The apartment building was built in 1979-1988 in Phu Nhuan Ward of Hue Town in Thua Thien-Hue Province where Vietnam's former imperial city of Hue is located.
The building with three blocks is home to 219 families.
The façade of block A.
As inspected by the Department of Construction, the danger level of the block is now at level D, the highest level, which means the bearing capacity of the structure does not meet the requirements of normal use.
Tran Thi Trich, 75, has lived in an apartment at block A since 1993.
The paint on many of the walls in her family's 22-square-meter apartment has peeled off.
She said the local authorities a long time ago informed residents of a plan to evacuate the building.
"What we and our neighbors wish for is that the resettlement project can be carried out soon and finished on time," she said.
Nguyen Van Tam, 56, and three family members have lived in a 24-square-meter apartment in block B for 12 years.
Tam said he has joined many conversations with the provincial authorities on upgrading the Dong Da apartment building, and most residents agreed with the plan to evacuate for the building to be fixed.
However, the authorities and the affected residents have yet to reach an agreement on the compensation policy and at the same time, they are also worried that the resettlement project will last longer than needed and get delayed as has happened with many projects in Vietnam, leaving them in limbo.
