The 470-meter project connecting Dong Tau urban area with Giai Phong road completed land clearance on 31/3. After the expansion, many super thin, super distorted houses appeared. The image shows a house with a distorted shape, its narrowest end less than one meter wide, rendering it unusable.

The land not included in the road expansion project is being utilized by residents to erect temporary homes, roofed with corrugated iron, awaiting the road's completion for use.

A triangular house sits next to the main road, its narrowest point barely wider than a single brick. Inside, two to three households, despite being meters from the road, must navigate through an alley to reach the main thoroughfare.

Another house had almost its entire area cut, leaving a facade of about 3 meters and a depth of about 2 meters. The remaining space is barely enough to accommodate a toilet on the second floor.

A row of 5 houses at 133 Nguyen Tuan, Thanh Xuan ward, about 20 meters long and 1-2 meters deep, is enclosed by corrugated iron, with closed doors, while the sidewalk in front is being completed. Previously, in 11/2024, the former Thanh Xuan district completed land clearance after many years of complications.

The Nguyen Tuan road section, 720 meters long, connects Nguyen Trai road at its start and alley 162 Nguyen Tuan at its end, with a total investment of 400 billion dong, including land clearance costs.

Along Ring Road 2.5, the section passing through the Kim Dong - Giai Phong underpass, adjacent to Dinh Cong street, dozens of houses have appeared with facades ranging from 2 to 15 meters but depths of less than one meter.

House number 164 Dinh Cong street, with a facade of about 4 meters and a depth of over one meter, is enclosed by corrugated iron and operates as a clothing repair shop. The two-story house has air conditioning installed on the second floor. From the Ring Road 2.5 sidewalk, one can see through three houses to observe traffic on Dinh Cong street.

The Ring Road 2.5 project, from Dam Hong to National Highway 1, approximately 1,6 kilometers long, with a total investment of over 1.300 billion dong, connects to the Kim Dong - Giai Phong underpass and opened to traffic on 10/2.

Across the street, Ms. Tran Thi Khanh Ly rents a house in Dinh Cong ward to sell drinks. The space is less than 5 m2 and costs 3 million dong per month. The first floor's area is only enough for a refrigerator, 3-4 chairs, and an electric fan for summer use. "When I rented it, the house was just enclosed with corrugated iron. I had to clean and renovate it myself to sell goods," Ms. Ly said.

The first floor's area is almost nonexistent, with the water tank and toilet moved to the attic; the entire structure is enclosed with corrugated iron and topped with insulated roofing.

About 100 meters away, a house near 216 Dinh Cong street, with an area of about 10 m2, has its owner installing an iron gate over approximately half of the area.

Most super thin, super distorted houses are built on leftover land after project implementation. Lacking sufficient area for construction permits, most of these houses are temporary structures.

A row of houses with a facade of about 15 meters and a sidewalk over 7 meters wide, but a depth of only about 0,5 meters, sits adjacent to Ring Road 2.5. Currently, this area is enclosed by corrugated iron and locked.

Over 7 kilometers away, at the beginning of residential group 30, Cau Giay ward, a house on Ring Road 2.5, after land clearance, is left with only about 10 m2.

Ring Road 1, the Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section, spans over 2,2 kilometers. After land clearance, numerous small houses with narrow facades appeared in front of Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. A 4-story house with a facade of nearly 3 meters is currently covered with tarpaulins and shielded for completion.

According to a report from the Department of Construction to the Hanoi People's Committee, super thin, super distorted houses built before 2005, if entirely or partially compliant with planning regulations, are permitted to remain in their current state.

Houses with an area under 15 m2, or with a facade width or depth less than 3 meters, are not permitted for construction. For houses with an area from 15 m2 to under 40 m2, if both the facade width and depth are 3 meters or more, construction is permitted for no more than two stories.

Hoang Giang