Room “coffin” | News

Plywood boxes

The legal owner looked me from head to toe as if to determine if the “object” was suitable, then said: “There are dozens of fraud rooms here, but they have been hired. And room 600 and room 900 (thousand dong). Which one do you choose? ” I chose type 600. As I was looking for work, I would like to stay temporarily for 10 days, the key lady cost 500,000 VND.

The room I live in is on the first floor, the ceiling is low so I have to go hunched over, several times I hit my head on the ceiling painfully. The corridor was narrow, and each bulb illuminated a dim yellow light. I go into a box that is slightly larger than 2x1x1m (I have a tape measure). The simili floor covered in black dust stank of mold, cigarette butts, dried chili … scattered. Other than a 1.2 meter fluorescent light, the room was completely empty.

This hostel has 1 ground floor 3 floors, it is not clear how much each floor costs, but according to the owner there are more than … 50 rooms. The whole house has only … 5 bathrooms are quite small, the bathroom and toilet are in the same place, so to escape the crowded and waiting scene, many people choose to do personal hygiene outside before going to home.

Except for some “elegant” rooms, priced around 1 million dong, the main face towards the balcony, enjoying a bit of wind, the remaining rooms are very small, plywood partitions, almost impossible to tell “sky, moon, clouds, wind” is what.

The tenant must sit down to open the door to the room.

The next morning, the host came over to “visit”, apparently saved to warn: “Tomorrow I buy a fan and a pillow to sleep better” and then added: “Close here at 12pm, remember where to go.” come back before that time. Normally, I can go to the bathroom, I can go downstairs near my room. But at 12 at night, I closed the way to the bathroom there, so I had to go up and leave. ”

Fate drifted away

Most of the people who rent a “coffin” room are the elderly, working poor, students, some people who once had a house and money, but now have nothing.

Waking up very early in the morning, crawling into the hallway, I met S. (22 years old, from Thoai Son, An Giang) who rented a room here for 3 years. S. is an alumnus of Ton Duc Thang Technical College. Her father died, her mother in the hometown had a small income, so S. studied during the day to prepare for university and went to work at night to cover expenses.

S. enthusiastically took me to “explore” the inn about 4 m^two The sleeping area is mainly occupied by stairs and rectangular concrete blocks. “So ideal, it’s very open. When I first walked in, I rented a room on the other side for 500,000, worse still, I moved here. This room is 600,000, plus electricity and water per month between 750,000 and 800,000 VND. In District 1, those prices are hard to find. ” In Saigon for many days I was as hot as fire, thinking of “confining myself” to this room all day shivering. “I’m used to it, my family is poor,” laughed S.

Baby room like a matchbox

As soon as I left Dan’s room, I met Mrs. LTH, 80, confused. She tugged on my hand seriously: “Man, my shelf has collapsed, help me repair it.” I struggled for a while but couldn’t fix it again due to lack of tools. “Try to fix it, I have no one alone,” said Mrs. H .. In the room, besides Mrs. H., there is an 85-year-old man who is bedridden. I went downstairs to see the inn’s owner to borrow supplies and fix the shelf, but he didn’t have it. The owner said, “Those two women worked for my parents. Later, my parents allowed me to live without money.” A sick, blind woman should be lying there. Their children are worried about the rice, but here nobody stays … “.