Living in constant anxiety.

Everyone wants to escape living in such a dangerous place, but because they don't have the means to leave, many have to accept staying.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the handling of old apartment buildings has long faced many obstacles. Recently, specific regulations on investment procedures, incentive mechanisms, and support levels are expected to definitively resolve this issue.

"Keep away"

In February 2023, a structural failure occurred at the Ton That Thuyet apartment building in Ward 4, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. The collapse of a beam, floor, and railing in block C of the hallway resulted in the building's collapse. Fortunately, this incident at the Grade D apartment building – classified as dangerous and severely damaged – did not cause any casualties.

Recent observations by reporters from the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper show that the affected area has been reinforced with steel support pillars, damaged areas have been patched up, and the corridor floor has been restored with concrete. However, the B40 mesh fence with a "Keep Away" warning sign at this apartment building always causes concern for anyone entering or leaving.

Local residents say that the District 4 People's Committee has held numerous meetings regarding the quality of the Ton That Thuyet apartment building and discussed plans for emergency relocation, but to date, the majority of residents have chosen to remain.

The Vinh Hoi apartment building (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) displays many warning signs about the dangers. Photo: AI MY

Mr. Lam Nhat Dong has lived on the first floor of Block C in the Ton That Thuyet apartment building for decades. His family consists of eight people across three generations, all attached to this building for various reasons, despite knowing the dangers. He confided that no one wants to leave a home they've lived in their whole lives and that is convenient for their current living situation. However, if the building is demolished, the residents will relocate, hoping that the government will have appropriate support policies to help them stabilize their lives in their new homes.

Hesitating between staying or going.

Not far from there, the Vinh Hoi apartment building (District 4), which was classified as Grade D nearly 10 years ago, is surrounded by many red signs warning of danger.

Here, the ceilings and railings are peeling, exposing rusty steel cores; the fire extinguishing system is malfunctioning; and electrical wires are tangled like spiderwebs throughout the walkways... More worryingly, some of the load-bearing columns on the balconies are cracking and collapsing. Local authorities have temporarily reinforced the apartment building with supporting iron bars and wire mesh around the ceilings to mitigate the risk.

Recalling the terrifying moments when concrete fell from the ceiling, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, a resident of Vinh Hoi apartment building, expressed her concern: "Luckily, no one has been injured yet." This woman, who has lived in the building with many siblings since she was three years old, hopes that when the city demolishes the old building and rebuilds it, residents will receive appropriate resettlement policies and have a stable home to live in.

Also in District 4, the Truc Giang Grade D apartment building shows signs of deterioration with blackened walls and weeds sprouting from cracks. The stairwells leading to the upper floors are locked, leaving the building almost deserted. Most residents have moved elsewhere, with only two households remaining.

"The local authorities have contacted my family many times, urging us to accept relocation, promising us the opportunity to buy a house at a preferential price after the new apartment building is constructed. However, because we are not yet completely reassured, my family has not left," said Mr. La Trong Loan, one of the two remaining households, explaining his reasons.

Over 500 households are anxious.

Further south in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, dozens of families still live in the Grade D apartment building at 137 Ly Thuong Kiet. They say that families with young children cannot tolerate the cramped, squalid conditions, damp walls, and leaky ceilings. Although the city issued a relocation directive in 2018, the process is not yet complete.

At the apartment building located at 137 Ly Thuong Kiet Street (Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City), residents have long lived in damp, cramped, and dilapidated conditions. Photo: CHI NGUYEN

"We've been waiting for years and nothing has happened. The city has had a relocation plan for a long time, but so far, we haven't been able to move anywhere," said Mr. Hung Anh, who has lived in the apartment building at 137 Ly Thuong Kiet for over 30 years. He said that no one wants to live forever in such dilapidated and dangerous buildings, but "we don't have the means to leave."

One hundred meters away is the apartment building at 149-151 Ly Thuong Kiet Street. Images of this building, where more than 20 households still live, show that the load-bearing columns have cracked, with many cracks extending from the bottom upwards…

Ho Chi Minh City has 474 old apartment buildings (753 blocks) built before 1975. After inspection and classification, 16 apartment buildings are classified as Grade D. Of these, 14 Grade D buildings were classified in 2016-2017, and 2 were identified as Grade D in 2020. These buildings are subject to demolition and reconstruction.

Regarding the temporary housing arrangements for residents of Grade D apartment buildings, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has proposed that the city approve the policy of transferring the common areas of Phu Tho apartment building to the Center for Housing Management and Construction Inspection for repair, so that it can be handed over to Tan Binh District. This would allow for the relocation of residents from apartment buildings at 137 and 149-151 Ly Thuong Kiet to this new building for temporary housing.

According to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, all 454 households in 8 apartment buildings have been relocated to date.

Specifically, these include the apartment buildings at 128 Hai Ba Trung, 23 Ly Tu Trong, and 155-157 Bui Vien (District 1); 6 Bis Nguyen Tat Thanh (District 4); 40/1 Tan Phuoc, 47 Long Hung, and 170-171 Tan Chau (Tan Binh District); and 440 Tran Hung Dao (District 5).

The city has 4 apartment buildings with incomplete relocation plans involving 150 out of 466 households, including: 11 Vo Van Tan apartment building, District 3 (18 out of 19 households); 119B Tan Hoa Dong apartment building, District 6 (70 out of 80 households); Truc Giang apartment building (121 out of 123 households), and Vinh Hoi apartment building, District 4 (blocks A, B, C; 12 out of 244 households).

Four remaining apartment buildings, housing 274 households, have yet to be relocated. These are the apartment buildings at 137 Ly Thuong Kiet and 149-151 Ly Thuong Kiet (Tan Binh District); Ton That Thuyet apartment buildings, blocks A, B, and C (District 4); and Hoang Dieu apartment building, block Y (District 4). Thus, to date, more than 500 out of 1,194 households in Ho Chi Minh City still live in Grade D apartment buildings.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/go-vuong-cho-hang-loat-chung-cu-cu-song-trong-nom-nop-lo-au-196250323205931993.htm