Hanoi families struggle with choking dust from land clearance projects

On Tuesday, Vu Thi Phuong, 47, who lives in Alley 12, Chinh Kinh Street, in Thanh Xuan Ward, wore a disposable medical cap, hat, sun-protective jacket, gloves and a face mask while working indoors.

She laments: "The entire neighborhood is shrouded in dust. Leave your head uncovered for a moment and your hair turns dry and stiff. Touch your face and you can feel grit everywhere. My eyes constantly sting."

Her earlier home was demolished to make way for Ring Road 2.5, and she rents a three-story house nearby to continue running her laundry and tailoring business.

Vu Thi Phuong wears a hat, sun-protective jacket and face mask while sowing clothes in Alley 12, Chinh Kinh Street, Thanh Xuan Ward, Hanoi, May 19, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Nga Thanh

Other households in the alley have covered their facades with tarps or sealed windows and doors with paper, cloth and foam to block the dust. But Phuong has to keep her shop open, and the dust settles throughout her house, requiring her to wipe everything with a damp cloth every 30 minutes.

"I leave the house for a few hours and return to find everything coated in a layer of white dust," she says.

Six washing and drying machines in front of the house are covered with tarps to prevent dust from entering their motors. Phuong also inspects them regularly for fear of fire from overheating.

Although she mostly stays indoors and wears protective gear, Phuong says she showers several times a day because of "unbearable itching." Her family no longer eats in the living room because of the dust. They plan their cooking time around construction workers' breaks to prevent dust from settling on food.

"We support land clearance and urban redevelopment projects but we hope authorities will take measures to reduce pollution so that we are not left waiting for rain to clear the dust," she says.

Nearly 700 households along the Nguy Nhu Kon Tum-Chinh Kinh-Nguyen Trai corridor are reportedly affected by infrastructure works in Thanh Xuan Ward. Part of Nguyen Trai Street near Ha Dong Ward has also been fenced off for drainage construction in recent weeks, exacerbating the pollution problem.

Thanh Huong, 46, who lives on Nguyen Trai Street, says she has kept her doors shut for the last two weeks. She has an air purifier running and mops the floor four to five times a day.

Clothes dried on the rooftop are often coated with fine dust, she says. "Shake the clothes and a cloud of white dust flies off."

The demolition work has proceeded without sufficient dust-control measures such as protective coverings or spraying of water.

Phuong uses tarps to cover washing and drying machines in front of her home in Alley 12, Chinh Kinh Street, Thanh Xuan Ward, Hanoi, May 19, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Nguyen

Hanoi is carrying out 1,428 projects, including ring roads, Red River bridges, and new urban developments.

It aims to complete site clearance before June 30 for the Tu Lien, Tran Hung Dao, and Thuong Cat bridges and the remaining sections of Ring Road 2.5.

It has instructed the Department of Construction to strengthen inspections and penalize violations related to environmental sanitation and site restoration. The Department of Agriculture and Environment has been tasked with updating air-quality data and issuing pollution warnings to locals in areas with lots of construction.

The police will strengthen enforcement against vehicles transporting materials without proper coverings. Sanitation workers have been instructed to sweep, vacuum and wash streets more often.

According to Hoang Duong Tung, chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network and former deputy director general of the Vietnam Environment Administration, many construction projects in Hanoi do not adequately implement environmental measures.

He says demolition of concrete structures releases large amounts of PM2.5 fine particulate matter and coarse dust, affecting air quality and thus public health.

"We seem to be so focused on meeting clearance deadlines that we have neglected our responsibility to protect the environment."