The second floor of Mrs. Khanh’s house demolished 

Recently the owners of 78 houses in the village which were recognised as a national historical site in 2005 signed a collective petition asking the government to remove its heritage title.

Under the Heritage Law, after the recognition, villagers find it almost impossible legally to seek a building permit. And there are those who expanded their houses anyway and added expansions that are now expected to be demolished.

Many who just built mezzanines to slightly enlarge their living space also face the risk of having them removed simply because of the one floor height restriction on the houses.

Recently the authorities demolished the second floor of Mrs. Ha Thi Khanh two months after she completed the VND800-million house construction.

Mrs. Khanh said her old house built in the 1990s had become deteriorated and too narrow for eight family members to live in, therefore, her family decided to build a new one.

However, many two-floor houses remain near Mrs. Khanh’s house. A local official said several local officials were allowed to build three or four floor houses.

In some households, up to three couples share a room covering around 10 square metres.

Currently, up to eight people are living in Mrs. Phan Thi Tuyet’s house, including two couples and three children. The house has seriously deteriorated, but she is banned from expanding or upgrading it.

Mr. Pham Van Toan’s house has 12 people. The biggest room is less than 15 square metres in which three beds are put in. They even have to use the space in front of the door as the kitchen.

Many two-floor houses are still allowed to built in Duong Lam

Classroom looks like an “egg incubator”

Duong Lam Commune Preschool also faces serious overcrowding.

The school headmaster Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai said the school’s pupil number has reached 548 children from just 47 in 2009. “Some parents insisted that we take their children and they accept to let their children have to sit in the corridor,” she added.

Class sizes have increased to 93 children. Meanwhile, the school has the only restroom area for the children. Due to the lack of playing-ground area, most of them have to stay in their classroom.

“We have informed the district and town authorities, but they have done nothing to improve the situation. The school land fund is not allowed to be expanded and the expansion is also banned,” the headmaster moaned.

The cramped classroom

Commune authorities stay powerless

According to Phan Van Hoa, vice chairperson of Duong Lam Commune People’s Committee, Duong Lam has yet to receive an official zoning plan for the area from the historical site management board, which operates under Son Tay District People’s Committee.

Therefore, this puts most locals through untold hardship, as they cannot expand or build houses. Many households are crammed into tiny houses, as they are not currently permitted to extend their houses.