Hanoi’s Keangnam Landmark Tower, may hold the record as Vietnam’s tallest building, but has also gained a reputation as one of the most scandal-ridden constructions in the country’s history.

  Several incidents have raised public concern over the building’s safety

Dangerous bet

The Keangnam Tower initially drew public attention after it became the centre of a VND100 billion (USD4.76 million) bet as to whether it would be completed prior to the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi.

On November 14, 2008, company Chairman Ha Jong Suk issued a press release claiming that the firm would complete construction of the 48-story apartment block and a 70-story hotel and office building before the historic anniversary. The chairman took up the VND100 billion (USD4.76 million) bet with a group of war veterans and construction engineers, with the proceeds going to charity if the company failed to complete the construction in time.

Keangnam finally held an inauguration ceremony for the site on July 31, 2010.

Workplace accidents

The Keangnam Building is also notorious for the number of accidents that occurred during its construction. As the pace of construction was sped up to meet their planned schedule, the site recorded four labour-related accidents between July 2009 and February 2010, claiming six lives.

After consecutive accidents, Hanoi’s municipal government decided on February 26 to inspect labour safety at the work site.

The results of the inspection showed that the investor had violated labour safety regulations, and was responsible for lax labour safety management by the consultancy and supervision company.

However, the investor claimed that most of the accidents were due to workers ignoring labour safety rules set by the sub-contractors.

Fire and floods

The Keangnam site has also to date recorded five fires.

The latest fire occurred on August 27 in the complex’s highest tower.

Faulty work by inexperienced technicians led to a water hydrant in the A Tower breaking on June 9, 2011, a mistake which left water pouring into several apartments on the 26th and 27th floors. Ten elevators were left without power, causing panic among local residents.

A fire was recorded on March 24, 2011 on the 25th floor of the Keangnam Building, and another incident broke out earlier on November 6, 2010 on the 70th storey of the building.

Resident opposition

The Keangnam building has gained notoriety for resident demonstrations.

On December 3, hundreds of households living in the 48-storey A Tower in Hanoi’s Keangnam apartment complex demonstrated against new service fees that they had refused to pay, only to find that they had been banned from using the lifts.

The complex’s management board required a service fee of VND18,843 (89 USD cents) per square metre per month, but the residents claimed they should only pay a fee of VND4,000 per square metre a month based on regulations set by the Hanoi People’s Committee.

After residents camped outside the management board’s office, the board resumed lift operations at 9.30pm on December 3.

In late June 2011, hundreds of local residents also opposed sky-high parking fees at the building.

The investor applied a motorbike parking fee of VND20,000 (USD95 US cents) per use, 10 times higher than the municipal government’s limits on parking fees.

Personal attack

The Keangnam Building was also the infamous location where a local resident was seriously assaulted on November 18, 2011.

The victim, Tran Thanh Hien, 39, had tried to prevent the Mai Linh Company from appropriating the residential playground for their Golden Place housing project launch ceremony. A company official claimed they had received approval from the residential area's management board. But as they were in a rush to organise the event, they failed to get approval from local residents to use the space. Hien was hospitalised for medical treatment.   

 

Six people died during the construction of the project

Keangnam has experienced several fires

Residents have called for improved safety