Where do young guys usually live in Vietnam, in flats or houses?
The vast majority of young guys in Vietnam live in flats, but it depends on their incomes. If they are terribly posh, they can definitely afford those luxurious houses; but to common people, houses are something they can’t afford.
What are the differences between flats and houses?
There are so many differences between flats and houses. For starters, as far as the definition is concerned, a house is a building which usually has more than one floor and is intended to be used by one family. It normally has a garden, a swimming pool and a garage. A flat is a place for people to live that consists of a set of rooms that are part of a larger building. Another difference is that the houses are normally much more expensive than flats, which explains why most of people are living in flats rather than houses today.
What can you see from the windows of your flat?
My flat is on the 30th floor, which offers me a panoramic view of the whole community: the fountains, statues, trees, flowers and green grass. And when night falls, with all the lights on, the view is breathtaking!
What color would you like to paint your flat? Explain why (for girls only)
Well, it has always been my dream to paint my flat blue, the sky blue. And it would be great if I could paint some white houses with blue domes on the walls. It will definitely remind me of Santorini in Greece, so dreamy and fancy! Besides blue, I am thinking that pink might come out great as well. You know, pink is the every girl’s fantasy. Barbie pink, so girly, so fancy…It will give me a feeling that I am living in a fairyland.
What can you see on the walls of your flat?
There are some enlarged photos of my family and me on the living room walls; and some huge posters of my idols Jude Law and Lindsay Lohan on my bedroom walls; besides, quite a few delicate paintings on the dining room walls. Photos can always remind me of the unforgettable experiences that I had before. And paintings totally liven up my rooms.
Why do Vietnamese love to hang paintings on the walls of their flats?
I guess paintings can liven up rooms, put people in a good mood and most importantly, they can show good taste that owners have in arts.
Can you give me a simple introduction of the layout of your flat?
Well, my flat is a south facing 30thfloor unit which has a living room, three bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen and a utility room. The bedroom has a huge bathtub and a dress room. The north south layout and the balcony provide good natural light, ventilation and a panoramic view of the community. My flat is furnished and decorated in a fancy style: European style furniture, huge French doors, crystal chandeliers, fancy wallpaper, delicate paintings and beautiful flowers.
Which room do you love most in your flat?
Option 1: I love my balcony most. There are some oversized armchairs and an umbrella table out there. It is exactly what I love about it. When it comes to a sunny afternoon, I love to sit on the balcony, soaking up the sun, enjoy the fantastic view, listening to the music, sipping a cup of tea while having some finger snacks. It is super nice.
Option 2: I would say my favorite room is probably my living room, firstly because that’s where the TV is, and secondly because it’s got big floor to ceiling windows which overlook the river, so we have a really cool view. Oh and one more thing to mention would be that it’s by far the most spacious room in the flat, because all the other rooms are about half the size, if not less.
How is that room decorated?
Well, regarding the walls, we’ve got a few family pictures hanging up, which gives the room a nice personal feel. And as for the flooring, we basically just decided to use ceramic tiles, because they’re very practical in terms of keeping clean, but we’ve also put a small carpet down by the sofa to make that area a little bit cozier. So all in all I’d say it’s a really nice room for chilling out in.
What furniture is in that room?
Well, on one side there’s a big bookshelf, which basically stretches across the entire wall, coz we’ve got a lot of books! Then against another wall, we’ve got a nice big sofa, which probably seats about 8 or 9 people, so it’s great for when we have friends over.
OR: What do you like most about your home? Well, probably what I like most about my home is that we have a really great river view, because we live quite high up, on the 20th floor, and our flat is right next to the river. So I feel really lucky to have such a nice view, and I never get tired of it.
Is there anything you would like to change about your home?
Thinking about it, I’d say there probably is, yeah, for example one thing I would quite like to do is knock down the wall between my kitchen and the living room, because at the moment,there’s not much space in the kitchen, so if we got rid of the wall, it would make everything much more spacious, I think.
Is there anything that needs to be improved in your flat?
Truth to be told, I am quite satisfied with my flat right now. Although it is not huge or posh, it is cozy and warm. It can give me a sense of belonging, which I think is what a home is for.
OR: Well, I kind of like my home the way it is, but I guess if I had to change anything, then one thing I might do would be to get rid of the wall between my living room and kitchen, as it would then make things a lot more spacious.
How long have you been living in your flat?
It has been over ten years since I lived here. I experienced a lot while I lived here. My flat now is of great sentimental value to me.
Do you want to move?
Option 1: Frankly, I want to move because I have been dreaming about moving to a new flat. But psychologically, I don’t feel like moving out because I experienced a lot while I lived here. The whole place is of great sentimental value to me.
Option 2: Do you like the area where you live? Yeah, on the whole I’d say it’s a pretty nice place, you know, there are quite a few good restaurants and shops, and most of the buildings are pretty new. So it’s quite an up-and-coming area, and I’m really happy to be living there.
Are you planning to buy a house now?
No. Actually, I had been planning to buy a house for quite a while. Unfortunately, the dream has drifted away because of the ever soaring house prices in HCM city. Right now, I guess a house is nothing but a dream for me.
What do you think the houses would be like in the future?
Option 1: I think they would be intelligent, multifunctional and human based. Preferably, withhuge French doors, a fantastic sea view and a beautiful garden.
Option 2: In the future, what sort of home (flat, house etc.) would you like to live in? Well, thinking about it, I’d say I would like to live in a villa overlooking the sea, the main reason being that, with a villa, I would get my own garden, which wouldn’t be the case if I lived in a flat, and I think having a nice view of the sea would be great for helping me relax whenever I needed to.
What do you think of hiring a housekeeper to do all the housework?
It is a good thing. Most of the white-collar guys are pretty busy with their work and have no time or energy to do the housework. After a whole day’s work, the only thing in their minds is to drag themselves home, grab something to eat and get some sleep; so hiring a housekeeper can absolutely relieve the people of the tiring household chores. On the other hand, housekeepers, as an occupation, can alleviate the huge employment pressure. It is a win win situation.
How is your relationship with your neighbors?
We are really close. You know, it has been almost ten years since we were neighbors. We know each other quite well and we often have a small get together once every two or three weeks. The saying that a near neighbor is better than a distant cousin is totally true. We can always have a blast when we hang out.
