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After nearly six decades of operation, the buildings, roughly 4 km from Ben Thanh Market, have severely deteriorated.
A January 2017 structural inspection classified the complex at Grade D, the highest danger level, warning that its weakened load-bearing capacity poses a direct collapse risk.
Steel bars now temporarily brace load-bearing concrete columns along the corridors to stave off a collapse.
Structural damage is visible throughout the complex. Cracked columns expose rusted steel reinforcement, while decades of deterioration have left the walls and ceilings covered in mold and peeling paint.
Concrete ceilings along several corridors have crumbled, exposing rusted reinforcement. Wire mesh has been installed to catch falling debris and protect passersby.
"Someone walking through the corridor was once hit on the head by a piece of falling concrete," said a Block A resident named Sau.
Hundreds of cracks have appeared along the corridors, while sections of the walls have crumbled to expose the materials underneath. Years of deterioration have caused severe structural damage, creating a persistent risk of falling concrete on walkways used by residents.
Rubbish, moss, and weeds choke the expanded rooftop areas between the apartment blocks. The accumulating waste produces foul odors, severely degrading the living conditions for remaining residents.
Each apartment measures around 40 sq.m and houses multiple generations. These cramped conditions force many households to use the shared corridors for cooking, storage, and daily activities.
Preparing a meal outside her apartment, 50-year-old Tran My Phuong said the building's severe deterioration has caused her constant anxiety for more than 20 years. Still, her family is staying in hopes of receiving compensation to buy a new home rather than moving into temporary accommodation.
Most remaining residents rely on casual labor or local small businesses to survive, fearing that a move would cost them regular customers and devastate their already fragile incomes.
Warning signs are posted throughout the complex, and the most severely decayed corridors have been cordoned off due to an imminent risk of collapse from failing load-bearing structures.
Despite classifying the Vinh Hoi Apartment Complex as a Grade D danger hazard in 2017, Ho Chi Minh City has yet to select an investor to renovate or rebuild the site.
