Evacuations ordered as dozens of Hanoi houses crack, sink amid metro line construction

Cracks were detected at the three-story house of Cao Thi Binh at Alley 7 of Giang Van Minh Street on Thursday. Binh said the cracks began to show up ever since the drilling machines of the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line project operated through the alley area.

"Ever since the underground drilling, I was warned that the house could sink or crack, so I was very worried and monitored the situation every day," she said.

The walls from the first to the third floor of Binh’s house were all cracked, with the floors themselves being damaged and crooked. Binh’s family has planned to evacuate, with the 100-year-old being prioritized to move first. Two other houses in the same alley had been evacuated right on Thursday night.

Besides Binh’s, around 10 other homes have also had cracks on them.

The representatives of the affected families on Friday met with authorities and contractors of the project to finalize an evacuation plan. Several homes were told that they would have to move immediately within the day. Construction units have been deployed to measure the degree of sinking of each house, among other statistics.

The Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board said certain areas would sink beyond the threshold. Abiding by safety protocols, the board would relocate another 11 houses at Alley 7 of Giang Van Minh Street. Previously, four houses had already been evacuated beforehand, while two others were demolished due to severe damage.

The board will support the 17 households VND16 million ($626) each for relocation efforts. During the relocation, investors will continue to inspect and evaluate the situation, meanwhile providing solutions to reinforce the ground to ensure safety. The process is expected to take a month.

Construction units may be able to pump in material to reinforce foundations on Saturday.

Last week, the same alley saw underground sludge surging from beneath the surface covering alleys and flooding houses. The "sludge" was determined to be material used to stabilize the soil for the drilling of the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line. At the time, the investor said it was a "normal phenomenon" that does not pose a structural threat to the surrounding area.

The Nhon–Hanoi Station metro line spans 12.5 km, comprising eight elevated stations and four underground stations.

Its 8.5 km elevated stretch from Nhon to Cau Giay is already operational, while the remaining 4 km underground section from Cau Giay to Hanoi Station is still under construction.