[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
Hanoi – Thanh Ha was shocked to find that all 20 rooms she looked at had a minimum price of 4.5 million VND for three people, excluding utilities and service fees.
Since the beginning of August, after receiving early admission to the University of Languages and International Studies at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Ha and two friends started searching for a rental. Ha, originally from Quoc Oai, about 30 kilometers from central Hanoi, was hoping to find a room for three people with an all-inclusive price of 1.5 million VND per person, based on what her neighbor had paid after graduating in July. According to her calculations, she could cover the rent and part of her living expenses with the two million VND she earned from online tutoring, while relying on her parents to provide food from home.
However, since then, she has viewed 20 rooms in Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem, and Thanh Ha, all of which were priced at a minimum of 4.5 million VND, with electricity costing 4,000 VND per unit, water at 100,000 VND per person, and Wi-Fi and cleaning services at 150,000 VND per room per month. Ha calculated that just the rent would consume two million VND.
“My parents can only afford to pay my tuition. My family works in agriculture, so we are not well-off,” Ha said.
Luong Thanh Binh, from Dien Bien, who was accepted into the Early Childhood Education program at Hanoi National University of Education, faced a similar situation. After learning of her acceptance on August 18, Binh searched online for a room in Cau Giay, hoping to find something within walking distance of her school. She was shocked to find that rooms with private bathrooms were priced between 4 to 5 million VND, not including electricity, water, and internet.
“If you include food expenses, I would need to spend 7-8 million VND per month. My family can’t afford that,” Binh said.
Hai Tien, a freshman at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, is anxious as the start of the school year approaches and he still hasn’t found a place to stay. The male student said that the 10 places he inquired about all quoted prices around 1.5-1.6 million VND per person.
“My parents give me two million VND per month, so I’m very worried that if the rent is too high, I won’t have any money left for food,” he shared.
According to VnExpress, since the beginning of the year, many landlords have increased room rental prices by 10-15%, particularly in central districts like Cau Giay, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, and Thanh Xuan. Besides the rising demand, most landlords cite the soaring real estate prices in the city center, the addition of new furniture, and upgrades to fire safety systems as required by authorities as reasons for the increase.
In June, the Hanoi Police reported that out of 37,000 rental properties under fire safety management, more than 3,000 were found to be in violation, with hundreds of rental homes being temporarily suspended.
Mr. Le Khanh Loc, Deputy Head of Administration and Dormitory Management at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, observed that this situation has forced many rental properties to close, reducing the supply and driving up prices for the remaining rooms.
According to Mr. Dao Duy Tan, Development Director of the rental search app Rencity, which manages over 2,000 rental properties in Hanoi, rooms with basic amenities like air conditioning, water heaters, refrigerators, desks, and wardrobes are commonly priced between 1.5 and 6 million VND. This rate has increased by about 300,000 VND compared to the same period last year.
Currently, rooms priced at two million VND or less are almost nonexistent. Rooms priced between 2 to 3.5 million VND are the hardest to rent due to high demand, making up about 50% of Rencity’s 80,000 users. Among the 1,400 rooms in this price range, the occupancy rate is 97%, with the remaining rooms being those in poor condition, such as those with leaks or old furniture.
For rooms priced between 3.5 to 6 million VND, while the occupancy rate is around 90% across about 500 rooms, they are still easier to rent as the number of available rooms tends to increase.
The high rental prices have led to a surge in demand for dormitory accommodations, which has increased by 2-4 times compared to previous years. Currently, the cost of dormitory living is only 150,000-500,000 VND per student per month, depending on the university.
At Hanoi University of Science and Technology on August 28, hundreds of people lined up from 5 a.m. at the dormitory to register in person, creating a chaotic scene.
Mr. Dinh Van Hai, Director of Communications and Digital Knowledge at the university, said that the demand for dormitory accommodations is significantly higher than in recent years. The school arranged over 1,000 spots for freshmen, but around 4,000 students applied.
Hanoi National University of Education arranged dormitory accommodation for more than 1,300 freshmen. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thoa, Head of Dormitory Management, the demand is 1.5 times higher than the available spots. Some students have shared in emails that if they cannot secure dormitory housing, they might have to forgo enrollment.
The Academy of Journalism and Communication and the National Economics University also reported a 20-100% increase in demand for dormitory accommodation, with all spots filled by August.
