Vietnam court jails apartment block owner for 12 years following deadly Hanoi fire
The case highlights the risk of poorly regulated ‘mini apartments’ in Vietnam’s cramped cities.
BANGKOK – A court in Hanoi sentenced eight defendants to prison terms on Friday after finding them guilty of negligence in connection with a 2023 apartment block fire in the Vietnamese capital that killed 56 people and injured 44, state media reported.
Building owner Nghiem Quang Minh, 46, received a 12-year prison sentence for “violating fire prevention and firefighting regulations.”
Prosecutors said Minh had a permit to construct a building with six floors and 33 rooms but he added three more floors and 12 more rooms without getting the design approved or inspected for fire risks.
More than 145 people lived in the 45 apartments, using the first floor as a parking space for around 80 motorcycles and electric bikes.
The court was told that Minh was warned several times about safety violations that could cause a fire or explosion in the years after the illegal alterations.
Just before midnight on Sept. 12, 2023, an electrical short circuit triggered a blaze that ripped through the building. Barred windows prevented residents escaping and the narrow streets in the neighborhood stopped fire trucks getting quickly to the scene.
The court ordered Minh to pay 23.7 billion Vietnamese dong (US$940,000) compensation to victims and relatives of the dead for loss of life, injuries and property damage. He was also ordered to pay the entire cost of repairing the building.
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Seven city officials were prosecuted along with Minh for failing to report his illegal alterations. They were found guilty of “lack of responsibility causing serious consequences” and sentenced to prison terms of between 30 months and seven years.
After the blaze the government ordered an investigation and promised tougher regulations for the 2,000-or-so mini apartments in Hanoi.
At that time, the Hanoi People’s Committee initiated inspections of fire prevention and fighting measures at all apartment blocks and boarding houses in the capital within 45 days.
But eight months after the inspection, a boarding house fire killed 14 people.
About 33 million Vietnamese – a third of the population – live in the country’s densely packed cities. In 2014, in an effort to address a shortage of affordable housing, the government approved the construction of mini apartments. These are mostly privately built, often with scant attention to building laws, and sold or rented to low-to-middle income families.
Vietnam’s deadliest fire since the end of the Vietnam War was in 2022 when flames engulfed a six-storey building in Ho Chi Minh City killing at least 60 people. About 500 people were in the International Trade Center, which housed offices and a karaoke club.
Edited by Taejun Kang.
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