One of the things they have to do is find rooms to rent. However, this is not easy as demand has increased sharply.

A post about renting a room in Cau Giay district by an account named M.N has attracted the attention of netizens.

The landlord advertises that he is ‘renting rooms with air-conditioner at low rental’ – VND1.3-1.8 million a month. He promises to provide water heater, refrigerator, washing machine and parking lot for free. There is an air conditioner and wardrobe inside the rooms.

The ad is attached with images of four rooms, 3-4 sq m each, just large enough for a mattress and a small wardrobe. 

Netizens have left many comments about the ads, showing their criticism about the poor conditions of the rooms. One netizen said the room is just like a coffin. Others commented that they could not understand that such small rooms with poor equipment could be rented at VND1.3-1.8 million a month.

“I suffer from the claustrophobia, so I will never rent such a small room,” a netizen commented.

“I’ll have to pay VND2 million a month if you rent a small room (VND1.8 million in rental and VND200,000 for electricity, water and other services). With such an amount of money, I would rather share a larger room with another student than stay alone in such a tiny room,” another netizen wrote.

VietNamNet reporters have found that the rooms for rent which have raised controversy among netizens are rooms in a 4-storey building in a small alley in Cau Giay district. Most of the rooms there have the area of 2.5-3 sq m and have been rented.

A girl, living on the third floor of the building, who asked to be anonymous told VietNamNet that the room she is living in is even smaller the one being advertised, just 2.5 sq m.

The room is so small that she has to leave slippers and shoes on the corridor, because there is no more empty space in the room.

“The room is small and it is stuffy in summer. However, I still can sleep as there is an air conditioner,” she said. 

“Most people here just return to the rooms to sleep at night, so they don’t need large rooms,” she explained, adding that it is a good way to save money.

Tu Linh - Thanh Minh