The Truong Dinh apartment complex, located in Tuong Mai ward, was constructed between 1970 and 1980 and comprises 10 two-story buildings. In front of building E, a section of the sidewalk is occupied by residents selling food and drinks, detracting from urban aesthetics. Business activities primarily occur in the morning. Due to a lack of designated parking, many customers park their vehicles on the street.Hoang Giang

Peeling walls and decaying mortar reveal red bricks. Many damaged, unused windows are bricked up. Most tile roofs are damaged, and ceilings are peeling, exposing rebar. To prevent leaks, residents install corrugated iron roofs instead of tiles and reinforce ceilings with cement.Hoang Giang

The outdoor concrete staircase to the 2nd floor includes a ramp for motorbikes. Many sections of the railing are degraded, and steps are covered in moss, making them slippery on rainy days.Hoang Giang

For over 20 years, residents of the Truong Dinh apartment complex have faced challenging living conditions due to its severe degradation. Le Thi Hon, 62, who moved to the complex in 2004 and lives on the first floor of building H4, has spent over 20 million VND repairing her 13.5 square meter apartment. Her home's floor is about 20 centimeters lower than the street level, requiring her family to build a high threshold to prevent rainwater from entering. "Even with the raised threshold, heavy rains still flood the house", Hon shared.

Next to Hon's home, Nguyen Thi Canh, 51, lives with her two sons in a 25 square meter apartment, which only has space for one bed and a small kitchen corner. The walls are moldy and peeling, but her family lacks the resources for repairs. Canh hopes the complex will be rebuilt, allowing her family to be resettled on-site with an equivalent area, as they cannot afford to purchase a larger apartment.

The Truong Dinh apartment complex is slated for redevelopment into two apartment buildings, each with a maximum of 30 stories, in addition to three basements and a technical rooftop. The project is expected to feature 1,065 units, ranging from 26-81 square meters with one to three bedrooms, accommodating over 2,000 residents.

Nguyen Thi Oanh, 59, grew up in the Truong Dinh apartment complex and has lived for many years in a 10 square meter apartment, converted from the former kitchen area of building A. Whenever heavy rains occur, she must place four basins inside her home to catch leaks. The cramped, damp, and deteriorating walls and roof pose safety risks and health concerns. "I constantly worry because the building is degraded, and rainwater leaks through even the corrugated iron roof", Oanh stated.

Oanh's building still uses shared restrooms, with the roof space utilized for storage. Each two-story building houses about 20 residents, primarily low-income laborers. According to Oanh, the most significant challenge is that all repairs, renovations, or cleaning of the living area require the consensus of all households, often leading to delays.

Shared living spaces and green areas in the apartment complex do not meet residents' needs. Due to a lack of land for playgrounds, children use quiet alleys for playing and exercising.Hoang Giang

Many apartments lack windows or balconies, prompting residents to use common pathways for drying clothes, leaving the narrow alleys perpetually filled with clotheslines. On the second floor of building H4, a dense network of electrical wires poses a fire hazard. The apartment complex currently lacks a fire prevention and fighting system.

Many households have expanded their apartments to 3-5 stories, causing structural deformation and severe degradation of the building. The Tuong Mai ward People's Committee recently announced the 1:500 master plan for the renovation and reconstruction of the Truong Dinh complex and surrounding areas. In the future, the complex will be replaced by two apartment buildings, up to 30 stories high, offering over 1,000 units. About 13,700 square meters are allocated for the renovation and reconstruction of the Truong Dinh complex, with the remaining area designated for connecting roads. The Truong Dinh apartment complex renovation project has not yet identified an investor, nor has it finalized compensation, support, and resettlement plans.

Across Hanoi, 11 old apartment renovation projects are underway, with three already completed. The city aims to renovate about 20,000 units in old apartment buildings slated for demolition by 2030, and to complete the refurbishment and reconstruction of about 2,160 apartment buildings by 2035.

Hoang Giang