Study on the thermal environment & residents' choice of living space in the house in Haiphong, Vietnam in summer

This study aims to understand the current state of cooling and air-conditioning of homes in Vietnam. Interviews with residents of 4 homes built in Haiphong City in northern Vietnam were carried out and room temperatures were taken. The results were as follows. The three pencil residences had air-conditioners installed in the private rooms of the intermediate floors which were used for approximately 10 total hours for naps and going to sleep at night. The room temperature was maintained at around 28 and many residents gathered in the cooled room before sleeping and then slept there together. Outside of the cooling period the first floor dining room (or living room) had the lowest natural room temperatures indoors. The residents spend most of their time in this space when not sleeping and carried out various daily activities here such as eating, family socializing, breaks, and receiving visitors. The highest floors on the other hand had exceedingly high temperatures. Consequently, the private rooms on the highest floor are mostly not used during the summer and daily activities on the highest floors are limited to drying laundry. In the farmer's residence the daytime maximum temperatures are kept low during the day due to the light shielding effect of the plants which cover the garden. In addition, it's also easy to get ventilation since the flat residence is almost like a one room space and there is currently no air-conditioner installed.