Tenants live in fear in deep alleys

The 26-year-old girl rented a 15-square-meter room in a tube house located in a small alley just wide enough for two motorbikes to pass each other on Nguyen Khang Street, Yen Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District. Thu Thuy has lived here for two years.

"The house is 500 meters from the main road, so if there is a fire, it will be difficult for the fire department to reach it," Thuy said. For many months, she and some other tenants have repeatedly asked the landlord to install wireless fire alarms and open a tiger cage, but so far they have not responded. The landlord is also indifferent to fire prevention regulations, such as borrowing fire extinguisher shells to fool the authorities, citing the reason that "the whole area is full of people with good awareness, why waste money on such things?"

The girl from Hai Duong wanted to move away, but the rent was getting higher every year and the place was close to her workplace, so she stayed.

After 15 years of renting a house in Hanoi, Huong Mai, who lives in Thanh Xuan district, is always haunted by the tube houses in deep alleys because she has witnessed fires. However, the 30-year-old woman still accepts to rent here because the prices are cheaper than other central areas.

"It's convenient here because it's near the market and school. Moreover, my husband and I are saving money to buy a house and are also worried about our son entering first grade this year," Mai said.

Because the homeowner did not pay for firefighting equipment because "they were not sure they would use it", Huong Mai equipped her family with gas masks, fire extinguishers, rope ladders, and hammers in case they had to break windows. However, this woman believes that these firefighting equipment are only useful when detected in time. In case of inhaling toxic smoke or catching fire, "it is difficult to escape".

Thu Thuy and Huong Mai's worries stem from the recent spate of tragic fires. In September 2023, a fire at a mini-apartment building on Khuong Ha Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, killed 56 people. Most recently, a fire on Trung Kinh Street, Cau Giay District killed 14 people.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, in the 5 years up to 2022, there were more than 17,000 fires nationwide, killing 433 people. The fires occurred mainly in urban areas (60%), mainly due to electrical system and equipment failures (45% of the cases). In the first four months of 2023 alone, there were 522 fires nationwide, an average of more than four fires per day, killing and injuring 46 people. Some fires causing serious damage to people and property occurred in tube houses, subdivided houses, houses combined with boarding houses, warehouses, and factories.

Vietnamese law stipulates the equipment and installation of fire prevention and fighting equipment for each type of house and construction work. Appendix V of Decree 136/2020/ND-CP lists the list of projects and works that must have their fire prevention and fighting designs approved, including: apartment buildings, collective houses, high-rise dormitories, mixed-use buildings, hotels, guesthouses, motels, inns, and other accommodation facilities with 7 floors or more or a total volume of 5,000 m3 or more. Smaller-scale works do not need to be approved, but are encouraged to comply with fire prevention and fighting to ensure safety during the rental business.

In case of failure to install fire prevention and fighting equipment as prescribed, according to Article 44 of Decree 144/2021/ND-CP, a fine of 15-25 million VND will be imposed on individuals for administrative violations. For organizations with the same violations, the fine will be doubled.

Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, Vice President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, said that the implementation and inspection and supervision mechanism of fire prevention and fighting work is not strict, causing households and accommodation service businesses to face many potential risks of fire and explosion.

Explaining why many people choose to rent or buy houses in deep alleys despite their fear, Mr. Nghiem said that the prices of houses in deep alleys are suitable for the income of most workers. This type of house is located in central districts, so it is convenient for commuting, going to work, and studying.

Despite the fear of fire, many people are still subjective, even more concerned about anti-theft than fire prevention. A survey of more than 1,000 VnExpress readers in 2023 with the question "Does your house have fire prevention equipment and an escape plan?" 36% said "are calculating and will equip", 13% felt "not necessary, not equipped".

When he learned that his 23-year-old daughter was renting a house in a deep alley on Duong Quang Ham Street, Cau Giay District, Mr. Quoc Toan, 49 years old, in Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong, immediately ordered a 10-meter rope ladder, a gas mask, and a fire extinguisher so that he could escape from the third-floor balcony in case of a fire or explosion.

In addition to fire-fighting equipment, Mr. Toan also bought wrenches and iron pipes, and taught his children how to clamp and break spokes and glass in case of an accident. According to him, this is the quickest and easiest way that even weak people can do.

"I've bought everything I can to prevent fires. I'm just afraid that if a fire breaks out at night and the kids are fast asleep and can't detect it in time, it'll be too dangerous," said Mr. Toan. He wanted his daughter to move, but the rented house was near the university and the market, so she put it off, saying she'd wait until she graduated.

To ensure guests feel secure while staying, Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Brokers Association, said that authorities need to closely inspect and supervise construction projects to avoid spontaneous construction.

"If there is supply, there will be demand, but instead of banning activities to wait for equipment, which can easily cause a shortage of housing and unintentionally push up housing prices, management levels should monitor and take drastic action right from the start," the expert said.

After the fire in Trung Kinh on May 24, and the landlord's request to install fire protection equipment was not met, Thu Thuy planned to move.

The 26-year-old woman said she wanted to rent a two-bedroom apartment for about 7.5 million VND a month. Thuy planned to live in one room and find someone to share the other room to reduce costs.

"Anyway, in an apartment building, the fire protection system is installed synchronously and checked periodically. If an incident occurs, the possibility of escape is still higher," she said.