These alleys and small streets have existed for a long time, especially in the central districts. Only when a major fire breaks out in houses without fire exits do many realize the dangers of living in such confined spaces. The deep and dark alleys make it difficult or impossible for fire trucks to access.

Lenh Cu Alley (Kham Thien Street) is one such place. The walkway is barely wider than an adult's arm, making walking inconvenient. Pedestrians often lean against the wall to avoid moving motorbikes.

Many alleys are narrow and inconvenient for parking motorbikes, leading people to park their motorbikes outside.

Kham Thien Street (Dong Da District) is famous for having some of the deepest and most winding alleys in Hanoi. These alleys branch into dozens of other alleys and lanes, making it difficult to determine directions and mobilize rescue vehicles during a fire.

Many alleys are dark and lack light, even during the day. Vehicles moving through these alleys must turn on their lights to see the road.

The alleys are also places where people live and do business. It is common to see people burning votive paper along the alley on full moon days.

According to statistics, Hoan Kiem District has more than 1,000 small and super small alleys and lanes, only wide enough for one person to pass through.

In front of many houses on Trung Kinh Street (Cau Giay District), where a fire recently killed 14 people, there are warning signs indicating that the buildings do not meet fire prevention and fighting requirements for renting out rooms. Despite this, the area is home to many students and workers.

A public fire extinguisher box in lane 99 Trung Kinh is empty, with no tools inside. It is known that all fire fighting equipment in the box has been moved to a neighboring house to avoid theft, which has happened many times before.

The system of cables and wires in these areas is as tangled as a spider web. People also hang clothes, flyers, and advertising tarps on the wires, which are easily flammable during Hanoi's hot season.

The paper was inserted into an area with a tangle of electrical wires and cables, posing a fire hazard, but it was not cleaned up.

The fronts of many high-rise buildings in alley 211/82 Khuong Trung Street are covered by "tiger cages." The space around the alley is quite dark, with only a small light gap above.

In Khuong Trung Street and neighboring areas, high-rise boarding houses continue to spring up in small alleys and lanes.

Small, winding alleys and lanes always pose difficulties for fire trucks and specialized fire fighting vehicles. To access these areas, firefighters often have to pull hoses hundreds of meters long, sometimes even kilometers, from water hydrants on main roads.

Hung Nguyen - Khanh Linh