Golden Westlake accusations

The buildings are a prominent feature of Hanoi’s skyline

Golden WestLake homebuyers recently filed a complaint with the Ministry of Construction’s Housing Management Department and Hanoi authorities, complaining that their rights had been violated which went against state management regulations.

A Ha Viet Tung Shing representative declined to comment on the complaints when contacted by VIR. Meanwhile, state authorities have yet to responded to the complaints.

Among the complaints, homebuyers said they had to pay a high price for parking places, with one homebuyer having to pay $62,000 to own a parking lot at Golden WestLake. In addition, she has to pay $10.5 as operation cost of the car park.

While residents have to pay high prices for car parking, Ha Viet Tung Shing states that the company has the right to refuse parking at any time or if homebuyers have any opposite request, the company has the right to remove any vehicle parked inside parking area of the residential complex.

“This regulation is seriously offensive to homebuyers,” said apartment buyer Le Dinh Luong. Apart from parking fees, homebuyers said that Ha Viet Tung Shing was not transparent while selling residential apartments. To buy residential apartment at Golden Westlake, which covers nearly two hectares near West Lake, homebuyers were not allowed to study contracts at home and had to read and sign contracts at Ha Viet Tung Shing’s head office.

The company is also accused of violating ordinance on foreign currency management when announcing the selling price in US dollars. Another issue homebuyers complained about was having to pay 2 per cent of the apartment’s value for maintenance, which the developer must pay under government regulations.