Mountains of rubble rise across Hanoi as city races to build mega-projects

Hanoi's drive to build new bridges, ring roads and drainage systems is generating several thousand tons of construction waste a day, putting great pressure on the city's two main disposal sites.

At hotspots such as the Van Kiep slope, Tam Trinh Street and Ring Road 2.5, thousands of houses are being demolished to hand the sites over to contractors. The breakneck pace of clearance comes with the burden of processing thousands of tons of construction waste a day. While awaiting removal, mountains of reinforced concrete, brick rubble and debris are piling up across the streets.

Photo by Pham Chieu

The Van Kiep Street area is being cleared to make way for the approach road to Tran Hung Dao Bridge, which will span the Red River. In the photo, a hydraulic hammer strikes the concrete walls as large slabs of mortar give way, throwing up clouds of white dust that engulf the street.

Photo by Pham Chieu

Mounds of waste tens of meters high build up after demolition. According to the Department of Construction and the city's solid-waste management plan, Hanoi generates several thousand tons of construction waste a day. The volume has surged during the peak of site clearance for major urban transport projects.

Photo by Giang Huy

On Tam Trinh Street, the demolition of houses to widen the road is nearly finished, but large amounts of construction waste still wait to be cleared. The debris is mostly brick rubble, mortar and concrete, spilling onto the road in many places.

Photo by Pham Chieu

Alongside bricks and mortar, much of the waste is old, broken household items that residents left behind after moving out.

Photo by Pham Chieu

A row of three- and four-story houses in Lane 162 Co Nhue is being demolished for the 10-lane Tay Thang Long road, a key route connecting West Lake with the western part of Hanoi that will help open up new space for urban development.

The Tay Thang Long project runs about 33 km and is divided into five sections. The stretch from Vo Chi Cong to Pham Van Dong and the stretch from Van Tien Dung to the Tay Tuu-Thuong Cat area were completed and opened in 2019.

Photo by Gia Chinh

About 7 km away, the clearing of homes for the Ring Road 2.5 project in Thanh Xuan Ward has also produced large amounts of construction waste awaiting removal.

Photo by Hoang Giang

Debris lies in tangled heaps, exposing a dense web of 16 mm and 18 mm rebar, the heaviest material and the hardest to handle during demolition. Before transport, demolition machines crush the concrete with hydraulic shears to separate the steel from the brick and mortar.

Photo by Thanh Hai

For safety, waste from demolition sites is now hauled away mainly at night. The trucks usually follow ring routes such as Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Hoang Ton and Ring Road 3 to reach collection points.

Photo by Gia Chinh

Dozens of trucks haul construction waste from the Tu Lien Bridge project at Lane 310 Nghi Tam.

Photo by Gia Chinh

Hanoi's construction waste is mostly collected and processed at two main sites: an area near the Phap Van-Cau Gie interchange and the Nguyen Khe landfill in Dong Anh. Both are now overloaded.

Photo by Pham Chieu

The construction-waste processing and crushing site at the Phap Van-Cau Gie interchange covers 6.5 hectares and is financed and run by a single company. Waste is crushed and screened for recycling, then reused for purposes such as road foundations for rural and inner-city roads.

Photo by Pham Chieu

Beyond the designated dumping grounds, many vacant lots in Hanoi are becoming spots for illegally dumping construction waste from small projects.

Photo by Pham Chieu