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Due to the desire to preserve the
ancient area much of it has not been
upgraded so it has very bad infrastruc-
ture and poor water supply, drainage
and sanitary conditions.
A study released by the Hanoi Peo-
ple’s Committee reported that more
than 1,000 old houses were built more
than a century ago and are now suf-
fering from deterioration. Many were
adapted freely by local owners, destroy-
ing their historical features.
More than 84,000 inhabitants live
in just one square kilometre – a density
40 times higher than the rest of the
city. Moreover, 63 per cent of accom-
modation is seriously deteriorated and
12 per cent has been deemed unsafe.
Reducing the pressure
In 2008 the Hanoi People’s Commit-
tee established a plan to move 30 per
cent of the population of the Old Quarter
to Long Bien district, over the Red River,
with the aim of easing the pressure.
City authorities planned that
around 30,000 would be moved out in
order to reduce the density to 54,000
per square kilometre.
To carry this out the city reserved
part of the existing Viet Hung New Ur-
ban Area of Long Bien district for reset-
tlement. “Viet Hung has been develop-
ing for more than five years, has a very
good infrastructure system, and is now
ready to receive residents,” said Hanoi
Mayor, Nguyen The Thao.
The People’s Committee has as-
signed the Hanoi Urban and Housing
Development Corporation to move
more than 1,000 families to the Viet
Hung new residential area. The cor-
poration and the investor of the Viet
Hung residential area have set aside
20 hectares of land for apartments for
these families.
Located northeast of Hanoi, 8 kilo-
metres from the city centre, it can ac-
commodate around 35,000 people.
Alongside this, the committee is
considering other areas in Sai Dong
commune in Long Bien district - also
located over the Chuong Duong Bridge
- for new residential areas to serve
people moving from the Old Quar-
ter. City authorities predict that more
than $220 million will be needed for
these projects. According to Lam Quoc
Hung, deputy chairman of the Hoan
Kiem People’s Committee, more than
6,500 families will move to Viet Hung
by 2020.
Facing challenges
The plan has met with plenty of
opposition from people who have been
living in the Old Quarter for genera-
tions. They say they cannot earn money
if they move out, as their livelihoods
are inextricably linked to their homes,
where they run small roadside busi-
nesses or work on the streets.
“It is easy to earn at least VND3
million a month from a small business
here, but we cannot have that in Viet
Hung,” said a woman who trades on
Hang Bong street.
Moreover, life in the Old Quarter
is considered one of the Hanoi’s most
important and unique characteristics.
“We are familiar with the busy
streets, crowded businesses, and even
the horns of vehicles. We cannot imagine
what we will do in a quiet area like Viet
Hung,” said Nguyen Hung, a 65-year-old
man living in Hang Dong street.
The Old Quarter has offered golden
business opportunities to many who
call it home, so in order to encourage
people to move Mayor Thao said that
city authorities will reserve kiosks on
the first floor of high-rise apartment
buildings in the new site for people to
do business.
“We all know that this move is not
easy for local people, but in order to
give them a better life we must push
them to relocate,” he said.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter suffers from major congestion and poor infrastructure
SOCIETY