Diversity of Informal Housing in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue IX, September 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Diversity of Informal Housing in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City

Le Thi Thu Huong¹, Le Thi Kieu^2
1 Montfort del Rosario School of Architecture and Design, Assumption University, Thailand; and
Vietnamese-German University, Vietnam
² Institute of Constructive Design and Building Construction, Germany

Abstract: Industrialization and economic growth in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City have attracted many rural-to-urban migrants to these cities in the last decades. Consequently, the housing shortage has become one of the most critical issues in both cities, where many low-income migrants live in spontaneously developed areas with limited infrastructure and housing conditions. Through three case studies in each city, this study aims to reflect the diversity in types and qualities of informal housing in both cities at present. The case studies are selected based on the varieties in location, scale, and settlement characteristics, including the built environment, neighborhood facilities, and transportation system. Data and information are collected through site observation, photo-taking, quick interviews, and secondary sources. The findings show diversity in informal housing types such as temporary houses, old condominiums, container houses, and the like. These accommodations have limited living conditions such as inadequate spaces, poor facilities, unhealthy environment, and low safety. Even though this housing issue is not new in developing countries, the existence of this issue still raises a concern about housing for migrants in an urbanization context as it keeps challenging sustainability and inclusivity as the common objectives for housing development recently.

Keywords: Migration; Informal housing; Diversity; Bangkok; Ho Chi Minh City

I. INTRODUCTION

The formation of informal settlement is one of the urban issues of megacities in Southeast Asia, resulting from their rapid economic growth that attracted a huge rural-to-urban migration flow which the formal housing stock cannot accommodate. In Bangkok, economic development began in the 1960s with rapid population growth accelerating the influx of people coming from rural areas to the city [1]. Many informal settlements started to form around the centers of employment, such as industrial zones and markets since then. Through its urban development, the expansion of Bangkok has spontaneously occurred following the profits of landowners and developers [1]. At present, informal housing is still developing since the city keeps attracting rural migrants due to the development of service sectors with diversity in economic activities.

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