New hope for former residents of Vinh Textile Factory's apartment complex.

Half a century of temporary living

During the hot days of late July, we visited the Hanoi Textile and Garment Company's residential complex (commonly known as the Coc Soi residential complex or the Vinh Yarn Factory residential complex), located in Ben Thuy 4 and Ben Thuy 6 blocks, Truong Vinh ward. Despite its prime location at the southern gateway to the former Vinh city, behind the bustling streets lies a dilapidated residential area that has existed for 50 years.

According to local residents, this apartment complex was built in the late 1970s and early 1980s to provide housing for employees and workers of the Vinh Textile Factory. Around 1992, the apartments were sold at subsidized prices to the public. After more than half a century, most of the single-story buildings have seriously deteriorated.

These apartments, only about 30 square meters in size, share walls and have roofs made of old fiber cement or corrugated iron. After numerous makeshift extensions and patchwork, the living space has become even more cramped and stuffy. In the summer, the house is stiflingly hot like a furnace; in the rainy season, water leaks everywhere, the walls are damp and moldy, and the floors are peeling.

Deep inside the rows of houses, the alleys are barely wide enough for a motorbike to pass through. Electrical wires are tangled like a spiderweb, many sections old and dilapidated. Interspersed among the apartments are makeshift shelters, with flammable materials repurposed to expand living space.

During prolonged periods of hot weather, residential complexes always pose a risk of fire and explosions. If an incident occurs, access for firefighters is also extremely difficult due to narrow pathways and densely packed buildings.

Mr. Mai Van Su, who has lived in the apartment complex for many years, shared: "My family has three generations living together in this small house. We worry it will collapse when it rains, and it's unbearably hot when it's sunny. Our children and grandchildren just want to go outside after school and work because it's so stuffy inside. We sincerely hope the government will continue to implement the policy of renovating old apartment buildings with appropriate land prices so that people can have stable housing and not have to live in such temporary conditions forever."

According to our research, the entire residential complex previously covered an area of ​​over 27,000 m² with 22 rows of single-story houses and 246 households. About three years ago, the first 54 households were relocated under the urban renovation plan of the former Ben Thuy ward. Subsequently, an additional 65 households were allocated land plots through a lottery. However, due to complications in the approval of the state's land price list, the project had to be temporarily suspended. To date, 191 households in the entire complex are still waiting (excluding some households in the nearby high-rise apartment buildings).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Vuong, a resident who has lived here since 1980, said that her family has had four generations living together in the small apartment adjacent to Phong Dinh Cang Street.

"Our houses have been dilapidated for a long time, so we have to make all sorts of renovations to have living space. Everyone hopes that a specific land price list will be available soon so that people can proactively prepare the funds, and after the infrastructure is completed, they can return to build new houses," said Ms. Vuong.

Hope for a stable home has been rekindled.

After years of waiting, the hopes of the residents of this housing complex are gradually being rekindled. Specifically, on June 22, 2026, the People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward issued Decision No. 1336/QD-UBND approving the investment plan for the infrastructure project of the Vinh Textile Factory housing complex in Ben Thuy 7 and Ben Thuy 9 blocks (now Ben Thuy 4 and Ben Thuy 6 blocks). The project aims to improve urban infrastructure, enhance the quality of the infrastructure, serve the people's needs, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the locality.

According to this decision, the planned area has a total area of ​​27,093.4 m²; the project implementation area is approximately 21,511.98 m². The project will be divided into 191 land plots with a total area of ​​over 13,454 m²; and will include the simultaneous investment in transportation, electricity, water supply, drainage, and lighting systems. The total investment is nearly 19.7 billion VND from the budget of Truong Vinh ward, with an expected construction time of 180 days from the commencement date.

Immediately after issuing the decision approving the investment plan, the People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward assigned relevant departments to appraise the tasks, survey plans, and prepare the economic-technical report for the project. Currently, the relevant departments are urgently completing the dossiers to soon implement the next steps.

Mr. Pham Nam Khanh, Deputy Head of the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Truong Vinh Ward People's Committee, said that renovating the apartment complex is an urgent requirement to ensure safe and stable living conditions for residents after many years of living in severely dilapidated buildings.

A notable aspect of this project is the land allocation plan, which will be much more convenient for residents. Previously, households had to draw lots to determine their plots; now, based on the current land use, 191 apartments will be allocated to 191 corresponding land plots. Residents will be assigned to the same plot they are currently living in, without having to re-draw lots. Furthermore, financial obligations will be determined according to the current land price list issued by the Provincial People's Committee.

According to Mr. Khanh, the ward is focusing on accelerating the completion of investment procedures so that residents can begin building new houses this year.