HOUSING POLICY AND SLUM UPGRADING IN HO-CHI-MINH CITY

The new liberal economic policy in Vietnam has had a negative effect o n housing the poor. This paper reviews that housing policy and shows h ow it has been influenced by national economic development policy. A c ase study of a non-governmental organization-assisted slum up-grading project in a poor neighborhood of Ho-Chi-Minh City is used to illustra te the arguments. Although efforts were made to involve the community in the project, the centralized nature of the governmental and Communi st Party structure made this nearly impossible. Although gender equali ty is guaranteed by the Vietnamese Constitution, evidence from the pro ject shows the difficulty that exists in achieving it. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.