Hundreds of abandoned motorbikes in the apartment building's basement.

Unable to deal with over 200 unattended motorbikes occupying basement space for years, the management board of HH Linh Dam apartment building had to request the intervention of the authorities and police.

For nearly a month now, the management board of HH Linh Dam apartment complex in Hoang Mai district has had to move hundreds of abandoned motorbikes and bicycles from the basement to the courtyard between the buildings.

"We don't collect parking fees, and we also waste space and require extra security personnel. Not to mention, hundreds of cars parked in the courtyard between the buildings also detract from the aesthetics," said Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, from the HH Linh Dam apartment complex management board, adding that there is currently no solution for the unclaimed vehicles.

Hundreds of dusty cars remain unclaimed. Photo: Viet An — Hundreds of dusty cars remain unclaimed. Photo: *Viet An*

The HH Linh Dam urban area has 12 buildings with approximately 36,000 residents, while there are only 16,000 motorbike parking spaces in 4 basement levels. The parking space is cramped, and the risk of fire is high due to vehicles not being used for extended periods. The management board issued a notice urging residents to donate any unused vehicles to relatives or children in mountainous areas. However, after a month, no one has claimed the vehicles.

Mr. Phuong stated that residents pay 80,000 VND per month for parking, while visitors use daily passes, paying 5,000 VND per visit. However, the data system does not retain information on vehicle entry and exit times in the tunnel, or if it does, the information has expired 1-2 years ago. Therefore, the management does not know the exact origin of the vehicles "abandoned" in the tunnel for many years.

Mr. Nguyen Tat Thang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Liet Ward, Hoang Mai District, said that the ward has assigned personnel to coordinate with the HH Linh Dam apartment complex management board to resolve the issue of abandoned vehicles. "For vehicles with owners, the ward will contact the owners to request their return, while abandoned vehicles will be handed over to the police for resolution," Mr. Thang said, adding that the situation of abandoned vehicles also occurs in many other apartment complexes in the area, such as Osaka Complex and Bac Linh Dam urban area, but in smaller numbers.

The vehicles are awaiting a solution. Photo: Viet An — The vehicles are awaiting a solution. Photo: *Viet An*

Lawyer Vu Tien Vinh from Bao An Law Firm analyzed that when parking a vehicle, the vehicle owner and the parking attendant have established a contract for the safekeeping of property. Therefore, both parties must comply with and adhere to the legal regulations regarding the safekeeping of property.

However, typically the parties do not agree on a time limit for safekeeping the property, and naturally, they also do not agree on how to handle the situation if the depositor does not come to claim the property after the deadline.

"Therefore, there is no basis for determining the contract's duration or the circumstances under which the parking attendant can act according to the agreement," the lawyer said, arguing that the law lacks regulations for the aforementioned situation.

If the recipient disposes of the property in any way they choose, such as liquidation, auction, or gifting, it may be considered a violation of the law and they may face disputes when the sender comes to reclaim the property.

"Therefore, the correct course of action is for the parking attendant to continue guarding the vehicles. Later, when the competent state agency issues regulations and guidelines for resolving the issue, we will follow them," Mr. Vinh said.

Hoang Mai is Hanoi's most populous district with over 500,000 people and is facing significant infrastructure pressure due to the proliferation of high-rise apartment buildings. The problem of cars and motorbikes parked haphazardly on sidewalks and roads around urban areas like HH Linh Dam and Kim Van - Kim Lu has persisted for years due to overloaded infrastructure and inadequate parking planning.

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