In the first phase, Ca Mau aims to complete the construction of 200 new homes and the repair of 200 homes by the end of 2024, with total funding of 18 billion VND from the Fund for the Poor. If everything goes as planned, 400 poor and near-poor households in Ca Mau will have homes in time to celebrate Tet and welcome New Year 2025.
New houses, joyful Tet
For many years, despite their hard work, the family of Nguyen and Hiep has remained near-poor due to limited farmland. Nguyen’s wages as a labourer have only provided enough to feed their four family members, with little left over for savings. This is why, for a long time, the family has lived in a dilapidated house made from local wood and leaves, which has now deteriorated severely and is unable to protect them from the weather.
However, this difficult situation will soon change as the couple has received a support of 60 million VND to build a new house. Standing beside the almost completed house, Nguyen expressed their excitement: "We didn’t hire workers, we did everything ourselves. The total construction cost will be around 90 million VND, with additional help from relatives. This December, our family will be able to sleep in our new home, enjoying the most prosperous Tet we’ve ever had, no more worrying about heavy rain or strong winds."
In a similar spirit, Nguyen Thi Khoa (81 years old, widow of martyr Chau Van Quyen, Hamlet 2, Tri Phai Commune) took us on a tour of her house, which was recently repaired with local support. The roof was raised with a steel frame and the old roof tiles were replaced. Khoa shared that there had been heavy rain for hours the day before the visit, but her house didn’t leak. "I feel much safer now. I don’t have to use a basin to catch rainwater anymore, and I don’t have to worry about the cement roof tiles falling on my head," she said.
According to a recent survey, there are still 487 houses in the district eligible for repair (21 houses) or new construction (466 houses) as part of the government’s "eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses" initiative. Of these, 47 houses (including 24 in Tri Phai Commune) are expected to be completed in phase 1 by the end of 2024.
Nguyen Hoang Luong, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thoi Binh District, said that the district’s Party Committee has tasked local authorities and agencies to complete their responsibilities urgently, ensuring the right people are helped so they can have new homes in time for Tet. "Everyone wants to have a new house before Tet, so most people are putting in their own labour or getting extra help from relatives and neighbours. The building materials are delivered directly to the sites, and if people face difficulties, local authorities will guarantee payment to the suppliers," Luong shared.
Determined to eliminate temporary, dilapidated houses
Social welfare work and sustainable poverty reduction have been actively carried out in Ca Mau’s riverine areas, with significant contributions from the Vietnam Fatherland Front and other organisations, helping poor and near-poor families as well as those in difficult circumstances to improve their living conditions.
From 2019 to 2024, the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels in Ca Mau Province supported 13,722 households in escaping poverty, achieving 71.15% of the target. There are now 170 out of 883 hamlets and villages, and five out of 100 communes, wards, and towns without any poor households. As a result, the annual poverty rate in the province has decreased by an average of 0.8%, leaving only around 1.6% of households still below the poverty line.
According to Vo Thi Ngoc Han, Standing Vice-Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ca Mau Province, the province aims to complete 3,463 new homes and repair 937 existing homes by the end of August 2025 for groups such as revolutionary contributors, families of martyrs, poor and near-poor households, and ethnic minorities.
The total cost of the project to remove 4,400 temporary and dilapidated houses in Ca Mau is nearly 235.9 billion VND. The support for new house construction is 60 million VND per house, and 30 million VND per house for repairs, with funding from the state budget, the Gratitude Fund, the Fund for the Poor, and social contributions, along with other legal sources.
The list of households eligible for housing support is publicly posted at local government offices and community centres to ensure transparency. "Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses is a humanitarian policy from the Party and State aimed at social welfare and sustainable poverty reduction. The district’s leadership is committed to this goal and is taking decisive action. We have clearly assigned responsibilities and set deadlines for completing each task," said Le Minh Hien, Chairman of the Dam Doi District People’s Committee.
To meet the goal of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses by the end of August 2025, Ca Mau’s leaders have called on local authorities to work together and implement the project swiftly and transparently, prioritising households that meet the criteria to ensure progress.
