Hem (alleyway)

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]

A hẻm in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

In 2016, 85% of residents in Ho Chi Minh City and 88% in Hanoi lived in hem alleyways.^[5][10] Hem are numbered and referred to by the name of the major street it branches off of, similarly to Sois in Thailand.^[11][12] Slashes are used to indicated an address in a hem, so the address "36/23 Hẻm Lê Thị Riêng" indicates the house is number 36 in the 23rd Hem off Lê Thị Riêng street.^[5][13]

See also

• Alley
• Soi
• Hutong