Close-up inside the 'sleeping in shifts' house in District 1

Giữa trung tâm TP.HCM, ngay kế bên những khu nhà cao tầng nhất nhì Việt Nam là những khu dân cư tối tăm, chật chội, có nguy cơ cháy nổ cao, điều kiện sinh sống của người vô cùng khó khăn, bất tiện - Ảnh: PHƯƠNG NHI — In the center of Ho Chi Minh City, right next to some of the tallest buildings in Vietnam, are dark, cramped residential areas with a high risk of fire and explosion, where living conditions are extremely difficult and inconvenient - Photo: PHUONG NHI

This morning (June 27), District 1 People's Committee held a meeting to invite businesses interested in the Ga and Gao market project. Ga and Gao market (Cau Ong Lanh ward) is located in Nguyen Thai Hoc - Vo Van Kiet - Yersin block, alley number 3 Yersin with 237 market stalls and 35 townhouses.

This is one of the crowded, unsafe residential areas in the center of Ho Chi Minh City but has not been renovated for many years.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Conference held in mid-June, District 1 Party Secretary Duong Anh Duc expressed concern that despite being located right in the city center, District 1 has areas where people live very cramped.

Like the Ga market and Gao market, people live in cramped spaces, with high risk of fire and explosion, and very difficult living conditions. Some families have to sleep in shifts, and there are also plots of land only a few square meters wide but with 4-5 households living there.

Một buổi tối giữa tháng 6, khi tòa nhà Bitexco vừa lên đèn, chúng tôi tìm đến nhà bà Lê Thị Ngọc Hoa (68 tuổi) nằm sâu trong con hẻm chật hẹp, tối tăm ở đường Võ Văn Kiệt (quận 1) thuộc khu chợ Gạo. Nói là nhà nhưng nơi ở của bà Hoa chưa đến 4m2, xây nhà vệ sinh và kê chiếc bàn nhỏ thì gần như hết chỗ. Theo lời bà Hoa, căn nhà đã hơn 50 năm chưa từng có khách đến thăm bởi — One evening in mid-June, when Bitexco building had just turned on the lights, we went to the house of Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Hoa (68 years old) located deep in a narrow, dark alley on Vo Van Kiet Street (District 1) in the Gao Market area. Although it is called a house, Ms. Hoa's living space is less than 4 square meters, building a toilet and placing a small table is almost out of space. According to Ms. Hoa, the house has never had visitors for more than 50 years because "there is no place to invite guests to sit". Ms. Hoa shyly pointed to the front steps of the house and invited them to sit, while she sat at the edge of the door - Photo: PHUONG NHI

Người phụ nữ 68 tuổi kể, trước năm 2015, khu chợ Gạo chỉ là những sạp gỗ lụp xụp, không có nhà vệ sinh. Bà con ở xóm chợ ngày ngày phải xếp hàng đi vệ sinh công cộng, cuộc sống bất tiện trăm bề. Năm 2015, vụ cháy kinh hoàng từ khu chợ Gạo lan nhanh qua chợ Gà rồi bùng phát dữ dội, thiêu rụi nhiều nhà cửa, tài sản. Sau vụ cháy, chính quyền địa phương và mạnh thường quân hỗ trợ nhiều gia đình, trong đó có gia đình bà Hoa xây sửa nhà cửa. Căn nhà 4m2 của bà được bê tông hóa, cất thêm một gác nhỏ. Từ căn nhà nhỏ này, bà Hoa dựng vợ cho con, rồi các thế hệ sau lần lượt ra đời - Ảnh: THẢO LÊ — Ms. Hoa said that before 2015, the Gao market was just a bunch of shabby wooden stalls, with no toilets, and people had to queue up to use public toilets, which was inconvenient in every way. In 2015, a terrible fire from the Gao market spread quickly to the Ga market and then flared up violently, burning down many houses and properties. After the fire, local authorities and benefactors supported many families, including Ms. Hoa's family, to repair their houses. Her 4m2 house was concreted, and a small attic was added. From this small house, Ms. Hoa raised a wife for her children, and then the following generations were born one after another - Photo: THAO LE

There were more people but the house was not bigger, still only 4 square meters for 5 or 6 people to live in. After that, Ms. Hoa's husband passed away and her daughter-in-law died of cancer. There are now 4 people living in the house, she lives downstairs, her son and two grandchildren live in the wooden attic. All family activities take place in front of the house. Cooking outside, eating outside, washing outside and even leaving the car outside. A small gas stove is temporarily placed outside to cook rice. On rainy days in Saigon, the gas stove is broken. — The population has increased but the house has not become larger, still only 4 square meters for 5 or 6 people to live in. After that, Ms. Hoa's husband passed away and her daughter-in-law passed away from cancer. The house now has 4 people, she lives downstairs, her son and two grandchildren live in the wooden attic. All family activities take place in front of the house. Cooking outside, eating outside, washing outside and even leaving the car outside. A small gas stove is temporarily placed outside to cook rice. On rainy days in Saigon, the gas stove is "disabled", Ms. Hoa's family can only eat white rice with fermented bean curd - Photo: THAO LE

The house was too small, the furniture was packed tightly, and she couldn't even stretch her legs out. After decades of sleeping curled up, Mrs. Hoa suffered from scoliosis. The doctor advised her to sleep straight, but she could only smile. — The house was too small, the furniture was packed tightly, and she couldn't even stretch her legs. After sleeping curled up for decades, Ms. Hoa suffered from scoliosis. The doctor advised her to sleep straight, but she could only smile because "her lifelong dream was to sleep with her back straight, but she couldn't." Just like that, Ms. Hoa and hundreds of other families have been attached to the Gao market for decades - Photo: PHUONG NHI

Chỉ tay vào căn nhà cũng khoảng 3 đến 4m2 cách đó vài mét, bà Hoa kể có gia đình ông C. còn không đủ chỗ để ngủ. Nhà nhỏ nhưng mấy chục người ở, gia đình ông C. đến tối phải chia thành 2 nhóm. Người già phụ nữ thì ưu tiên ở trong nhà, còn thanh niên thì mang ghế ra đường lớn để ngủ - Ảnh: PHƯƠNG NHI — Pointing to a house of about 3 to 4 square meters a few meters away, Ms. Hoa said that Mr. C's family did not have enough space to sleep. The house was small but had dozens of people living there, so at night Mr. C's family had to split into two groups. The elderly and women stayed inside the house, while the young men brought chairs out to the main road to sleep - Photo: PHUONG NHI

Cận cảnh trong căn nhà ‘chia ca để ngủ’ ở quận 1- Ảnh 7.

Cận cảnh trong căn nhà ‘chia ca để ngủ’ ở quận 1- Ảnh 8.

Cận cảnh trong căn nhà ‘chia ca để ngủ’ ở quận 1- Ảnh 9.

Pointing to the intersection right next to the wall of her house, Mrs. Hoa told us that this place is the "funeral home" of Cho Gao area. The reason people call it that is because Cho Gao area is narrow, when someone dies, this intersection becomes the place to hold funerals. Looking up at that intersection, you can't see the sky, only the headlights from Bitexco shining from time to time. Looking at those dazzling lights, Mrs. Hoa sighed: "Who doesn't want to live in a big house, but they don't even dare to dream of it". Having lived her whole life in a 4m2 house, at her old age, she can only follow her fate, just hoping to live out her life - Photo: THAO LE