People who come to Vietnam for the first time may find that houses in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi and Saigon are quite strange. They are very different from houses you can see in the Western countries and even Asia. These houses are very long and narrow. Their name is tube house.

Tube houses have both advantages and disadvantages but they have become a part of Vietnamese architecture and Vietnamese culture. Let’s Mogi give you some interesting facts about this very “Vietnamese houses”.

Why tube houses are so popular in Vietnam

These houses are also known as ‘rocket’ houses as they are very thin in width but deep and have at least 3 floors. 5 or even 6, 7 floors are all normal numbers.

So why they chose to trade width for height and depth?

Firstly, it’s a history story. It starts in Hanoi the capital. Space is a premium thing in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, from the last century up till today. They are no doubt called “golden land”. The custom of tube houses began as a measure to save taxes. Property in the 19^th century Nguyen Dynasty was taxed only by street frontage. Even after that, the governments in Hanoi continued to  use this method to determine property taxes. The wider your house, the more you have to pay, so no wonder Hanoian people responded by building houses as narrow as possible.

This since then has created a series of old long, thin, tall houses at Hanoi Old quarter still standing today. Some are even preserved as traditional ancient houses.

Secondly, we have to consider about the facts of property in Vietnam. Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city are not large in area but the population is increasing unbelievably fast every year, making the density always high comparing to even developed countries. That’s the reason why property in Hanoi, Saigon and other big cities is very expensive and never stops rising everyday. So building small, thin, high buildings is sometimes the only choice.

Another reasons we can tell is from family custom of Vietnamese people. Generations in a family often live together, unlike in the West. And when the kids have to grow up, get married and the next generation are born, more space is required. Many just build more floors, the houses became higher and higher. This saved people a lot of money. Vietnamese people still prefer their own houses on a plot of land with private entrances to living in apartments.

What’s inside a tube house

Some foreigners may be so curious about what it’s like to live in a tube house and how Vietnamese people manage their living space in such a place. Tube houses are quite interesting in their layout, too.

This is a typical layout of a Vietnamese house: the first floor is a shop (if the house is ) or a garage. Certainly, it’s not a garage for cars but motorbikes – the most popular vehicle in Vietnam. The kitchen is often here too but sometimes it might be placed on the second floor. The other floors are bedrooms for family members. And the last is roof area. It is always open air or only partially covered. The roof area is used as storage, a little garden, exercise are, clothes drying area, etc or all in one!

Despite having many disadvantages, tube houses are still a traditional and special part of Vietnamese life. Mogi hope this post will give you a bit about Vietnamese architecture. To learn more about many other interesting things in Vietnam, rent or buy a house here!

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