Fifty buildings in Ba Dinh and Dong Da Districts, Hanoi experienced severe subsidence and cracking due to the construction of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station urban metro line in the capital city. 

Among those 50 buildings are two houses at 431 Kim Ma Street in Ba Dinh District and another down Alley 51 on Quoc Tu Giam Street in Dong Da District.

The 431 Kim Ma house, which was built in 1994, has tilted to one side as cracks appeared across the ceiling and the joints of the pillars in the basement, revealing the steel core. 

The situation started in 2019 and is getting worse, according to the 53-year-old owner Nguyen Thi Bich.

Bich said that the local authorities and the project contractor had invited an independent unit to assess the condition of her house before coming to the conclusion that the house was in an extremely dangerous state and relocation was required for her family.

Cracks appear on a wall inside Nguyen Thi Bich's house at 431 Kim Ma Street in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

In response to reporters’ requests during Friday’s press briefing, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) admitted that the subsidence of Bich’s house was caused by the construction of station S9 of the urban metro line.

MRB offered a compensation comprising 32.55 percent of the total costs to build a new house, which the agency estimated at more than VND520 million (US$22,271), temporary accommodation support of VND50 million ($2,136), and moving service fee of VND5.16 million ($220).

However, the two sides have yet to reach a consensus on this matter.

Le Huu Da shows a crack on a wall inside his house down Alley 51 on Quoc Tu Giam Street in Dong Da District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Located about seven meters away from the construction site of the project’s underground station S11, the two-story house down Alley 51 on Quoc Tu Giam Street in Dong Da District is suffering larger cracks.

A wall on the first floor is almost split into two halves while the steps of the stair leading to the second floor are no longer attached.

MRB and the local authorities refuted the claim that the construction of the project’s underground section was the cause, saying that Da’s house had been seriously cracked before construction began at the S11 station.

Cracks shows on a stair at Le Huu Da's house at 15 down Alley 51 on Quoc Tu Giam Street in Dong Da District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

In Da’s own account, MRB blamed the subsidence on the construction of a nearby cultural house project.

“How can a small cultural house affect my house?” Da commented.

“My house shakes every time they build items for the underground metro station,” the man added.

“When they found it too dangerous, they moved me out of the house and gave me a monthly allowance of VND5 million ($213) to rent a temporary residence, but after a while, I did not receive the allowance anymore so I had to go back to my house, even though I’m aware of the danger.”

A MRB representative elaborated that the monthly allowance lasted from April 2021 to August 2021.

Buildings are just a few meters away from the construction site of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line project. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The representative stated that MRB has paid great attention to the management and safety control regarding construction of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line’s underground stations.

It installed a full range of measurement and monitoring systems to gauge the impacts on buildings next to the stations during construction.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line, the second route after Cat Linh – Ha Dong in the capital city, is slated to run 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in Nam Tu Liem District to the Hanoi Railway Station in the downtown area.

It will include 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks and four kilometers underground.

A man walks past Nguyen Thi Bich's house at 431 Kim Ma Street in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, just about four meters from the construction site of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line project. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The project's investment was revised up from EUR783 million ($920 million) in 2009 to EUR1.1 billion ($1.29 billion) in 2014, mainly funded by official development assistance (ODA) from France.

The metro line construction was originally expected to be finished in 2018.

However, but only 77 percent had completed as of July this year.

The metro route is anticipated to help reduce 20,000 metric tons of vehicle exhaust in Hanoi each year.

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