Hanoi authorities have ordered a review and possible seizure of super tiny and narrow houses for public use such as gardens.

Strangely-shaped house on Vo Chi Cong Street

Hanoi's Vice Chairman Nguyen The Hung has approved of the Department of Construction's proposal on how to deal with tiny houses which are the results of transport projects before 2005. Houses that are less than 15 square metres must merge with other buildings nearby within 30 days or be converted into public land.

Communal and district authorities must take full responsibility if more tiny and narrow houses appear in their areas. They must also closely work with related agencies to deal with land disputes and management.

Many NA deputies in Hanoi have asked the authorities to deal with the tiny houses and the proposal to recover super tiny houses was put on the table for a long time but it wasn't implemented effectively. As more transport projects are carried out and roads are expanded, the number of super tiny houses has increased. Those houses have high prices thanks to new prime locations despite their undesirable size.

In 2016, Hanoi authorities planned to build a cultural house on a 144.7 square metres land after O Cho Dua Street was opened. However, it agreed to let five households keep 48.8 square metres of land to merge with other buildings. One household later built a high-rise building with views of two streets.

According to a real estate agent, the listed highest land price for a square metre on O Cho Dua Street is VND100m (USD4,300), however, in reality, the price is about VND300m to VND450m.

Dtinews/Tien Phong