New students "shocked" when looking for a room during the peak enrollment period

(Dan Tri) - In the midst of the peak enrollment period, many new students are rushing everywhere to find affordable accommodations. The journey from early morning buses to narrow alleys becomes the first challenge.

At 4am, the bus from Can Tho took Le Van Dat and his mother to Ho Chi Minh City to start a new journey. In his backpack, the new student of computer science at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, carried a few sets of clothes and a stack of admission papers.

But what worries the mother and daughter most is not the school procedures, but finding a place to stay that is affordable enough to settle down before the new school year.

“My plan was to stay at the National University dormitory to save money, but because I got into the advanced program, I will study at the campus on Nguyen Van Cu Street, Cho Quan Ward (old District 5). There is no more room in the dormitory, so I have to find a place to stay outside,” Dat explained, carrying his belongings and following his mother to Mien Tay bus station.

The mother and daughter planned to rent a room for about 2-3 million VND/month. However, after visiting a few boarding houses around the school, they realized things were not easy.

“Some rooms are cramped and old, some are very expensive, some are affordable and have been booked in advance. I have tried many places but none are good,” the mother shook her head.

At noon, after many rounds of driving, they finally stopped at a motel in a small alley. The room was only 14 square ^meters wide, with a rent of 2.5 million VND/month. Not too spacious but clean, enough to put a desk and a bed.

"I think this is just for now, if I keep looking I probably won't find it anymore," Dat said, breathing a sigh of relief after a half-day journey.

New students and their parents on the first day of school at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: USSH).

Like Dat, Le Ngoc Thu (from Dong Thap ) packed her belongings and followed her father to Ho Chi Minh City to enroll in the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University. This was the first time Thu had left her hometown.

“My dad drove me around the school area, looking at nearly ten rooms all morning but couldn’t choose one. There was a place that cost 3 million VND/month but was less than 10 square ^meters , with a shared bathroom. There were many cheaper rooms but they were damp and had tiny windows. I was worried that studying long term would make me feel stuffy. The rest were all 4-6 million VND/month,” Thu said.

After a long day, the father and son decided to rent a ^12m2 room on Nguyen Xi Street for 3.5 million VND/month. To ease the burden, Thu invited a friend from the same hometown to share the room.

“I just hope to settle down soon so I can focus on my studies. The costs are much higher than what my parents in the countryside had calculated,” the female student said.

According to Ms. Thu Uyen, owner of a row of boarding houses on Nguyen Duy Trinh Street, from the beginning of August to mid-September is the peak time to find rooms.

“I receive dozens of calls every day. There are many times more people coming to see the house than in normal months. Mostly new students come with their parents, there are also second and third year students who want to change their accommodation near the school,” she said.

Usually, the “fever” for accommodation lasts 2-3 weeks before the start of the school year. After this period, the market cools down, but students arriving late will have a hard time finding a suitable room. Cheap rooms almost “disappear” as soon as they are posted for rent.

"Fever" of rented accommodation during student admission season (Photo: An Huy).

Many parents are concerned about the “skyrocketing” rent during the school year. Ms. Uyen admitted that this year’s rent has increased by about 5-10% compared to last year, but affirmed that the main reason is the increase in electricity, water, and sanitation costs.

“We also have to balance, just enough to cover expenses, but not too much for students. Personally, I limit increases during the admission season to reduce pressure on students,” she said.

A parent from Da Nang who went with his son to school shared: “In the countryside, we thought we could rent a room for 2 million. But when we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, we couldn’t find any cheap places. The prices were all 3 million and up, but it was very rare to find a vacant room. We were really worried, because the income in the countryside is not high.”

In addition to the cost, parents are also worried about fraud. On social networks, there are many posts of new, cheap rooms, but when they arrive, they are degraded, much smaller, or the owners make excuses to keep the deposit.

“Just last week, my cousin lost 1 million VND because of an advertisement on social media,” a parent from Tay Ninh recounted.

During the peak days of enrollment, the image of groups of students and their parents, carrying bags and sweating profusely, running through alleys looking for a room to rent has become familiar in Ho Chi Minh City.

For them, before starting their journey of knowledge, the problem of accommodation is the first “test”, sometimes even more stressful than the admission procedures. Although each person chooses a different way to cope - temporary accommodation, shared accommodation, accepting to go far away - the common point is that they all hope to settle down soon to focus on studying.

Phuong Thao, Khanh Ly

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tan-sinh-vien-choang-khi-tim-phong-tro-giua-cao-diem-nhap-hoc-20250901061231303.htm