settling spring

From the first Trade Union institutional housing area

We visited the Ha Nam Trade Union Institution (Dong Van Ward, Ninh Binh Province) in the last days of 2025, under the dry sunshine of the last day of winter. At this time, Ms. Pham Thi Bich Hong (from Phu Tho) was busy cleaning the house, just preparing a weekend meal for the whole family. Meanwhile, the two young children of this female worker are playing and cycling in the spacious premises of the house.

Sharing the story with us, she smiled and said that after 3 Tet seasons here, her family really felt the meaning of the two words "resettlement".

Having worked in Dong Van Industrial Park for nearly 10 years, but before 2022, Ms. Hong's family had to struggle with a cramped rented room, high rental price, and away from school, market, and hospital. Since moving to this social housing area, parents have gone to work nearby, children go to school nearby, the rental price is only 1.9 million VND/month but the amenities are all: Hot and cold temperature, clean toilets, balconies, playgrounds, good security. Electricity and water prices are also low. After coming here, I didn't want to move anywhere anymore" - the female worker said.

With the same area of 45m2 as Ms. Hong's apartment, the rental price outside Dong Van ward can be up to 3 - 5 million VND/month, not including electricity and water. For many workers' families, that difference is enough to save for the future, for their children's education or simply help them reduce their burden in the month of their livelihood.

Next to Ms. Hong's apartment, the family of Ms. Dang My Thu - a worker who has been attached to Dong Van Industrial Park for 5 years, is also cleaning up the house after a busy week of work. Ms. Thu said that the procedures for registering for social housing rental by the Trade Union are very quick, and the Company's Trade Union provides full support. The three children have a running space, a separate kitchen, and a fresh air, all of which make her family feel like they are finding a stable place for a long time.

Not only in Ninh Binh, the demand for Trade Union social housing in large industrial localities is always very high. In Bac Ninh - where there are 33 industrial parks with more than 600,000 workers, statistics show that nearly 158,000 people are in need of housing, equivalent to about 54,000 apartments. By 2030, this number is expected to exceed 236,000 workers.

Among the people who quit their shift on an afternoon of the last day of the year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong - a worker in Nenh ward (Bac Ninh) - said she had followed a report about the Trade Union social housing area in Dong Van in Lao Dong Newspaper.

"If Bac Ninh had such a model, I would have registered immediately. For workers like us, a closed apartment, reasonable price, safe living environment is a long-standing dream the female worker shared.

Target of 10,000 apartments for Trade Union housing

The Ha Nam Trade Union Institution Area will be put into operation from the end of 2021 with 244 apartments, along with multi-purpose houses, playgrounds, and community living areas. The occupancy rate is always 100% - the clearest proof of the settlement needs of workers. Mr. Le Van Nghia - Director of the Trade Union Project Management Board (Vietnam General Confederation of Labor) - said that most households here have 2-3 people, living a stable, civilized, and harmonious life thanks to the same circumstances and industrial working rhythm.

Also from that practice, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor determined to continue expanding the model.On September 25, in Viet Yen ward (Bac Ninh), the Trade Union social housing project including two blocks of 10-storey houses and 477 rental apartments was started.
The apartment is designed to be closed, equipped with beds, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets and elevators; a three-story parking lot to ensure the parking needs of thousands of workers.This is a meaningful project to celebrate the Bac Ninh Provincial Party Congress, while contributing to solving the housing problem - an important factor to retain labor and increase investment attraction in Bac Ninh.

On September 30, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor continued to start the project in Vinh Long province, with a scale of 4 7-storey apartment blocks, 2 bus companies, garden, parking lot, sports area, outdoor stage... The total investment is more than 554.5 billion VND from the Trade Union's financial resources.

Mr. Thach Van Chung - Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial Federation of Labor commented that the Trade Union social housing model will help workers feel secure in sticking with the locality, while increasing the competitiveness and attracting investment of the province.

Not only stopping at projects being implemented, according to Mr. Phan Van Anh - Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, from 2026 - 2030, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor will continue to implement 10 more Trade Union social housing projects in provinces and cities across the country. It is expected that by 2030, the Trade Union will have about 15 projects and about 10,000 apartments.

Regarding rental prices, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor determined that there must be real incentives, not setting profit targets in renting houses to workers from the Trade Union organization. The capital recovery period, the State stipulates, can be 20 years, but the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor plans to recover capital within 50 years and have support policies for union members and workers.

In particular, the Trade Union organization is very interested in the issue of workers' housing, including: Planning, quality, living environment - how to make workers' housing areas truly a livable place.

In the atmosphere of the new spring, those figures are not simply construction plans. That is a long-term commitment of the Trade Union organization in taking care of the lives of union members and workers.

settling spring

On the last afternoon of the year at the Ha Nam Trade Union Institution, the workers' uniforms dried on the railing were blown into the wind. In the common sports playground, the sound of children playing with the river is ripping. A male worker is relaxing with his daughter releasing kites, after a busy week. The bustling atmosphere, familiar as a small, old hamlet - a rare thing in industrial parks that are used to a hurried pace of life.

Seeing the bright smiles after work, it is easy to understand why thousands of workers across the country are looking forward to the new social housing areas of the Trade Union soon taking shape. There, they can live near their workplace, near their school, near essential amenities. There, they not only rent a room, but find a "pill" to help them become more stable amid the fluctuations of industrial life.

Entering the new year, when projects in Bac Ninh and Vinh Long are accelerated, a journey of the Trade Union organization continues: The journey to bring spring to each roof of the union member. Not with great promises, but with specific projects, with apartments lit up every night, with practical care for the safety of millions of workers.

Spring of the land of heaven is coming. And in the Trade Union Institution Area, there is also another spring blooming: the spring of settlement, of faith, of families built with responsibility and humanity.

Those roofs - simple but full enough, are the strongest affirmation of the role of the Vietnam Trade Union in the journey of accompanying workers, so that every spring begins with peace.

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