The Ga-Gao market lies between Yersin, Vo Van Kiet, Co Giang and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets in Cau Ong Lanh Ward in District 1. It has been a densely populated area for decades, posing a fire hazard yet facing challenges in relocation.
This traditional market, existing since 1975, consists of stalls that are set up close to each other, sharing roofs and narrow pathways about just one meter wide. The small stalls serve both as business premises and living spaces for vendors and their families.
Currently, the market houses nearly 300 families with around 1,200 inhabitants, many of whom live in tiny homes measuring just a few square meters.
Four members of Hue's family gather in a space just about six square meters wide after dinner, surrounded by household items and clothing.
Hue says she has been trading in this market for decades and still tries to hold on make a living.
"I hope for a suitable relocation policy to move or resettle because it's very suffocating here," she says.
Next door, Nguyen Van Ut, 82, has to squeeze himself into a stall before getting some sleep as furniture and an iron staircase occupy half of a 7-square-meter space he calls home.
Suffering from asthma and stroke, he has to always keep the door open at night to avoid suffocation.
"It would be a burden for my children to take care of me if I have to give up his place and move elsewhere," he says.
Nguyen Dat Tin, 63, lives in a house that is less than six square meters and also has to curl up when sleeping.
His home is situated at the corner of two alleys and barely has enough space for a fridge, an altar, an induction stove, and a bathroom.
Tin says his house was originally 12 square meters, where his parents lived over 40 years ago with their five children. However, they later sold half of it to a neighboring household. After his parents passed away, the siblings had to share the two floors of the house before they got married and moved out. Now, he and his brother share this space together.
A few houses down from Tin's, six members of Thao's family, including her three daughters aged between 19 and 29, a son-in-law, and a six-year-old grandchild, also live in a cramped space with a floor area of six-square-meter and has two stories.
Thao says they must share activities within the house. On the ground floor, a refrigerator, TV, and bathroom take up all the space, so she cooks in a small area near the alley outside the house.
While cooking, Phuong prepares food near a sewer cover and then cooks on a gas stove placed outside the house. "It's cramped here, everything is difficult, but you get used to it over time," she says.
Most pathways in the area are less than a meter wide, forcing residents to squeeze through them.
The houses in the Ga-Gao market are multi-story but mostly lack emergency exits. The area has experienced several fires, with the most recent in late 2015 when 13 stalls were burned.
Tran Thi Le, 63, watches TV in a 7-square-meter house left by her grandmother. The house is built with three floors, accommodating 12 people from three families living with her. They have to share sleep times on the first and second floors, while the ground floor is used for cooking and a shared toilet.
"People in my family take turns to sleep. Those who work in the morning and afternoon shift would sleep in the evening and those who work night shift sleep during the day. Only by doing so, does everyone have the space to lie down," she says.
Due to the limited living space, many households place their stoves and daily necessities outside their homes for cooking and laundry.
