Residents of an apartment complex in District 1 were forced to leave their homes last Wednesday when the building was demolished to make room for another project.
All 175 units of an apartment complex on Co Giang Street were demolished, as were 26 out of 134 of its row houses, according to VnExpress.
Local authorities said the complex, built in 1968, was in serious disrepair and possibly on the verge of collapse.
In 2006, the city passed a plan to tear the building down in order to make room for a 30-story tower that will contain over 1,000 apartments, 300 of which would be reserved for the resettlement of residents from the old structure.
Authorities confirmed that residents who decided not to go along with the resettlement plan will be compensated VND750 million (US$33,000) for each apartment, the news source shares.
Many of the residents strongly opposed to the relocation plan and felt that they were being forced to leave their homes against their will. The complex’s remaining residents were finally convinced to leave after being threatened with eviction notices.
Wednesday’s demolition was part of a larger city plan to replace old apartment buildings with newer structures. Blocks in Tan Binh District and District 3 are slated to be demolished later this year.
Saigon Giai Phong reported last year that the Co Giang complex was among 14 such buildings that will be demolished in the next five years.
[Photo via Nguoi Lao Dong]
