On the afternoon of September 11, Nguyen Thi Nguyen, Chairwoman of the Women’s Union in Van My Ward, Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong City, rushed to the lobby of Hoang Hai Hotel (Ngo Quyen District) to notify 55 households (approximately 159 residents) about the upcoming relocation after taking shelter from Typhoon Yagi.
Earlier, 303 households from two severely deteriorating apartment buildings (A7 and A8) in Van My Ward, Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong City, were evacuated due to the storm, including the 55 households mentioned. Nguyen Thi Nguyen noted that at the temporary shelter, each family faced different challenges; many elderly people, young children, and those in poor health required daily visits from medical personnel. To provide for the residents, the Van My Ward authorities and the local Women’s Union organized grocery shopping, prepared meals, and received donations from charitable organizations.
In recent days, Pham Ngoc Nhan, an 83-year-old resident of the A7 apartment block in Van My Ward, has been waiting in the hotel hallway for news about when his family will be moved to their new home. He said that his family was relocated to a safe place by the authorities due to the natural disaster. However, he believes the relocation of residents from A7 should have happened earlier to allow people more time to stabilize their lives.
Similarly, Ngo Thi Chi, along with her husband and two young children, has been staying in a temporary shelter provided by the local government for the past few days. Although unsure of what their new home would be like, she expressed her gratitude for the authorities' efforts in relocating residents from dangerous living conditions.
On the afternoon of September 11, during a press briefing by the Department of Propaganda and Education of Hai Phong City's Party Committee, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Director of the city's Department of Construction, reported that Hai Phong currently has 205 apartment buildings, 97 of which are classified as dangerous at level D. The city has already demolished 22 of these level-D buildings. Of the remaining 75 dangerous buildings, Ngo Quyen District has the most, with 55. Overall, approximately 2,600 households still reside in these unsafe apartments, with over 1,700 in Ngo Quyen District.
According to assessments from consulting units, the apartment buildings in Van My Ward show significant structural damage, with 65 percent to 86 percent of the main components compromised. The Department of Construction has recommended that no families be allowed to return to these buildings. To relocate affected residents, Hai Phong City has over 840 available apartment units.
For families unable to be placed in these units, the city will provide financial aid for temporary housing, estimated at VND3 million per household per month for two years. After this period, the households will receive compensation and assistance for relocation, with options to buy or rent, including social housing, as part of Hai Phong’s social housing development plan.
