VietNamNet Bridge – 16 families in an alley in Phu Nhuan district, HCM City had to evacuate because a three-storey building was leaning and could collapse anytime.



On the afternoon of June 5, while workers were digging to build the foundation of a 3-storey house of Ms. Nguyen Thi Sao, the next-door 3-storey house of Mr. Nguyen Duc Loi leaned toward the under-construction house of Ms. Sao.

“My family has four members, including two children. At that time, I heard the sound from falling bricks and strange sounds. I ran out of my house to see what was happening. I saw my house had leaned toward the house being built. Our family hastily got out of the house,” recalled Ms. Truong Que Anh, who hires Mr. Loi’s house.

The alley was blockaded immediately. 16 families in the alley were asked to evacuate from their homes. On June 6, when VietNamNet’s correspondents were present at the site, local people spent one night at their neighbors or relatives’ houses.



“We just got out of the house. We did not take out anything. My family had to spend the night at a relative’s house in Go Vap but we could not sleep because of worry,” Que Anh said.

“We want to get into our houses to take some clothes and money,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, who looked seedy after a sleepless night. Phuong lives in the house that is in front of the leaning house.

Local authorities held an urgent meeting with related agencies to seek a solution. They decided to use modern equipment to prop up the leaning house. However, until the late afternoon of June 6, equipment was not transported to the site because big trucks could not get into the city’s center.

Tran Chanh Nghia