Subsidence caused by a construction project to improve the water environment in HCMC has cracked walls in 60 houses along Lo Gom Canal in District 8.
As part of the project, the waterway was dredged and an embankment was built.
A crack in the wall of Hai's house.
He said the authorities and the contractor once visited his family and offered to compensate them with VND96 million (US$4,000), but he turned the offer down because it was way too low.
"When the project was completed and put into use, my house was only four months old," said Hai.
The son of Quang Thuan, who lives 100 m away from Hai's, plays next to a cracked wall.
Thuan said he has used duct tape to cover the cracks as he was afraid his son could get cut by the sharp ceramic tiles.
Early last year, Thuan spent VND140 million, including VND70 million of the compensation his family received from the contractor, to rebuild the damaged wall but the cracks returned after a few months.
Nguyen Van Quang, 70, lives with his wife in a house by the canal.
He said the project has now damaged the entire 80-sq.m one-floor house, with some cracks as big as 10 cm wide.
Rainwater leaks into the house through a crack on the wall.
Quang and his wife have been offered VND26 million to fix the house, but they need much more than that to fix the house that has all but split in half.
Now in days of heavy rains and strong winds, the couple must take shelter at their daughter's house.
The foundation of Quang's house has sunk.
Tran Anh Nghia, deputy chairman of Ward 16 in District 8, said 30 of the affected have received compensation and the rest turned down the offer, saying it is too low.
He said the project is still undergoing and work to reinforce the embankment has caused the cracked walls and foundation subsidence.
