Small homes in twisting alleyways of HCM City serve as homes for many of the cities poorest families.
Due to the population boom in urban areas, people are willing to live in homes that are only a few square metres in area, finding creative ways to get the most use out of the little space they have.
Alley 185 in District 1's Cong Quynh Street has several dozen homes of four square metres. Tran Van Minh and his family of three live in one. He spends much of his time out in the alley whenever possible to escaped the cramped house, which is only 1.3 metres wide.
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngoc and his family live in a slightly larger house of five square metres. But their family has five members and they have to be imaginative in order to make such a small house livable.
However, news about site clearance in the has caused concerns for its residents. If their compensation is based on the area of their homes they may not be able to find other housing.
As creative as people can be at using small spaces, however, it remains a problem for many families. Nguyen Thi Dung has a house in alley 360, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in District 3, which is two square metres in size for a family of six. Even though she uses the alley for many of her daily activities, the small area they have forced them to send three of their children to live with relatives.
Another local in Tran Quang Khai Street in District 1, Nguyen Thi Thuong, has lived in a two square metre home for 50 years.
Two-storey triangle home in Phu Nhuan District with one corner serving as the bathroom.
Nguyen Van Do, the owner, had to send his eldest child to live with the grandmother.
