Thanh Da Apartment Building counts down the handover date
Most residents in Thanh Da apartment buildings have left, many apartments have closed their doors, pasted seals, waiting for handover of land for the project to renovate and rebuild old apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City.
Late afternoon on September 22nd, the entrance to a lot in Thanh Da apartment building was deserted, only hearing the rustling sound from Mrs. Le's (59 years old) dry leaf brush. After more than four decades of attachment, Mrs. Le's family's house has been the living and growing place of three generations since the 1980s. Looking at the sparse neighborhood every day, Mrs. Le could not help but feel emotional: "Tens of years here, now leaving is really sad. Neighbors around are close, going in and out know each other. Just a few months ago, this area was still bustling and bustling, today it is completely deserted. Even the evening around is quiet and deserted, it's scary".
Although regretful, her family still agreed with the general policy. Currently, all procedures for compensation, resettlement or housing rental support are handled by her younger sister's representative, and the family is waiting to complete the papers to officially relocate.
Ms. Pham Thi Binh (74 years old), a poor household and currently being treated for stage 4 kidney failure, currently lives with 5 relatives in a house that has been attached for 50 years. "Being attached for decades, now everyone in the village is in different places, so I miss the memories very much. I just hope the government has practical support policies for poor households and sick people to soon stabilize their accommodation, livelihoods and education," Ms. Binh confided.
The feeling of temporary residence and the longing for the day to return
For Ms. Thuy, who has lived in Thanh Da apartment building for 30 years and is waiting for on-site resettlement, the decision to move in brings many intertwined emotions. The old house preserves family memories through many generations, but the building has seriously deteriorated.
The old house is degraded, dark and leaks water from the upper floor right to the bed, every day I have to go to pour a few basins of water. Living in a damp and dilapidated place is very scary, so even though I miss memories, leaving I still feel relieved," Ms. Thuy shared.
After handing over the house, Ms. Thuy rented a room for 5 million VND per month (excluding electricity and water) to continue living. "To be honest, I'm still not used to it, I'm mixed with sadness and joy because I miss the old place. However, everyone will have to move to re-urbanize the city. Now I just hope that the government will pay attention and speed up the construction progress of the new apartment building to soon bring people back to long-term stability," Ms. Thuy confided.
According to Binh Quoi Ward People's Committee, the project has a total of 1,353 households (including 1,001 privately owned households and 352 state-owned households). To date, nearly 81% of households have agreed with the policy of compensation, support, resettlement and relocation.
Currently, the relocation time according to the decision has expired, the ward has established 6 working groups to mobilize the remaining households before implementing the forced relocation plan. It is expected that in October 2026, the relocation of households will be completed to hand over the site to the investor to soon start construction and build the project.
