VietNamNet Bridge – The lives of many residents in some older Ha Noi apartments are at risk because the buildings are leaning and show signs of collapse, construction experts have said.

A degraded apartment building in Ha Noi's Hoang Mai District is one of many such dilapidated buildings to have been reported recently, raising concerns for residents' safety. (Photo: VNS)

Nguyen Dinh Chau, a resident in the Ministry of Justice's living quarters in Kim Ma Thuong Street, said his family and more than 60 other families in the building were terrified because the building had tilted 30cm.

However, Chau said, it was hard to find another house as living costs were high in Ha Noi.

Tran Cong Thanh from the Viet Nam Architecture Association said as many as 23 apartment blocks built between the 60s and 80s had been downgraded because big cracks had developed.

For example, blocks A1, A2, A3 and C7 block in Ba Dinh District, a five-storied building in Kim Lien in Dong Da District, some others in Nghia Tan in Cau Giay District, Thanh Xuan and Thuong Dinh in Thanh Xuan District and Thanh Cong blocks in Ba Dinh District had all developed cracks.

Blocks at I2 Nam Thanh Cong in Dong Da District and C1 Thanh Cong in Ba Dinh District had also subsided by up to two metres.

All apartments were reported to have serious cracks and the staircases had separated from the rest of the building.

"These buildings were set up to provide shelter for retired people. However, design and construction criteria remained substandard compared to the current regulations," Thanh said.

He added that sub-standard techniques were also used to create the foundations and prevent any impacts from surrounding construction works.

"Multi-storied houses built on weak foundations can easily cause subsidence. When the load capacity of the buildings moves too far from the centre, they collapse," Thanh said.

Deputy director of Ha Noi Institute for Construction Science, Technology and Economics, Nguyen Huu Binh, said the problem was caused by loose management by local authorities.

Many people illegally built extensions without geological studies, he said, adding that low-quality construction made matters worse.

To deal with the issue, in mid 2007, the Government launched Resolution 34 stipulating that all downgraded apartment buildings nationwide were to be upgraded or rebuilt by 2015. Those living in the buildings were to be relocated.

Many projects were started in 2009, but few are reported to have been completed.

According to Thanh, the main reasons for the delay were improper compensation and unreliable planning schemes. These led to disagreements with residents.

Deputy director of the municipal Department of Construction Nguyen Quoc Tuan said the department would re-examine the blocks and ask the city to consolidate the most down-graded ones.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News