The Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Construction will call on the government to cut the lending interest rate and extend the term of the preferential loans of the VND30 trillion (US$1.42 billion) credit package aimed at assisting locals to buy apartments from social housing projects.

Under the government-backed house-buying aid package that took effect in June, five banks will offer preferential loans with a 6 percent interest rate per year over ten years for low-income earners to purchase apartments from social housing projects.

Eligible borrowers are public officials and civil servants, armed force officers and soldiers, and workers at industrial parks, complexes, and production and service sites.

The total credit plan is worth VND30 trillion.

Nguyen Van Danh, deputy director of the department, said he will propose to have the interest rate halved to 3 percent a year, while customers should be allowed to borrow the preferential loans for 15 years instead of ten years.

“These additional incentives will enable more citizens to realize their dream of buying an apartment in the city”, Danh said at a meeting on Sunday.

Attendees of the meeting said there is a huge demand for apartments under the social housing projects in the city but supply is lagging far behind the dire need.

The labor union of the education department, for instance, said some 20,000 of its public servants wish to buy an apartment.

In District 10 alone, the figure is 1,100 officials, but there are only 11 apartments available.

The city needs some 30,000 social apartments this year, but only 3,000 are available.