“I’ve managed dormitories for 15 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a sudden spike in demand,” said Mr. Le Khanh Loc of the Academy of Journalism and Communication.
Mr. Le Xuan Thanh, Head of Political and Student Affairs at the University of Mining and Geology, stated that many students have to rent rooms outside the university because the dormitory cannot accommodate everyone. The university’s dormitory only meets about 30% of the student demand.
He advised students who need to rent externally to be cautious of scams.
“For example, the person renting out the room may not be the actual owner but still demands payment upfront, or brokers may ask for a deposit and then disappear,” he explained. Additionally, students should check the condition of the furniture and appliances before renting. He suggested that they ask adults or older siblings with experience living in the city to help find and sign the rental agreement.
On August 30, Thanh Binh breathed a sigh of relief after securing a spot in the dormitory at Hanoi National University of Education. The room accommodates six students, and Binh only has to pay 400,000 VND per month.
Thanh Ha, on the other hand, still prefers to live off-campus to make it easier to work part-time. She feels fortunate to have been hired as an administrative staff member at an English center, earning three million VND per month. Ha said she plans to spend frugally to save money for an IT certification course.
Despite the heat, Hai Tien continues to search for housing after missing out on a spot in the dormitory at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. He is now looking in areas farther from the school, such as Nam Tu Liem district.
“I believe I’ll find a room, even if it means a longer and more difficult commute,” he said.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/gia-nha-tro-sinh-vien-tai-ha-noi-4780397.html
WORD BANK:
excluding sth /ɪkˈskluː.dɪŋ/ (pre): chưa bao gồm cái gì
utilities /juːˈtɪl.ə.t̬iz/ (n): điện, nước, internet
admission /ədˈmɪʃ.ən/ (n): trúng tuyển
all-inclusive /ˌɑːl.ɪnˈkluː.sɪv/ (adj): khép kín
well-off /ˌwel ˈɑːf/ [C1] (adj): khá giả
learn of sth (v): biết về điều gì, nhận thông tin gì
within walking distance (adv): trong phạm vi có thể đi bộ được
freshman /ˈfreʃ.mən/ (n): tân sinh viên
anxious /ˈæŋk.ʃəs/ [B1] (adj): lo lắng, nóng ruột
inquire /ɪnˈkwaɪr/ [B2] (v): hỏi
quote /kwoʊt/ [C2] (v): báo giá
landlord /ˈlænd.lɔːrd/ [B2] (n): chủ nhà
soar /sɔːr/ [C2] (v, n): tăng mạnh
real estate /ˈriː.əl ɪˌsteɪt/ (n): bất động sản
temporarily /ˈtem.pə.rer.əl.i/ [B2] (adv): tạm thời
suspend /səˈspend/ [C1] (v): đình chỉ
amenity /əˈmen.ə.t̬i/ (n): đồ dùng, tiện ích
occupancy rate /ˈɑː.kjə.pən.si reɪt/ (n): tỷ lệ lấp đầy
leak /liːk/ [B2] (n): thấm dột
dormitory /ˈdɔːr.mə.tɔːr.i/ (n): ký túc xá
register /ˈredʒ.ə.stɚ/ [B1] (v): đăng ký
chaotic /keɪˈɑː.t̬ɪk/ [C1] (adj): hỗn loạn
forgo sth /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/ (v – formal): bỏ cái gì
enrollment /ɪnˈroʊl.mənt/ (n): bỏ nhập học
spike /spaɪk/ (v, n): tăng cao
externally /ɪkˈstɝː.nəl.i/ (adv): bên ngoài
cautious of sth /ˈkɑː.ʃəs/ [B2] (adj): cảnh giác với cái gì
scam /skæm/ (n): chiêu lừa đảo
upfront /ʌpˈfrʌnt/ (adv): trước
broker /ˈbroʊ.kɚ/ (n): môi giới
deposit /dɪˈpɑː.zɪt/ (n): tiền cọc
breathe a sigh of relief (v): thở phào nhẹ nhõm
secure a spot /səˈkjʊr/ (v): kiếm được một chỗ
administrative staff /ədˈmɪn·əˌstreɪ·t̬ɪv stæf/ (n): nhân viên hành chính
commute /kəˈmjuːt/ [C1] (v): đi lại
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