Some 70 investors want to renovate degraded condominiums in Hanoi

As many as 70 investors have registered to take part in renovating downgraded condominiums following Hanoi's call for investment from the private sector, according to the municipal Department of Construction.

Notably, the municipal government has conducted inspections and made plans to renovate and rebuild the old apartment building with funding from the municipal budget.

Under the plan, all dwellers of the six condos classified as “dangerous” must be relocated by March 2022. The six dilapidated apartment buildings include four in the district of Ba Dinh, including C8 Giang Vo condo, G6A Thanh Cong, Ngoc Khanh, and the apartment blocks of the Ministry of Justice at 148-150 in Son Tay Street, and two others at 51 Huynh Thuc Khang Street in Dong Da District.

These buildings, built from 1954 to 1990 are now severely degraded and experience water leaks often. They also have a poor fire protection system and no parking space. However, only an apartment at No.51 Huynh Thuc Khang in Dong Da District has been vacated so far.

Old apartment building at No.51 Huynh Thuc Khang. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Along with that, the Hanoi Department of Construction has also inspected 126 old apartment blocks in the city and just issued a set of criteria to evaluate the results of quality inspection of old apartments in Hanoi.

Accordingly, the assessment is carried out in six steps, including the surveying works, assessing the dangerous level of the structure and the extent to which the building is damaged, among others.

The plan is considered groundbreaking in improving people’s living standards in the capital city. Accordingly, the municipal government will release an inspection plan with a view to completing the assessment of all decayed apartment buildings in the city by the third quarter of 2023.

In an interview with The Hanoi Times via phone, Director of the municipal Department of Construction Vo Nguyen Phong said that Hanoi has planned to spend VND500 billion (US$21.7 million) in 2021-2025 to assess the quality of more than 1,500 old apartment buildings to ensure safety.

A condo named G6A with three units on Nguyen Hong Street in Ba Dinh District. It was built in 1987 and classified as dangerous. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

“The municipal government urged local authorities to speed up the review process to soon move locals out of dangerous zones. There should be a long-term and consistent plan to renovate old buildings to improve people's living standards, which is part of the city’s efforts to transform itself into a green city,” Phong stressed.

The latest resolution of the Hanoi People’s Council is expected to drive forward the transformation of the old building landscape in the city, as the reconstruction of old apartments remains a priority for Hanoi from now until 2025, he noted.

Phong added that his department will be responsible for developing specialized mechanisms and policies for the reconstruction of the buildings. It will also review the vacant land fund near the old apartment buildings for the temporary resettlement purpose.

In early December 2021, Hanoi issued a detailed plan to renovate and rebuild old condominiums in the city with specific solutions applied for apartment blocks covering more than 2 hectares and those of less than 2 hectares.  

Currently, Hanoi has around 2,000 old apartment buildings which were built from 1960 to 1999. Hanoi has set the goal of basically completing the renovation and rebuilding of old apartments by 2045. However, for the past 20 years, the city’s authorities have been able to renovate only 1.2% of the total old apartment buildings, only 19 apartment blocks have been upgraded or rebuilt and work remains ongoing at 14 others.