“My house is old, dilapidated, and broken. The government gave me 2,000 USD to build a new house. Now I can feel secure. I’d like to say thank you to the commune’s leaders,” said Sung Van Dinh of Thuong Thon commune, Ha Quang district.

Another Thuong Thon commune’s resident named Ly Van No said, “My family received 1,600 USD from the government to build a new house. We’re very happy to have replaced our leaking, dilapidated house, which was easily collapsed by heavy rain and strong winds.”  

Both Dinh and No received government support to build a new house. The local administration made the removal of makeshift or dilapidated houses a priority task in poverty reduction.

Since 2011, with a budget of 1.5 million USD provided by of the Ministry of Public Security and the People's Committee of Hanoi, Cao Bang province has helped 826 poor households in Ha Quang district build new houses. The district has also received money from the central, provincial, and district budgets and contributions from organizations, businesses, individual benefactors, and the local community.

According to Pham Xuan Tung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Quang district, Ha Quang district takes the lead in implementing the program to replace dilapidated houses, a humane and practical program for ethnic minority communities.

“Since 2021 we have replaced 1,526 houses. By the end of next year, all families living in unsafe houses will be financed by the district to build a new house,” said Tung.

Pursuant tothe motto “publicity and transparency”, Ha Quang district has reviewed the housing situation of poor families and listened to their thoughts and aspirations to find ways to solve their problems, said Nguyen Thi Phuong, Deputy Chairwoman of the district People’s Committee.

“In 2024, Ha Quang district was directed to eliminate 1,134 dilapidated houses. In the first half of the year, 450 new houses were built as scheduled. But there have been some problems implementing the program,” said Phuong.

She said local people often study the horoscope of the homeowner and want to wait for a propitious date for changing houses. Sometimes a house is situated in a limestone area, making construction difficult.

“We’ve talked to the locals and helped them understand which customs must be eliminated to keep the program going,” said Phuong.

Ha Quang district is nearing its goal of eliminating makeshift or dilapidated houses by 2025, contributing to poverty reduction and improving the lives of local people.