To take advantage of the country's rich supply of mineral, technology, and labor resources, Vietnam is looking to further develop its building industry. Vietnam plans on being able to manufacture building materials on mass-production lines with advanced technologies within the next seven years. By doing so, the country will be able to satisfy domestic demand and export demands.Source

It's certainly true that the Vietnamese building industry is going through a boom time and the prices of material is going ballistic. However the quality of local civils works is appalling. Everything is, due a heck of a lot to corruption, built on the cheap and shoddy in the extreme. On the project I am on the buildings, sub stations etc, are looking old and they're not even finished yet. The construction of new roads is pitiful and you don't need to be an expert to know that they wont last.

If you are having a house built in Thailand you need good reliable supervision. In Viet Nam you need to be there 100%, 24/7.

It's certainly true that the Vietnamese building industry is going through a boom time and the prices of material is going ballistic. However the quality of local civils works is appalling. Everything is, due a heck of a lot to corruption, built on the cheap and shoddy in the extreme. On the project I am on the buildings, sub stations etc, are looking old and they're not even finished yet. The construction of new roads is pitiful and you don't need to be an expert to know that they wont last.

If you are having a house built in Thailand you need good reliable supervision. In Viet Nam you need to be there 100%, 24/7.

I've witnessed this a lot. Someone hires a painter to paint his metal gate in front of his house, the owner will put a chair out and sit in it all day long, and watch the painter paint the gate. For quality assurance. Also, you have to watch the painter open a new can of paint to make sure it hasn't been cut with water or diluted.

A bridge in HCMC was found to be sinking shortly after it was built. The inspectors found out cheap concrete was substituted, and the saving were put in some pockets. The managers, engineers, and some other people ended up in the firing squad over this, I believe.

Oh yeah, construction here sucks. Call me a cynic, but when the Can Tho bridge collapsed last year, killing a lot of people in the process, my first thought was "somebody diverted a few lorries with the concrete" and apparently that is exactly what happened Shoddy is not the word for what is going on here, just look at the electric installations.

Oh yeah, construction here sucks. Call me a cynic, but when the Can Tho bridge collapsed last year, killing a lot of people in the process, my first thought was "somebody diverted a few lorries with the concrete" and apparently that is exactly what happened

Yes, that was bad. About 54 workers killed. So, it was indeed theft, cutting corners? Any prosecutions? I check the online papers and do a search.

Shoddy is not the word for what is going on here, just look at the electric installations.

Yeah, when it comes to electrical work, a lot of corner are cut, if there are regulation in place to begin with. I have always been a little concerned about being in older high rises, in case of fire.

I witnessed the downtown Saigon fire in late 2002. It was ugly. You just knew it was bad. I think about 65 people died, and some of them jumped. The fire happened because of welding going on inside the building. When the fire started the welders ran away. (Sorry for being off-topic.)