Ho Chi Minh City checks nearly 2,200 'sleeping boxes'

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has recorded 58 constructions with 2,165 "sleeping boxes" that pose potential risks, making escape difficult and life-threatening in the event of a fire or explosion.

The information was stated by the Department of Construction in a report recently sent to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, after reviewing sleep box-style construction projects in the area.

The sleeping box model was originally an airport service, allowing passengers to rest and work while waiting for their flights. However, since 2021, this type of cheap rental bedroom has flourished in Ho Chi Minh City. This model does not have fire prevention regulations, so management and inspection are still difficult.

2 square meter "sleeping box" for rent at 2 million VND per month in Binh Thanh district. Photo: Dinh Van

Through inspection, there are 67 individual houses in the city that have successfully organized the business of sleeping boxes. However, the authorities have only inspected 58 buildings with nearly 2,200 sleeping boxes, 9 buildings have been closed by the owners and have not been inspected.

Of which, this type is built the most in Go Vap district with 15 projects (474 ​​sleeping boxes), Phu Nhuan district has 9 houses divided into 335 sleeping boxes, Binh Thanh district has 243 sleeping boxes built in 6 projects... Sleeping boxes 2-2.2 m wide are rented for 1.8-2 million VND per month. Most of the projects are high-rise individual houses divided by the owner, partitioned into rooms with enough wooden or plastic beds, without construction or repair.

The Department of Construction assessed that this type of housing has a large number of people concentrated in a narrow space, which does not ensure fire safety conditions, potentially posing a risk to life in the event of a fire. From there, this agency recommended that the city government direct districts to focus on inspection and handling to ensure safety.

A room divided into dozens of sleeping boxes for rent in District 3. Photo: Dinh Van

Regarding the handling of sleeping boxes, a leader of Go Vap District Police said that the unit had fined and forced the demolition of 13 high-rise buildings and two coffee shops that divided rooms into sleeping boxes. When checking, some houses divided an area of ​​20-30 square meters into 20-25 rooms with plywood walls, mica panels, and unsafe electrical connections. Dozens of motorbikes were parked on the ground floor but there was no suitable fire prevention and fighting equipment.

These sleeping box chains are located near universities and suburban areas in the area to attract students and workers to rent them for 1.8-2 million VND per month. After being forced to dismantle, the police re-inspected to ensure compliance. "The unit will continue to re-inspecte the sleeping box chains to prevent them from operating again," said the leader of Go Vap District police.

According to Vice Chairman of Binh Thanh District People's Committee Dang Minh Nguyen, since mid-October until now, the district has forced the demolition of 42 business chains with hundreds of sleeping boxes in the area. Among them, there is a 5-story house divided into 125 sleeping boxes on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, Ward 14, which was discovered by the inspection team to have a series of errors such as no escape routes, equipment, and fire protection system.

Mr. Nguyen said that for houses divided into rooms for rent with suitable areas, the district recommends that the landlord fix, remove rooms, partitions, and add fire prevention and fighting equipment. For rooms that are too small, the local authority must dismantle them. "The handling depends on the actual situation of each project to ensure fire prevention and fighting," Mr. Nguyen said.

Dinh Van

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