No structural damage found in Ho Chi Minh City apartments as Myanmar quake causes cracks

They are in the Diamond Riverside apartment complex in Ward 16.

A crack appears along the wall of an apartment at the Diamond Riverside complex in HCMC's District 8. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Giang

Residents there reported last weekend that the cracks appeared following the aftershocks of the earthquake on March 28.

Following their complaint, the department and district administration surveyed the affected apartments on March 31 and found cracks and peeling of wall mortar of varying sizes, Nguyen Ngoc Minh Phu, deputy director of the department’s quality management division, said.

Though the inspection admittedly did not cover all apartments, the officials found the cracks only on walls that serve as partitions and enclosures and not in columns, beams or floors, he told the media on Thursday.

He quoted the developer of Diamond Riverside as assuring that the building complied with construction quality and load-bearing standards.

The project had been launched following due inspection by the Ministry of Construction's state quality control department.

The building management, developer and other relevant parties would inspect and assess the safety of areas affected by cracks, he said.

"We will require the developer to take prompt remedial measures and regularly provide information until a final conclusion is reached."

Vu Thi Hien points to cracks on the wall of her apartment at the Diamond Riverside complex in HCMC's District 8, March 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Giang

The department has not received reports about similar issues elsewhere, though it has been reported that at places people ran outside buildings during the tremors.

To ensure thorough inspections, the Department of Construction has called on districts across the city to review and compile a list of buildings with large numbers of occupants in areas affected by the tremors.

Based on the information, authorities will instruct owners and managers to inspect buildings' structural integrity, detect possible damages, assess load-bearing capacity, and take measures if necessary.

Phu said tall buildings must comply with all construction codes and standards, including earthquake safety regulations, and authorities would inspect and approve projects before they are allowed to be used.

The earthquake, of 7.7 magnitude, hit Myanmar at 1:20 p.m. local time on March 28, causing tremors in HCMC and Hanoi.

In HCMC tremors were felt in many high-rise buildings, especially Districts 7, 8, and 1, and lasted nearly 20 seconds.

As of Saturday morning over 3,100 deaths have been reported in Myanmar.