Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang on Monday signed Directive No. 16, which seeks to accelerate the development of social housing and contribute to the city's goal of achieving double-digit socio-economic growth.

Hanoi currently has 147 approved social housing and housing projects for the armed forces that have received investment approval or had developers officially appointed by the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security or the Hanoi People's Committee.

The portfolio includes 121 civilian social housing projects, 23 housing projects for the People's Public Security forces, and three housing projects for the Vietnam People's Army.

Together, the projects cover approximately 583.3 hectares, providing around 132,000 apartments with an estimated total investment of VND 290.5 trillion (US$11.1 billion).

Currently, 30 projects are under construction, representing approximately 24,120 apartments.

Among them, 11 projects are expected to complete structural construction in 2026, delivering around 5,400 units, while the remaining 19 projects are expected to become eligible for market supply during the year.

According to the directive, Hanoi is committed to meeting the Prime Minister's requirement of completing at least 18,700 social housing units in 2026, while striving to bring approximately 25,000-27,000 units to the market by the end of the year.

The city also aims to break ground on all 114 remaining social housing projects during the second half of 2026 while accelerating construction on projects already underway.

Around 77 projects are expected to complete foundation works, making approximately 46,100 apartments eligible for market release.

'Green lane' mechanism to speed up approvals

Hanoi will reduce the processing time for administrative procedures by at least 50% and introduce a "green lane" mechanism for planning, investment, land and construction procedures related to social housing projects.

Projects with cleared land will receive priority processing for planning approvals, land allocation, land-use conversion and construction permits, allowing work to begin as early as July and August.

The city will also delegate authority to commune-level People's Committees to appraise and approve detailed 1:500 planning for social housing developments.

For land clearance, the directive requires work to begin immediately after investment approval is granted.

Land acquisition must be completed within 60 days for projects covering less than 10 hectares, and within 90 days for larger developments.

Projects whose developers were appointed before March 30 must complete land clearance no later than August 15.

The Hanoi Department of Construction has been assigned as the standing agency of the city's special task force on social housing.

The department will inspect project progress every two weeks and must complete appraisals of feasibility studies and issue construction permits within 10 working days after receiving complete application dossiers.

Thanh Hue