Raising pigs in an apartment
For Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Chau (SN 1983), apartment 42 Nguyen Hue is her hometown, a place of nostalgia for her childhood days. She has been attached to this apartment since she was a child and remembers the scene of people carrying water to climb the stairs, take the iron cage elevator…
She said: “My parents live in this apartment building. I was born here. In the past, the apartment building had an elevator, but it was still very simple. The elevator at that time was just like an iron cage. When going, residents get in and then the machine pulls up.
However, most people choose to take the stairs because the elevator is dirty and unsafe. There was no running water in the apartment at that time. To get water, people have to walk down to the ground to pick up water.
“Later, each house bought a French pump. When it’s time to get water, the house brings the pump to the ground to pump it up. Those who do not have a pump can pump at someone else’s house. So the time to get water is when the apartment is the most vibrant,” added Ms. Chau.
Due to the lack of residents, some households in the apartment building also use the corridors and empty apartments to raise pigs. In those years, Chau’s brother-in-law’s family also raised pigs in the apartment. When she was a child, she often helped her family cut meat and pork fat to sell.
In those years, the price of an apartment in an apartment building was very cheap. However, not many people are interested in buying. Even Ms. Chau did not think regarding buying more apartments.
Up to now, real estate prices in apartments have increased to billions of dong/m2. Depending on the location, apartments are also available for rent from 40-45 million VND/month.
The apartment rental price is sky high, but Ms. Chau still keeps her roof inside the old apartment. She does not sell or rent because she cannot leave the place she has attached since the most difficult days.
She shared: “Later, I bought another house and moved out. However, I still keep my apartment in the apartment. When my father died, I also worshiped him here. Now, this home is a communal place of family worship.
Although I live outside, every time I have time, I go back to the apartment. I love this place because I’ve been with it since I was a kid. Coming here, I can see my childhood days once more.”