Son La province has completed the demolition of temporary and dilapidated houses, 169 days ahead of the Government's deadline. Photo: ND

To carry out the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, Son La has established a Provincial Steering Committee, proactively arranged local budget funds, made the most of support funds from the Central Government; integrated the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses with other national target programs; mobilized the participation and support of the police force, the army, people and businesses to speed up the construction progress of projects.

Since the beginning of 2025, the whole province has completed the removal of temporary and dilapidated houses for 3,058 households, reaching 100% of the plan; of which, 2,653 new houses were built and 405 houses were repaired, with the implemented budget of more than 171 billion VND; the progress is 169 days ahead of the deadline set by the Government (October 31, 2025).

According to the Steering Committee for the implementation of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses in Son La province, responding to the emulation movement "Joining hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses" launched by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 539/QD-TTg dated June 19, 2024, from the beginning of 2025, Son La has identified this as one of the key, urgent political tasks with profound social significance.

On that basis, the action plan was urgently issued by Son La province, the Steering Committees at all levels from the province to the grassroots were strengthened, the criteria system for selecting support objects was made public and transparent to each village and each residential group. Son La province established 11 working groups to directly inspect and supervise in 10 districts and cities, grasp the situation of leadership, direction and organization of the implementation of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses.

Through screening, the whole Son La province has 3,058 households in need of support to remove temporary and dilapidated houses, including 2,653 newly built houses and 405 repaired houses. Of these, 200 are for meritorious people and martyrs' relatives, 314 are from the National Target Program, the rest are poor and near-poor households with especially difficult circumstances in remote areas, ethnic minority areas.

The total funding requirement for the program implementation is more than 171 billion VND; the total mobilized funding for the program implementation is more than 210 billion VND, of which Dong Nai province alone has supported 111 billion VND. In addition to financial resources, there are more than 62,000 working days from the armed forces, organizations, grassroots cadres and local people who have contributed to speeding up construction progress, reducing costs, and spreading the spirit of "State and People working together".

As of May 15, 2025, all 3,058 houses have been completed, exceeding the original plan by 221 houses. With this result, Son La province has reached the finish line ahead of schedule.

The houses that have been supported for construction all meet the “3 hard” standards (hard frame, hard wall, hard roof), do not use makeshift, flammable or easily damaged materials, ensuring safety during use, suitable for the climate and terrain conditions of the mountainous region. The new houses not only replace makeshift, shabby huts, but also arouse the desire to settle down and make a living, opening up hope for a more stable and sustainable life for the people.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Khanh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses in Son La province, said that the achievements in the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses as above are due to the attention and support of ministries, branches and sectors of the Central Government, especially the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions and other provinces; especially the noble gestures and kindness of cadres, party members, people, philanthropists, corporations and enterprises inside and outside the province who have actively responded and effectively implemented the program, contributing to joining hands with the province to complete the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses.

The Son La Provincial Party Secretary also requested that Party committees at all levels, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in the province continue to promote propaganda to organizations, individuals, businesses and people about the content, purpose, meaning and humanity of the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, creating a widespread influence to mobilize all resources from society, along with State resources to support poor households, near-poor households and policy families to escape poverty and stabilize their lives.

Son La Provincial Party Secretary Hoang Quoc Khanh requested that in the coming time, it is necessary to continue reviewing and evaluating the current housing situation to assess the housing accessibility of different groups of people as a basis for building and adjusting housing development plans and projects; and building housing support programs that are close to actual needs.

Focus on mobilizing resources for implementation, combining the State and the People to work together; increase housing support for poor households, near-poor households, households with meritorious services to the revolution, and relatives of martyrs with socialized capital; have a fair and transparent budget allocation mechanism, creating conditions for localities to be proactive in mobilizing local resources as well as integrating with other resources, contributing to improving the effectiveness of program implementation.

For households that have received support to remove temporary and dilapidated houses, Party committees and authorities at all levels need to regularly propagate to raise awareness, arouse the will to be self-reliant, avoid the mentality of waiting and depending; promptly encourage and guide households to live, protect and use housing effectively and long-term.

The success in eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses is not just a number but a profound demonstration of the spirit of national solidarity, the tradition of "mutual love", and the good humanitarian nature of our regime. A beginning, but not the end, new roofs have sprung up, but the journey to build the future for households still has many issues that need attention in the long journey ahead: From "settling down" to "making a living"; from a roof to a sustainable livelihood.