The Transport Department of Vietnam’s southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City is seeking approval from municipal authorities to add VND2.3 trillion from g-bond funds to student dormitory projects in an effort to provide more accommodations for the needy.
“Such projects are in need of more capital to cover rising materials costs,” an official from the department said.
The southern metropolis now has 328,500 students who are studying at universities and colleges, of whom 70% come from other provinces. Existing dorms can meet only 17% of the accommodation demand. Worse still, students are complaining about unimaginable increases of house rental rates, especially when the new school year is coming, pushing them into financial difficulties. In fact, the average income per capita is about $1,000 per annum, or VND1.6 million a month. The level is too low to help poor parents afford their children’s tuition and other fees. In an effort to ease the situation, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved to spend VND1.425 trillion ($77.1 million) to build student dormitories in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this year. Of the sum, VND625 billion is allocated to Hanoi and VND800 billion is allocated to Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is estimated to need VND349 billion ($18.27 million) to build student dormitories in the 2011-2015 period with the aim to provide accommodations for 5,000 students by then. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Oct 21 p4)
