The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has just issued a third document to the Chairmen of the People's Committees of wards and communes requesting urgent reports on the inspection situation and the work of rectifying the management and operation of apartment buildings, especially ensuring fire safety (PCCC).
Since mid-July 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has requested leaders of wards and communes to coordinate with the fire prevention and fighting, rescue police and related units to inspect and strictly handle violations in apartment buildings that do not ensure fire prevention and fighting safety.
The inspection focused on a series of unsafe issues such as: The situation of renovation, repair, installation of covers that obstruct escape routes; maintenance and repair of technical systems, fire prevention and fighting and escape systems; fire prevention and fighting training, escape skills for residents, management boards and operating units.
By mid-October 2025, only 43/168 wards, communes and special zones had sent reports to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction.
After the second urging document on October 17, the number of reports increased to 116 wards and communes, but there were still 52 units that had not submitted them.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction requests that wards, communes and special zones that have not submitted reports must urgently complete and submit them before November 20 to synthesize and report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in time.
The document clearly states: if the above deadline is exceeded, the Department of Construction will report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to consider responsibilities and handle according to regulations for localities that are late.
According to the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department (PC07) of Ho Chi Minh City Police, after the fire at Doc Lap apartment building on July 6, 2025, the authorities coordinated with the Department of Construction and the People's Committees of the wards to inspect and count the whole city of 15,161 apartments with "tiger cages".
By the end of September 2025, 14,445 apartments (accounting for 95.3%) had dismantled their "tiger cages" or opened additional escape routes. There are still 716 apartments (4.7%) that have not been demolished.
