The fire occurred early in the morning at a two-storey house on Le Van Sy Street in District 3 when the victims were sleeping, police said.

Six people in a family including a couple and their three children were found dead with two others rushed to hospital.

According to some local people, they saw the fire starting from the first floor but had difficulties breaking the door and waking people inside.

"We tried to put out the fire using water from outside and called the police," a local man said. "But the fire spread so fast and burnt down everything in just about 30 minutes. Two people were able to jump out from the balcony on the second floor and broke their legs."

Firefighters said that the house had been nearly burnt down when they arrived.

It is said that the first floor of the 50-square-metre house was used as a coffee shop and the victims lived on the second floor.