At about 9:54 p.m. on July 6, 2025, a fire broke out in apartment 019 and apartment 020 of Doc Lap apartment building, Doc Lap street, Phu Tho Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The incident caused particularly serious consequences, killing 8 people. The pain was shared by the leaders of the Party, the State, the city and the people. But the worries have not ended.
In Ho Chi Minh City, there are still many old apartments and residential buildings. With apartments and residential buildings built over 20 years ago, the risk of fire and explosion is always considered much higher than with new apartments and residential buildings. It does not only come from the construction materials, electricity and water systems or apartment area but also from many other reasons.
Like at the Thanh Da apartment complex. The place has been in the planning for decades. Therefore, the roads are raised, the houses are low and old. There are no common facilities for the people such as parking lots, cars are driven straight up the stairs, sleeping with the owner. Along with that, the temporary expansion and repair makes the houses in this area even more dilapidated, the risk of fire with no escape is clearly present.
People know the risks, but that's still where they are forced to live, with no choice but to "live with the flood".
In apartment buildings that are considered newer and more modern, the risk of fire and explosion comes from other shortcomings. For example, at the 18-storey Mieu Noi, Ward 3, old Binh Thanh District, the danger arises from lax management.
This is a high-rise apartment building that was considered modern at the time of handover in 2000. However, this apartment building does not have a basement for parking, the parking lot on the ground floor is quite small.
Currently, the apartment management board is using the common walkway, the emergency exit, to park the vehicles of residents and visitors around the apartment building, both day and night.
The already narrow passageway is now even narrower, making it difficult for fire trucks to get through in the event of an incident.
Most recently, on June 26, 2025, Minh Phuc Company, when invited to manage the 18-storey Mieu Noi apartment building, conducted a preliminary inspection and assessment. According to them, the fire prevention and fighting system of the 18-storey Mieu Noi apartment building did not meet the requirements in many items.
Similar to Mieu Noi apartment building, Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment building in Xuan Hoa ward (old district 3) people also live in constant fear of fire.
Because the side of the apartment building is used as a place to cook and sell food. The shops light fires day and night to serve the community, which also means that every day is a worry.
Not to mention, the expansion and construction of tiger cages has been openly existing for so long, as if there is nothing worth discussing.
Obviously, in Ho Chi Minh City, this is not the first time there has been a fire or explosion in apartment buildings. And each time the reason is different, only the loss and pain are not much different.
In general, in most old apartment buildings and residential areas, fires and explosions often originate from degraded infrastructure. Along with lax management from local authorities, chaos from management boards and disregard for the principles of community living.
To make people feel secure about living in apartment buildings, perhaps the Ho Chi Minh City government needs to be more determined in monitoring and controlling the apartment building management boards and finding ways to resolve objective problems, such as the lack of parking lots, which is considered a huge bottleneck in old apartment buildings.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/vu-chay-chung-cu-tai-thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-bat-cap-tu-ha-tang-va-quan-ly-post892238.html
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