Ninh Binh people hope to have a place to live

Photo caption — Stairs to the 2nd floor of building 207 Hoang Van Thu street, Nam Dinh ward (Ninh Binh).

Not only that, in daily life, the households here always live in fear because the dilapidated houses can collapse at any time; to have a peaceful and safe home is a long-awaited wish of the households for decades.

Dilapidated and dark

Located right on Hoang Van Thu street - the busiest street in Nam Dinh ward, the entrance to the apartment complex in lane 207, is only wide enough for one person to push a bicycle, and is pitch black. The stairs are dimly lit even though it is noon, and are temporarily assembled with rusty iron bars, the walls are cracked, smoky, and covered with electric wires and water. On the second floor, dozens of wooden and bamboo bars are erected to prevent the third floor from collapsing. Each room is about 20 square meters wide and is reinforced with a variety of materials such as nylon tarps, plywood, etc., all of which are peeling, old, and rusty.

Ms. Pham Thi Dung, one of dozens of residents living here, said: "We have been here for nearly 50 years. At first, there were 6 people in the family. Now, both parents have passed away. The two younger brothers have settled in another province. Now, only two sisters have not built their own families, so they stay here. The house is now very degraded. It is usually damp and leaks when it rains. Especially in recent years, every time there is a storm, the whole area has to be evacuated for fear of the house collapsing."

Mr. Vu Ngoc Oanh, who also lives here, said: "Because our housing area was built a long time ago and is seriously degraded, it floods every time it rains. If there is a storm, it will collapse at any time. Therefore, to ensure the safety of our lives and property, we always have to move to a safe place. We hope that the government will pay attention and create conditions for us to have a new, safe place to live so that we can live in peace."

Unlike the collective housing area in lane 207 of Hoang Van Thu street, the 5-storey collective housing area located near Tran Dang Ninh street is a nightmare for people who pass by. The building stands tall with peeling "ulcers" revealing the gray bricks along with a tangle of electric and water lines, iron bars, and rusty corrugated iron roofs; the apartments are only about 15 square meters wide, dark; the walls and ceilings are sagging and cracked, many households have to share the same bathroom.

Visiting the apartment of Mr. Mai Duc Duoc, 86 years old, currently living on the 5th floor of this building, we witnessed the miserable life of the people here. Next to the wall next to the hallway and the entrance is an old bed - the sleeping place of Mr. Duoc and his son; on the opposite side is also a bed but covered with a plastic sheet to serve as a cooking area, on which are scattered gas stoves, pots, bowls, chopsticks, bottles; next to the "kitchen area" is a small bed for Mr. Duoc's wife to rest; all in just about 16 square meters.

Just downstairs, 81-year-old Pham Thi Lan also lives alone in a similarly cramped, run-down room. Pointing to the cracked corner of the wall next to the ceiling, she said that a few days ago she called a repairman to come fix it, but because the house was too old and the repairs were minor, the repairman refused to do it.

Waiting wearily

According to statistics, there are currently 27 old apartment buildings owned by the State in Nam Dinh Ward; of which, buildings No. 181 and 207 Hoang Van Thu Street have degraded to the level of danger D (need to be urgently demolished and relocated), while the remaining old apartment buildings are at the level of danger C. Most of the households here are poor workers, with an average age of too old to work; many households do not have a rental contract, only handwritten sales and transfer documents.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Dinh Ward, Ninh Binh Province, Pham Hong Thai, said: In Nam Dinh Ward, there are currently 462 households with over 1,000 people living in unsafe housing areas; every time there is a storm, the People's Committee of the Ward must always make plans to evacuate people, arrange for people to temporarily stay at some offices, medical stations, and schools in the area, and at the same time assign functional forces to ensure security and order for people until the storm passes.

Immediately after the merger of the new Ninh Binh province, the Provincial People's Committee directed relevant provincial agencies to coordinate with ward authorities to implement a plan to handle old houses belonging to public property. For the two collective housing areas in lanes 181 and 207 on Hoang Van Thu street (in danger zone), the Provincial People's Committee directed relevant agencies to survey and assess the support needs of households; research and propose locations, locations, and resettlement plans for households; currently, the ward authorities are coordinating with provincial agencies to implement the steps according to regulations, said the Chairman of the Nam Dinh Ward People's Committee.

On October 11, during the actual inspection of old apartment buildings in Nam Dinh Ward, Ninh Binh Provincial Party Secretary Dang Xuan Phong requested the Department of Construction to coordinate with Nam Dinh Ward and relevant agencies to regularly announce, warn, and propagate the level of danger of old apartment buildings so that people can understand; assigned the Department of Construction to be the focal point to coordinate with Nam Dinh Ward and relevant agencies to review and develop specific plans to report and advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee on solutions; requested Nam Dinh Ward to proactively plan to relocate households living in dangerous old apartment buildings when the weather has unusual changes, ensuring absolute safety of people's lives and property.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/nguoi-dan-ninh-binh-mong-co-chon-an-cu-20251023144955465.htm