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🇻🇳 Vietnam /Energy & Infrastructure

Demolition Crews Race to Clear Homes for Ho Chi Minh City’s National Highway 1 Expansion

From Tuổi Trẻ · () Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Many homes along National Highway 1 in Binh Chanh have been demolished and handed over for a road upgrade and widening project.
  • Demolition contractor Le Minh Hien said his crews have cleared about 30 homes and negotiated work on roughly 50 more.
  • Contractors buy reusable scrap from sturdier homes or charge owners for demolition when little metal can be recovered, while residents say the road project will improve traffic and freight movement.

Under the heat and the pounding of concrete breakers, demolition crews are clearing homes along National Highway 1 in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh area. The road is now named Le Kha Phieu Street, and homes are being removed to make way for an upgrade and widening project.

On September 4, some roadside properties had already been completely dismantled and handed over. Others were being reduced by excavators and workers racing to meet agreed deadlines. Le Hoang Quoc Vu, an excavator operator, said he had spent nearly a month and a half regularly dismantling homes and buying their salvageable remains while working for contractor Le Minh Hien.

After we finish demolishing this house, we will move on to three other large houses. I still have about 50 more that have been negotiated and are waiting to be dismantled.

· Le Minh HienThe contractor describes the scale of his demolition work.

Hien said one two-story house being dismantled covered about 200 square meters. After agreeing on a purchase price with the owner, he brought in eight to 10 workers and several excavators. The recovered steel would be resold. His crew completed that house in two days and handed over the site on schedule.

I agree with upgrading and widening the road because it will make travel and the movement of goods more convenient.

· Bui Trung HieuA homeowner explains why he supports the project.

Hien said his team had dismantled about 30 homes along the road and had negotiated the removal of around 50 more. Prices depend on a house’s structure, sturdiness and recoverable steel. For homes containing substantial amounts of metal, he generally negotiates to buy the property’s salvage for about 5 million to 7 million dong per house. When little steel can be recovered, he negotiates a labor fee with the owner instead.

He said the work requires constant attention to safety, protective barriers and proper dismantling techniques, especially to avoid damaging neighboring homes. Bui Trung Hieu, whose house was being removed, said part of the property had been subject to clearance and that he planned to build on the remaining land. He supported the road expansion, saying it would make travel and the movement of goods easier. His wife, Le Thi My Phuong, said the crew worked carefully and tried to complete the job in time for the site to be handed over.

The crew worked enthusiastically and carefully, trying to finish so the site could be handed over on schedule.

· Le Thi My PhuongThe homeowner’s wife comments on the demolition team’s work.
About this summary

Originally published by Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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