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Despite economic development, many families still struggle to make do with inadequate accommodation in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Those households living in an apartment block on Hang Dieu Street are a prime example of the chronic over-crowding affecting many families.

The block is located in a small alley and is home to 20 households since the 1980s. The average area per person is just 1.5 square metres.

A number of families have had to subdivide their apartments into different rooms to create some privacy for their children.

The households also share a yard which doubles up as a public meeting place.

Every morning, neighbours share the yard as they brush their teeth, rinse their faces and wash clothes.

Overcrowded housing

A small shared yard

Everyday mornings

Water supplies separated into pipes leading to each household

Washing machines protected with corrugated iron sheets

All the households on the first floor share one bathroom and toilet

Mrs Nhieu and Mr Ninh have a six-square metre home on the second floor. Nhieu moved there in 1985 when she was still single. She is now married with two girls, but they still live in the same sized apartment.

Their house is not big enough to accommodate a bed and they have to use the yard to cook and store personal items.

Mr Ninh optimistically says, “Despite the cramped conditions we rarely have water and power cuts.”

People park their motorbikes at other locations, but can take bicycles into their homes

The stairs are narrow and lack light

Many of the original dwellers have moved to other places, but continue to lease their old homes for between VND500,000 (USD24.2) and VND1 million (USD48.5) a month.

Daily life in the rain

Waiting for a bath