» » Deputies at odds over extending Viet Kieu’s home ownership

National Assembly deputies on Tuesday were at odds over house ownership regulations for overseas Vietnamese, also called Viet Kieu, after the Government had suggested to ease conditions to bring them more chances to own homes in the country.

Deputy Pham Xuan Thuong from Thai Binh Province agreed with the Government’s revisions, arguing that Vietnam has no policies to discriminate Vietnamese people in and outside the country.

Besides, just nearly 150 Viet Kieu have been approved to buy houses in Vietnam, mostly in Hanoi and HCMC, after the Housing Law took effect three years ago. “The law should be amended to make positive impacts on the local real estate market,” he said.

However, Thuong thought the law would be infeasible if it regulated Viet Kieu to buy houses for family accommodation only. “We cannot force them to sell houses if they do not live in,” he added.

HCMC deputy Tran Du Lich agreed with the viewpoint, saying perhaps few Viet Kieu would buy houses under the new regulations as it is rather costly to buy a house and live there just several months each year.

“Viet Kieu should be allowed to let out their houses while they are abroad. Otherwise, they should stay in hotels instead of paying more for housing maintenance,” Lich explained.

In contrast, some deputies disagreed, saying that Viet Kieu should not have equal or similar rights to people in the country due to different implementation of tax and other laws.

By Ngoc Lan - The Saigon Times

Post a Comment