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Close quarters: Vietnam’s downtown dwellers cling to tiny plots

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Pham Quoc Cong walks two kilometres to use the bathroom because his 2.2 meters-squared house isn't big enough to have one.

But, he says, it's a price worth paying to be able to live on a prized plot in downtown Ho Chi Minh City where he can readily find work.

He lives with six relatives in a closet-sized space bursting with clothing, toys, a fridge, a bunk bed, a rice cooker, papers, groceries, toilet paper and other household items.

The closet-sized homes burst with clothing  toys  fridges  papers  groceries and plenty of other hou...
The closet-sized homes burst with clothing, toys, fridges, papers, groceries and plenty of other household items
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

That leaves little room for sleeping so he spends most nights outdoors on a cardboard-lined lounge chair, which can be tricky in bad weather.

"It's really hard during the rainy season to find a dry place. If I can't, I just sleep standing up the whole night," said the 49-year-old manual labourer who has lived in the one-room home since 1975.

Tucked away in winding alleys  nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street foo...
Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, the tiny houses are easily missed by the unattentive passerby
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

The 'micro-house' dwellings are dotted throughout Vietnam's bustling southern hub, occupied by families clinging to tiny plots of land in a city developing at breakneck pace.

Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, they are easily missed by the unattentive passerby.

But Cong says his home in the vibrant District 3 neighbourhood could sell for as much as $22,000 thanks to rising land prices.

With so little space indoors  cooking - and even sleeping - happen out in the street
With so little space indoors, cooking - and even sleeping - happen out in the street
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

Even so, like many others living in micro-houses, he says he wouldn't swap his prime location for a few extra metres of space.

"We're used to this area. If we move elsewhere we can't do business," said Cong, whose sisters and niece make a living as vendors in the city centre.

- 'Rather die than move' -

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots that were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city.

Some may have started out on rice paddies during the period of French rule and ended up as squatter land, said Mel Schenck, an American who is writing a book about modernist architecture in Ho Chi Minh City.

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots were whittled down by new  wider roads and ...
Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and Schenck says they may eventually disappear from the rapidly transforming city.

"There's constant change going on, and I think in the long term that's a good thing, so if some of these disappear then that's what happens," he told AFP, while acknowledging their "picturesque value".

Many residents do not earn enough to move to larger houses in other parts of town
Many residents do not earn enough to move to larger houses in other parts of town
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

Land disputes are routine in the city, with downtown dwellers accusing city officials of underpaying for plots that are then sold on to developers for hefty sums.

That worries Nguyen Van Truong, who lives with five relatives in his 6.7-square-metre plot underneath a luxury highrise condo.

The 62-year-old supports his family doing odd jobs in the area but doesn't earn enough to buy a larger house in a more affordable part of town. He lives in fear that the government could force him out.

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today  and as land becomes more valuable  they may e...
There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and as land becomes more valuable, they may eventually disappear from the city altogether
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

"I don't think we'd get that much compensation because the house is too small. We don't know where to go," he said, hanging his clothes outside the small space packed with belongings.

"If given the choice... to move elsewhere or remain in this tiny house, I'll choose to stay. I'd rather die than be forced to leave this spot."

Pham Quoc Cong walks two kilometres to use the bathroom because his 2.2 meters-squared house isn’t big enough to have one.

But, he says, it’s a price worth paying to be able to live on a prized plot in downtown Ho Chi Minh City where he can readily find work.

He lives with six relatives in a closet-sized space bursting with clothing, toys, a fridge, a bunk bed, a rice cooker, papers, groceries, toilet paper and other household items.

The closet-sized homes burst with clothing  toys  fridges  papers  groceries and plenty of other hou...

The closet-sized homes burst with clothing, toys, fridges, papers, groceries and plenty of other household items
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

That leaves little room for sleeping so he spends most nights outdoors on a cardboard-lined lounge chair, which can be tricky in bad weather.

“It’s really hard during the rainy season to find a dry place. If I can’t, I just sleep standing up the whole night,” said the 49-year-old manual labourer who has lived in the one-room home since 1975.

Tucked away in winding alleys  nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street foo...

Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, the tiny houses are easily missed by the unattentive passerby
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

The ‘micro-house’ dwellings are dotted throughout Vietnam’s bustling southern hub, occupied by families clinging to tiny plots of land in a city developing at breakneck pace.

Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, they are easily missed by the unattentive passerby.

But Cong says his home in the vibrant District 3 neighbourhood could sell for as much as $22,000 thanks to rising land prices.

With so little space indoors  cooking - and even sleeping - happen out in the street

With so little space indoors, cooking – and even sleeping – happen out in the street
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

Even so, like many others living in micro-houses, he says he wouldn’t swap his prime location for a few extra metres of space.

“We’re used to this area. If we move elsewhere we can’t do business,” said Cong, whose sisters and niece make a living as vendors in the city centre.

– ‘Rather die than move’ –

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots that were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city.

Some may have started out on rice paddies during the period of French rule and ended up as squatter land, said Mel Schenck, an American who is writing a book about modernist architecture in Ho Chi Minh City.

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots were whittled down by new  wider roads and ...

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and Schenck says they may eventually disappear from the rapidly transforming city.

“There’s constant change going on, and I think in the long term that’s a good thing, so if some of these disappear then that’s what happens,” he told AFP, while acknowledging their “picturesque value”.

Many residents do not earn enough to move to larger houses in other parts of town

Many residents do not earn enough to move to larger houses in other parts of town
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

Land disputes are routine in the city, with downtown dwellers accusing city officials of underpaying for plots that are then sold on to developers for hefty sums.

That worries Nguyen Van Truong, who lives with five relatives in his 6.7-square-metre plot underneath a luxury highrise condo.

The 62-year-old supports his family doing odd jobs in the area but doesn’t earn enough to buy a larger house in a more affordable part of town. He lives in fear that the government could force him out.

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today  and as land becomes more valuable  they may e...

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and as land becomes more valuable, they may eventually disappear from the city altogether
Thanh NGUYEN, AFP/File

“I don’t think we’d get that much compensation because the house is too small. We don’t know where to go,” he said, hanging his clothes outside the small space packed with belongings.

“If given the choice… to move elsewhere or remain in this tiny house, I’ll choose to stay. I’d rather die than be forced to leave this spot.”

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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