Major Crack in High-Rise Apartment Building Sparks Fear Among Residents in Vung Tau

VUNG TAU, VIETNAM – A state of high anxiety has gripped hundreds of residents at the PVC-IC Diamond apartment building after a large, alarming crack was discovered on an upper floor, prompting an urgent investigation by local authorities into the tower's structural integrity.

The discovery was made at the high-rise residential building, located in the Tam Thang ward of Vung Tau, a coastal city southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Residents reported finding a significant fissure at the base of a wall on the 16th floor. The crack is described as being approximately four meters (13 feet) long and gaping open to a width of about five centimeters (2 inches), large enough to cause immediate and widespread concern.

Photographs of the crack, shared rapidly among residents on social media groups, show a clean, deep break running horizontally along the bottom of the wall, sparking fears of a potential structural failure. The location on an upper floor has only amplified the sense of insecurity among those living in the multi-story building.

"There is a feeling of panic here. We don't know if this is a superficial issue or a sign of something much worse," one resident wrote in a public social media post. "We invested our life savings to have a safe home for our families. Now, we are afraid to sleep at night. We need clear answers and immediate action."

The collective anxiety has prompted an official response. The People's Committee of Tam Thang ward and city-level construction authorities have confirmed they are aware of the situation and have launched a formal inspection.

A team of building inspectors and structural engineers was dispatched to the PVC-IC Diamond building to conduct an on-site assessment. Their immediate priorities are to evaluate the risk posed by the crack, determine its cause—whether it is a surface-level plaster issue or indicative of a deeper problem with the building's load-bearing structure—and implement necessary safety measures.

"We have received the report from the residents and are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness," an official from the local Department of Construction stated. "An inspection team is on-site. We will work with the building's developer and management board to thoroughly assess the situation. The safety of the residents is our highest priority."

For now, hundreds of residents are anxiously awaiting the results of the official inspection, hoping for reassurance but bracing for potentially disruptive news. The incident has cast a spotlight on building safety standards and has left a community on edge, waiting to learn if their homes are truly secure.