Eight districts in Hanoi have selected contractors to assess the status of old apartment buildings, according to the Hanoi Department of Construction.

An old apartment building in Hanoi. Photo: Thai Nguyen/The Hanoi Times

These districts include Long Bien, Hoang Mai, Tay Ho, Dong Anh, Thanh Xuan, Ha Dong, Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh, according to the construction department.

Since the government launched a campaign to renovate old residential buildings in 2021, the Hanoi People's Committee has carried out a project to implement it.

Over the past two years, the Hanoi Construction Department has approved more than 1,000 quality control plans for such buildings.

The old residential buildings are located in 12 districts of Ba Dinh, Thanh Xuan, Dong Da, Long Bien, Hoan Kiem, Tay Ho, Cau Giay, Hoang Mai, Dong Anh, Ha Dong, Hai Ba Trung and Bac Tu Liem.

The housing rehabilitation project will be carried out in six phases. The first phase focuses on 10 residential buildings in critical condition. These include four D-class (the most critical) blocks in the Ba Dinh district and six blocks in Dong Da, Thanh Xuan and Cau Giay districts.

According to the Hanoi Construction Department, the city government has funded several districts to inspect and evaluate the buildings and work out their renovation plans to speed up progress.

Some districts have made progress in renovating old buildings. In Dong Da District, households living in block no. 51 on Huynh Thuc Khang Street has been moved out and relocated to other places.

The district authorities also plan to inspect the conditions of the Trung Tu residential blocks and surrounding areas. The budget for the inspection is set at VND800 million (nearly US$33,000) for an area of 11 hectares.

Dong Da District now has 20 residential blocks with more than 500 old apartment buildings, housing about 20,000 families.

In 2023, Dong Da District will check the quality of all old buildings, most of which are located in Khuong Thuong, Trung Tu and Kim Lien wards.

Of the total number, the district has completed the inspection of 37 buildings.

In particular, Dong Da District is considering immediate reconstruction of several old residential buildings in Khuong Thuong, Tho Quan, Lang Ha, Quang Trung and O Cho Dua wards.

In 2023, Hanoi plans to build a total of 6.9 million square meters of housing.

The city will complete the inspection of all old residential buildings by Q4/2023, and rebuild 2-3 blocks by 2025.

Hanoi has nearly 1,600 old apartment buildings that are more than 50 years old.

According to Dinh Tien Dung, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, the reconstruction of old tenement buildings is one of the most important tasks to develop a modern, civilized city and improve the living conditions of its residents.