Vietnam Ministry of Construction to regulate apartment lifespans

The Vietnamese government has directed the Ministry of Construction to establish clear regulations regarding the service life of apartment buildings. These regulations aim to align apartment lifespans with construction project standards as outlined in the amended Housing Law.

According to Vietnamese standards, building lifespans are categorized into four levels: over 100 years, 50 to 100 years, 20 to 50 years, and under 20 years. Experts note that high-rise apartments exceeding 20 floors are typically built to Level 1 standards, potentially lasting over a century. However, the actual durability of these structures depends heavily on ongoing maintenance and operational management.

To address concerns regarding what happens when a building reaches the end of its lifespan, Professor Dang Hung Vo suggested that developers should be held liable if the actual service life is shorter than what was contractually promised. He proposed that a third party should determine the building's remaining lifespan and suggested that in some industrial nations, residents contribute to a reconstruction fund to assist with housing during rebuilding phases.