B2 Thanh Cong apartment building in Hanoi. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – About 600 out of 2,500 old apartment buildings in Vietnam are in dangerous or seriously dilapidated conditions, making up some 25 percent of the total number of old buildings, according to the Construction Ministry.
Despite efforts from localities, very few of the buildings have been upgraded or rebuilt, the ministry said.
In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City which accommodates most old buildings, only about ten buildings have been renovated or reconstructed, while the rest are being assessed and expected to be put into the renovation scheme by 2020.
The northern port city of Hai Phong, however, reported that the locality will basically complete upgrades of old buildings by 2020.
The ministry said the rehabilitation of old buildings was stuck due to bottlenecks in the issuance of renovation and reconstruction plans, assessment of the buildings and relocation of residents.
The ministry, therefore, suggested completing legal regulations as several of them are not suitable with reality.
A lack of funding, especially capital for the establishment of the renovation and reconstruction schemes, and resettlement of residents, has also hindered the process, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, many localities have yet to take the initiative in popularising policies among residents and allocating capital and land for relocation work, the ministry said.
According to the ministry’s criteria, a residential apartment must have a lifetime of 50 years. However, most of the old apartments are only 30-40 years old but are deteriorated.
In 2015, the Government promulgated a decree defining the responsibilities of owners of apartment flats to renovate their places of residence and at the same time to solve problems in the renovation of old buildings.-VNA
VNA
