prime Minister, the country will develop 973,471 social housing units nationwide during the 2026–2030 period, including 158,723 units in 2026 alone. That annual target sits inside a broader scheme approved under Decision No. 338/QD-TTg dated April 3, 2023, which backs investment to build at least one million social housing apartments for low-income earners and workers in industrial parks during 2021–2030. The Ministry of Construction has framed 2025 as a step forward, reporting more than 103,000 units completed nationwide and noting that this exceeded the annual plan by 3%.

The pipeline now spans hundreds of projects and multiple delivery stages. A report prepared for the fifth meeting of the central steering committee on housing policy and the real estate market said 698 social housing projects were under implementation nationwide with a total scale of 657,441 units. Within that, 193 projects had been completed, providing 169,643 units, while 200 projects had broken ground with a combined scale of 133,611 units, and 305 projects had been approved in principle, equivalent to 354,187 units. Overall, projects that were completed, under construction, or had received investment approval accounted for around 62% of the target of 1,062,200 social housing units to be built by 2030.

Where 2026 Pressure Builds: Q1 Signals and City Quotas

Early 2026 data shows more starts and a larger “under development” base, even as the wider property market remains uneven. VietnamPlus reported that, to date, 737 social housing projects are under development nationwide, with a total scale of 701,247 units, fulfilling 70.1% of the target set under the one-million-home scheme for 2021–2030. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, work started on 33 projects with 28,856 units. Over the same quarter, 18 projects became eligible for sale of off-plan housing, adding around 7,031 units to the market. Against this backdrop, the Government reiterated the 2026 target of 158,723 social housing units, increasing urgency for localities to speed delivery.

Targets also become most visible when broken down by locality, especially in major labour markets. Under new 2026–2030 allocations, Ho Chi Minh City has the country’s largest target through 2030, with 181,257 units, including 28,500 units in 2026 alone. Hanoi’s 2026 target is 18,700 units, described as 3.6 times the number the capital completed in 2025. In 2025 performance reporting, Hanoi completed 5,158 units and surpassed its target by 10%, while Ho Chi Minh City fulfilled its quota of 13,040 units. Other places posted sharp overperformance in 2025, including Thai Nguyen (390%), Son La (204%), Nghe An (175%), Phu Tho (154%), and Hung Yen (137%). Yet 11 localities failed to meet their 2025 targets, highlighting differences in land availability, project capacity, access to capital, and local attention to housing welfare policies.

Delivery speed is also shaped by market conditions and implementation tools. In the first two months of 2026, the whole country completed an additional 544 social housing units, while the Ministry of Construction said it will keep improving the housing data system, remove obstacles for projects, and strive to complete over 110,000 social housing units in 2026. At the same time, the establishment of local housing funds has been implemented in all 34 provinces and cities. Outside the social segment, commercial supply has been under pressure: nationwide, only 51 commercial housing, land plot, and resort tourism projects received investment approval, including 39 commercial housing projects, equivalent to 49.4% compared to Q4/2025. With prices in key markets such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Khanh Hoa rising by about 2% compared to the previous quarter, the Vietnam social housing program is being pushed as a practical counterweight that can expand supply where affordability constraints are most acute.