Need to speed up resettlement progress for residents of the old Quang Trung apartment complex

Danger lurks

Quang Trung Apartment Complex was built in 1976, this place used to be the pride of the people of Vinh city (old), associated with the memory of a memorable historical period. However, after nearly half a century of use, the complex has seriously degraded. From a pride, Quang Trung Apartment Complex has now become a constant worry, especially during the rainy and stormy season.

According to research, Quang Trung apartment complex currently has 6 old buildings with residents, including C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 and D2, with a total of about 440 apartments, more than 1,000 people. Most of the residents here are retired officials, workers, civil servants, low and middle income working families, who cannot afford to buy new houses when land and apartment prices on the market are getting higher and higher. In that context, they still cling to the buildings that are already severely damaged, accepting to live with insecurity.

According to records at buildings in area C, many pillars are weak, walls are cracked, rainwater seeps in and is damp, many pieces of plaster have fallen down, the drainage system is broken, causing the air to be humid and strong, stairs are peeling, shaking strongly, the electrical system is intricately connected, high risk of electrical short circuit...

Mr. Duong Xuan Cuong, a resident of building C4, said: “Every time there is a heavy rain or wind, pieces of plaster fall down from the hallway. That worry is always in my mind, I can’t sleep at night, just afraid that at some point the whole ceiling will collapse. Every time we hear weather forecasts of low pressure or storms in the East Sea, many households here are nervous, tossing and turning all night.”

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Yen, one of the first residents who has lived in this building since it was put into use, is now over 70 years old. She said: “My house is on the 3rd floor, the walls are cracked, the tile floor is warped in places, the ceiling is cracked. When I was young, I could endure it, but now I am old, I just hope to have a new safe place to live.”wholeBut the resettlement project has not been completed yet, we do not know where to go, so we have to live temporarily like this…

Faced with imminent danger, many residents had to think of ways to temporarily reinforce themselves to stay alive. Ms. Vo Thi Hai shared: “The ceiling is peeling, I had to hire workers to add a corrugated iron roof underneath to cover it, limiting movement. There are pillars that are peeling, cracked, and about to fall, so we had to reinforce them with large iron bars. On the stairs, the railings are shaking, we used additional steel wire to secure them, and inserted bricks and stones at the base of the pillars to support the weak parts. Some households also plastered the cracks on the walls with cement, sealed the holes to prevent rain from leaking... Those things are only temporary fixes, but there is no other way, because if we move, we will have no place to live, and if we stay, we will be in fear every day.”

According to Thanh Vinh ward statistics, due to fear of danger, about 30% of households in the old Quang Trung apartment building have moved out or rented out their apartments, used them as warehouses, and not lived there. The rest are mostly people who do not have the financial means to leave.

Most recently, a large section of railing in building C4 suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, the authorities promptly brought it down to safety, otherwise the consequences could have been unpredictable because there are often many people passing by below. When storm No. 5 made landfall on August 25, Thanh Vinh ward had to evacuate thousands of residents living in Quang Trung apartment building and other collective housing areas to a safe place because the buildings were at risk of collapsing at any time. Up to now, people have returned to their daily lives, but the insecurity still lingers, especially when the rainy and stormy season has not ended.

Speed ​​up resettlement construction progress

Faced with the serious degradation, the People's Committee of Nghe An province approved the Project to renovate and rebuild area C, Quang Trung apartment building, invested by Hanoi Housing Investment and Development Joint Stock Company No. 30, which was granted an investment certificate in 2011.

The project has 2 buildings CT3A and CT3B, each building has 22 floors, a total of 544 apartments, enough to resettle all residents from areas C2, C3, C4, C5, C6. According to the design, building CT3A will be for households from C5 and C6, and CT3B will be for households from C2, C3, C4.

Despite high expectations, after many extensions of the construction schedule, the project has not yet been completed. By the end of August 2025, it was recorded that the CT3A building had only completed about 50% of the floors, while the CT3B building, where hundreds of households were waiting, had only completed the foundation.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Sy Dieu - Chairman of Thanh Vinh Ward People's Committee said: "After the incident of broken railings on August 19 and the recent storm No. 5, the ward has directed to review and immediately reinforce the points at risk of collapse, at the same time, recommending people to take preventive measures during the rainy and stormy season. We have also sent a report to the Provincial People's Committee requesting the investor to speed up the project progress. This is not only a matter of housing, but also the safety of thousands of people. If this situation continues, the risk of a major incident is very clear."

In addition, Thanh Vinh ward also proposed that the Department of Construction and investors regularly inspect and repair damaged areas, and support residents when necessary to avoid unfortunate consequences.

While waiting for the resettlement project to be completed, residents hope for practical attention to maintain minimum safety, especially during this year's storm season.