Close-up of Ma Lang area today

For over ten years, hundreds of households in the Nguyen Cu Trinh quadrangle (also known as Ma Lang area, District 1 - Ho Chi Minh City) have lived in cramped, damp and dark houses.

On the morning of March 3, we arrived at Ma Lang area. Although located in District 1, this place has small or very small alleys, winding and dense with degraded houses under 20 m2.

Ma Lang area has nearly 1,500 houses, which are home to freelance workers such as motorbike taxi drivers, scrap collectors, street vendors...

Before 1975, this was a cemetery interspersed with houses. Later, the graves were moved and people moved in, so it was named Ma Lang.

Since 2000, Ho Chi Minh City has planned to clear this 6.8-hectare area for urban beautification, but after many years it has not been done. The project has been revoked.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung lives with her family of nearly 10 people in a house of about 20 square meters with a temporary attic. Ms. Dung has been a trader for 40 years in the alley on Nguyen Trai Street. More than half of the time, she has heard about the eviction, but until now, she has not known how it will be resolved.

"Waiting for information about relocation is exhausting. The house is dilapidated and damp because we don't dare to build and we are not allowed to build," said Ms. Dung.

Because their houses are narrow, some people use the front porch to park their motorbikes. Not to mention, some people bring their kitchens out to the alley to cook, wash dishes...

A few houses away from Mrs. Dung's house is Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan's house. His whole life has been attached to alley 245, Nguyen Trai street.

"Here, there are mainly poor workers, their lives are tied to makeshift houses, crawling in and out to sleep, many people also do not have papers. Now we do not know what the future will be like" - Mr. Tan lamented.

Recently, District 1 People's Committee proposed that Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee direct the Department of Planning and Investment to preside over calling for investment in the Nguyen Cu Trinh quadrangle project (Ma Lang area).

Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Le Thi Huynh Mai acknowledged that this is a complicated project with many problems and has gone through many stages. Currently, the city is implementing new bidding procedures.

The Department of Planning and Investment will coordinate with relevant departments and units to soon deploy bidding, invest and renovate this area.