Tiny spaces for rent, loosely called ‘sleep boxes,’ are mushrooming in Ho Chi Minh City, entailing a risk of fire, local police said. 

The demand for accommodations in the downtown area is always high, resulting in the boom of this model with each ‘sleep box’ measuring several square meters, enough for a person to lie.

Owners of these ‘boxes’ seem to ignore renters’ safety.

‘Sleep boxes’ at a six-floor building in Alley 413 on Le Van Sy Street in District 3 are offered at VND2 million (US$80.9) each per month, including electricity, water, and motorbike keeping service costs. Motorbikes are kept in a basement.

Renters can enjoy freedom of time.

Each floor has two rooms with each room accommodating eight to 10 ‘sleep boxes’. These ‘sleep boxes’ are made of wood or iron frames.

The lessor gives each lessee a key to their 'boxes'.

Each ‘sleep box,’ measuring about two square meters, is equipped with a socket and a small bookshelf. The remaining space is enough for a small mattress.

There are shared areas for cooking and laundry.

The owner of the building said many people are in need of such ‘boxes’ as they are rare and cheap.

A two-square-meter ‘sleep box’ in a house in Alley 179 on Bach Dang Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

T., a university student, who rents a ‘sleep box’ there, said he had searched for normal boarding houses in the neighborhood but they all cost over VND2 million ($80.9) each, so he decided to rent a ‘sleep box’ which is cheaper and near his school.

“This is the central area. The rental for a normal rented room is high. I live alone, so I do not need much space.

“This [sleep box] costs only VND2 million and is near my school. In Ho Chi Minh City, with VND2 million [$80.9], [people] can only live [in boarding houses] in outlying areas,” T. added.

‘Sleep boxes’ are stacked together and stuck with ordinal numbers in an alley on Le Van Sy Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Contacting another provider of ‘sleep boxes’ in Alley 179 on Bach Dang Street in Binh Thanh District, a young man introduced that upper ‘sleep boxes’ cost VND1.9 million ($76.7) each per month, while the rental for each lower ‘sleep box’ is VND2 million ($80.9), with electricity, water, and vehicle keeping service costs taken into account.

The house has two floors with each floor including 16 two-square-meter wooden ‘sleep boxes’ and a shared restroom and kitchen.

‘Sleep boxes’ on the ground floor are for men and those on the first floor are for women.

The owner asked renters to sign a one-year contract and made deposits before moving to the ‘boxes’. The house is not equipped with fire extinguishers and fire alarming systems.

A new renter said the ‘sleep box’ is stuffy but it is near her school and workplace and its rental is reasonable.

“When I came, I started to feel regret as the space was narrow and cramped. When I rented it, I did not care about the fire prevention and fighting system but now I feel unsafe.

“If only I rented [a room] that was slightly further but might be more convenient.”

A house in an alley on Le Van Sy Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City accommodates both wooden and iron ‘sleep boxes’. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

‘Sleep boxes’ gather in the center of the city, such as Districts 1, 3, 10, Binh Thanh, and Phu Nhuan.

Colonel Huynh Ngoc Quan, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City fire prevention and fighting and rescue police, said these spaces mainly serve low-income laborers and students. They are all tiny and fail to meet fire prevention and fighting requirements.

They are dangerous as they pose a high risk of fire and explosion and violate the requirements in escape routes and corridors.

‘Sleep boxes’ are far from escape routes and are mainly erected in small rooms. People inside will find it hard to escape in case of fires, Quan noted.

Each iron ‘sleep box’ measures some two square meters and is equipped with a socket, a small bookshelf, curtains, and a lock. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

A shared kitchen for those renting ‘sleep boxes’ at a building on Le Van Sy Street in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

An area for washing clothes. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

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