Small Changes in Hanoi’s Streets Can Mean Big Disruptions for Those Who Depend on Them
Authorities spent $2.4 billion on land clearing in early 2026 as major projects and a transport overhaul displace residents and reshape neighborhoods.
- In the first half of 2026, Hanoi spent $2.4 billion clearing land for nearly 1,500 projects to transform the capital into an ultramodern city over the next 100 years.
- Unlike the past 20 years of outward expansion, Hanoi's current reconstruction focuses on reshaping existing neighborhoods, said Linh Nguyen, lead analyst at Control Risks. This requires navigating property rights and resident relocation.
- Demolitions are fueling dissent: Nguyen Thi Nhan lost her 300-square-meter home and awaits compensation, while Bac Cau residents hung banners imploring authorities to let them remain in their homes.
- Authorities claim the redevelopment includes flood controls to adapt to climate change, yet experts warn the construction pace risks diverting capital from high-tech industries Vietnam seeks to develop.
- Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, argues modernization should preserve the city's history and street culture amid rapid development.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Small changes in Hanoi's streets can mean big disruptions for those who depend on them
A local resident sits on the ground of his demolished house, watching the demolition in his neighborhood to clear site for a new bridge crossing the Red river in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)A woman carries her dog as she leaves her home that has been partially demolished to build a new ring road in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)A woman rides a moped past banners put up by local residents…
Winnipeg Free Press
Hanoi's residents endure upheavals as it transforms itself to match Vietnam's economic ambitions
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The noise is everywhere in Hanoi. The crack of a hydraulic breaker, the groan of excavators, the crunch of brick and concrete being torn apart.
Associated Press News
Small changes in Hanoi’s streets can mean big disruptions for those who depend on them
Vietnam's capital Hanoi is undergoing one of its biggest transformations in a century, with billions of dollars in projects reshaping the city with new roads, urban districts and flood-control systems.
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