Diversity of Informal Housing in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City

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.