According to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, many boarding houses in Son La province do not meet the criteria for fire prevention and fighting (PCCC) with a high risk of fire and explosion.
In the Dun village area (Chieng Sinh ward), there are more than 70 households selling boarding houses with about 1,200 rooms. This is an area near Tay Bac University, so there are many students renting accommodation, sometimes up to more than 3,000 tenants.
However, only a few boarding houses are equipped with fire extinguishers and fire fighting orders, while most of them are left open to fire safety.
In a rented room of less than 12 square meters, tangled with electric wires and burning out the electrical outlet, Cha A The (student of Tay Bac University) expressed his concern: "The rented area where I live has no fire extinguishers. The electricity system is sketchy, I am very worried about fire and explosion, but because the rental price is cheap, I still have to stay there.
Not only in the Northwest University area, the boarding houses around Son La College, Son La Medical College, Northwest Law College... are also degraded, located in small alleys with steep slopes. Fire trucks are difficult to approach when there is a fire.
Student Vang A Dung (Son La Medical College) said: "My room is rented for 400,000 VND/month, on the hilltop, the access road is less than 1.5m. We often cook with a mini gas stove in the room, and dry our clothes in the hallway. If there is a fire, it is very difficult to handle it."
According to the reporter's research, most student dormitories in Son La are built by people on garden land or take advantage of old houses to divide into many rooms for rent. Many boarding houses built a long time ago have deteriorated but have not been repaired.
Talking with reporters, Mr. Lo Phong Nam - Chairman of Chieng Sinh Ward People's Committee also admitted that there were previously more than 60 boarding houses in the ward. Most boarding houses are not fully equipped with fire protection equipment. Meanwhile, most of the landlords are from other places doing business, so it is difficult to contact them.
"In 2024, the authorities fined 3 landlords for not complying with the equipment of fire prevention and fighting for the boarding house" - Mr. Nam said.
According to Mr. Nam, currently, after implementing the two-level government, Dun village and the old Chieng Ngan commune (where many student dormitories are concentrated) have been merged into Chieng Sinh ward, so the number of dormitories has also increased.
"The local government is coordinating with the ward police force to conduct a review of households selling boarding houses in the area. At the same time, landlords are required to be fully equipped with fire prevention and fighting equipment according to regulations" - Mr. Nam said.
Currently, with thousands of students staying in wards in Son La, the risk of fire and explosion from cramped, degraded housing areas is always present. To ensure safety, the authorities need to tighten fire prevention and fighting management and ensure the safety of tenants.
