A major state-funded hospital in northern Vietnam is still left incomplete supposedly over budget constraints although its construction began over a decade ago.
The general hospital in Nam Dinh Province, covering nearly ten hectares, is envisioned to be a modern multi-story medical facility with 700 beds and even a rooftop helipad.
The project started in November 2007 and was slated to provide an important hospital in provinces to the south of Hanoi in January 2011.
It initially cost VND598.5 billion (US$26 million), which climbed to VND 850.8 billion ($37 million) in 2009.
But what one can see now are old-looking buildings of multiple open-ended rooms, with rusty iron rods protruding bare from half-finished structures.
Wild plants are growing in and around the basements.
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| Weeds grow near the basement of the unfinished hospital in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Bare iron rods are seen at the top of the unfinished hospital in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Local residents said only a few people have worked here every day over the past many years.
The project has suffered a shortage of government funding, according to Vu Khac Dong, head of the management board for key projects in Nam Dinh.
“Out of the VND850.8 billion, VND260 billion [$11.4 million] was already paid to the contractors. It’ll be a huge waste if the hospital remains in such a half-done state,” Dong said.
He said the provincial administration is taking steps to resume the construction.
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| Men work on a floor of the unfinished hospital in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Buildings of the future hospital are seen in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A building of the future hospital is seen in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Men work on a floor of the unfinished hospital in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Part of the unfinished hospital is seen in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Buildings of the future hospital are seen in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Buildings of the future hospital are seen in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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