HCMC – The Ministry of Construction has told local authorities to review aging apartment buildings and quickly upgrade and repair deteriorating ones as soon as possible.

The ministry also asked provinces and cities to allocate funds for apartment repair and upgrade projects and direct the provincial and municipal Departments of Construction to appraise and assess the quality of aging apartment buildings.

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh said that rebuilding and upgrading old apartment buildings would ensure the safety of residents, especially in stormy and rainy seasons, the local media reported.

Local authorities were told to list aging apartment buildings and residential areas needing upgrades and rebuilding to call on investors to get involved in these projects and conduct compensation and resettlement processes.

The ministry said that some provinces and cities had taken action on reviewing aging buildings and allocating capital for repairs, while many others, including Hanoi and HCMC, which are seeing several deteriorating apartment buildings, are conducting a review at a snail’s pace.