Hẻm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hem (Vietnamese: Hẻm) or Ngo (Vietnamese: Ngõ) are the terms used to describe narrow streets branching off of main roads in Vietnam.[1][2][3][4][5] Hem are characterized by their narrow width and are lined with narrow, multistory buildings known as tube houses, creating a dense and vertical urban form.[6][7][8][9]
In 2016, 85% of residents in Ho Chi Minh City and 88% in Hanoi lived in hem alleyways.[5][10] Hems are numbered and referred to by the name of the major street it branches off of, similarly to Sois in Thailand.[11][12]. The number of the hem is chosen equal to the number of the house on the parental alley or street located near the entrance to the alley[13]. Slashes are used to indicate an address in a hem, so the address "36/23 Hẻm Lê Thị Riêng" indicates the house is number 23 in the 36th Hem off Lê Thị Riêng street.[5][14]
