Many extra-large families, running to dozens of members each, have crammed themselves into tiny houses in Ho Chi Minh City for years, sometimes even generations.

There are times when Dang Thi Le’s 18-square-meter house, nestled in the Ma Lang residential area on Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, is home to up to 19 people.

The area is believed to have the highest concentration of pint-sized houses.

The 76-year-old lady revealed she has slept on the floor for the past 40 years.

“My second daughter generally spends her nights next to the house entrance. My married sons were also deprived of privacy and lay on the floor, until they began moving into rented rooms,” Le said.

Nguyen Van Thanh, one of Le’s sons, his wife and little boy currently shuttle between his own home and his wife’s on a daily basis, as there is not enough room for all of them in either house.

Huong, Thanh’s father-in-law, who has 11 children and more than 60 grandkids, has also resided in a miniscule dwelling in the Ma Lang area for decades.

A young woman cooks outside of her pocket-sized home crawling with people. Photo: Tuoi Tre

His ‘ground floor’ is home to three of his children and their families, while two other households are stuffed onto an enlarged balcony.

The kids, including young ones, expertly scale a precariously steep wooden staircase leading to the balcony every day.

“Bi Em, 4, once dangled mid-air as her leg got stuck in a hollow on the wall. But for a timely rescue, she would have fainted,” Hiep, from one of the two families upstairs, recounted.

He added that the little girl and several of his other grandchildren have slipped from the staircase before acquiring the necessary climbing skill.

“When I got married to him and moved into his house, I was shocked at having no space for our nuptial life to go smoothly,” Mai, Hiep’s wife, said.

She added that their bed was shared by two couples and their five or six kids.

Mai typically gets up at 1:00 am or 2:00 am and prepares a large meal for the whole day.

Another pint-sized dwelling, which measures a mere 20 square meters, on Tran Quang Khai Street in District 1 has been ‘home sweet home’ to Thuy Van and her 15 family members, including seven kids.

Another mini house, located in an alley on Ly Tu Trong Street in the city’s downtown area, is at first glance not recognizable as somewhere fit for human habitation.

A little boy climbs down from his teeny sleeping space. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Phan Tuyet Hoa, 57, revealed that she and her eight siblings and their loved ones, including 18 kids, all have their permanent residence registered at the location.

Most of the extra-large household’s activities take place in the alley in front of their dwelling from dawn to dusk.

Children here are seen frolicking while their parents peddle wares, do the dishes, prepare food or recline.

My Van, Hoa’s younger sister, has made do with a space to sleep outside their home at night.

Phan Van Dung, Hoa’s youngest brother, has managed to erect a balcony for his son, but it is too low for the boy to stand up.

Hoa also disclosed that the house used to be a garbage stockroom.

“The kids keep scrambling with one another, often over room to sleep, marring the ties between their parents, uncles and aunts,” Ha lamented.

Hoa and her siblings have put their house up for sale, but no one is interested.

Similarly, more than 30 members spanning four generations from nine households have crowded into a 30-square-meter dwelling, located in an alley on An Duong Vuong Street, District 5. 

The house, owned by Lam Thi Linh, 82, is littered with household objects, ranging from clothes and bags to cooking utensils, which are hung on the walls to save room.

The three dozen family members share a single restroom, with them turning to neighbors’ or public restrooms in case of ‘emergencies.’

Thuy, Linh’s daughter, lamented that her room can barely accommodate herself, her husband and two kids.

A woman is pictured combing her daughter's hair in an alley as their pint-sized home is too stuffy and dark for it. Photo: Tuoi Tre

They mostly lie diagonally and cannot stretch their legs during sleep.

“My husband, who lost one leg to an accident, and my growing son both make do with a night’s lie-down with their legs folded uncomfortably,” Thuy added.

Familial bliss is, however, everywhere in such pint-sized houses.

Despite tremendous hardship and overcrowding, the family members are set on providing their kids with a proper education, while the children also demonstrate a keen interest in their studies.

They have cherished dreams of a brighter future in which such tiny abodes would become part of their childhood memories.

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