Speaking of ‘tiger cages’, many people will think of zoos, and many people will think of solitary confinement areas in prisons of ‘hell on earth’ Phu Quoc or Con Dao. But there are also many who know the object of this article – that is the ‘tiger cage’ in housing projects – a familiar image in many urban areas, typically Hanoi.
“Tiger cage” – reluctant architectural “legacy”
In the architectural dictionary or architectural structure book, there is certainly no entry “tiger cage” or definition of “tiger cage”. It can be described from reality as follows: “Tiger cage” is an iron cage fixed to the spaces in the loggia, balcony in the house. Its function is to expand the space, add more usable area and divide it to increase safety – especially to prevent theft. That part of architecture is not in books, completely created by folk. No one knows that architectural part and the name “tiger cage” ever in Vietnam. But according to the memory of many elderly people, “tiger cages” appeared around the early 80s of the last century in Hanoi, in old apartment buildings (at that time called collective houses) built in the 1980s. 60-70. The apartments in the old apartment buildings at that time were extremely modest in area and lacked amenities. The tiger cage was born with the first function to improve the area, installed in the balconies, the loggia was originally designed to dry clothes. This small area has significantly improved the function of the apartment. Some houses put potted plants as hanging gardens, some houses make storage, some houses turned into kitchens, some turned into… bedrooms. Depending on the function of use, after the iron cage is closed, people leave it open or cover part or all of it with cheap and temporary materials such as corrugated iron, board, pressed cork, nylon sheet… The first generation of tiger cages has a similar structure: it is an iron cage protruding from the top of the railing about 40-50cm, the main material is round iron Ø10-Ø12 or equivalent square iron. Later, some houses demolished the railings (mainly brick balustrades) and made iron cages from the floor. This method has expanded the floor area a bit, convenient for use. The “tiger cage” is said to have originated in Hanoi, gradually spreading to the northern provinces and then the whole country. 
House A6 in Giang Vo dormitory area (Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) is a 9-storey apartment building with elevator, completed construction and used in 2003. But so far this work looks no different from the apartment of the decade. 1970s by “tiger cage” . 
A high-rise apartment building in Trung Yen urban area, Cau Giay district, Hanoi. Many loggias have been enclosed in a new “tiger cage” style with glass doors outside and iron flowers inside. To about the late 90s, early 2000s; The second generation “tiger cage” was born, with new construction “technology”. That is, people have completely demolished the railing, removed the steel beam from the old floor to the space, poured a new floor, closed the iron cage and created a new space – a new room with a significant area encroaching on the outside space. . It must be added that, at this time, the needs of life have changed a lot, so the issue of area and accommodation is very urgent. Depending on the current structure of the building, construction solutions and even… the dose of homeowners as well as construction workers, people can reach a space of 1-2m, even 3m. Floating rooms like these are still called cuckoo cages, birdhouses or backpack houses. Making “tiger cages” has become a trend – but also a practical need in most old apartments. Now, in old apartments in Hanoi, it is very rare to find a balcony or loggia without a “tiger cage”. But that is not the end, the “tiger cage” seems to be just a transition for a while, but it is not. From apartment buildings, “tiger cages” have spread to townhouses. There are houses to make balconies, loggias, and then renovate and build iron cages as “tiger cages”; have a house as a “tiger cage” from the beginning. “Tiger cages” can be on the lower floors or the whole tum, terrace. As can be seen in most of the streets, there are townhouses with “tiger cages”. And even in many new high-rise apartment buildings built around 2000 in Hanoi, “tiger cages” also appear and are not unique in a few apartments. In addition to the need for usable area, the issue of safety is something that needs to be thoroughly studied from the perspective of society and construction industry. If in old apartments (under 5 floors) people are afraid of theft, in new high-rise apartments, people are worried about falling and falling from above. 
“Tiger cages” in old apartments and townhouses are often found on many streets of Hanoi. “Tiger cage” until now has not been old. There are still many homeowners in many different types of houses who have the need to make “tiger cages”, with many styles, for many reasons. If you search on Google for the phrase “Make a cage for a tiger with an iron cage”, there will be countless results of service facilities that meet this need. According to the plan, in the future, the old dormitory areas in Hanoi will be cleared to make way for new, high-rise and modern housing projects. Of course. And there have been opinions of some researchers that it is advisable to keep a part of the old collective areas, like a museum, to preserve the memory of a difficult time, as well as to show the urban development press. In that stream of opinions, the “tiger cage” is a special “heritage”, creating an impressive and difficult face of urban space, bold … Hanoi. Of course, this is a reluctant “legacy”. Tragedy “tiger cage” and what is the solution? Authorities, industry managers and experts have never acknowledged, supported or approved the “tiger cage” solution in housing projects. “Tiger cages” have many negative effects: affect urban beauty; affect the structure of apartment buildings – can even be dangerous for many old apartments; and affect the ability to escape, rescue and rescue if there is a fire and explosion incident. But the “tiger cage” is still present and constantly developing, in old and new apartments, in both old and new townhouses. That proves it still has advantages and needs for the majority of people, overcoming the fear of explosion and fire without a way out. In fact, there have been fires that have caused loss of life because the “tiger cage” covered and closed with no way out. But it was not until the fire that occurred on Ton Duc Thang Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi on April 4, 2021, along with the involvement of the media, that the problem of “tiger cages” awakened many people. The fire that killed 4 people in a family – is one of the most damaging single house fires in recent times. According to reports from the scene, the incident happened during the night; the house had only one way out, the main door, which was blocked by the fire; The victims ran to the tum floor, the highest place, but could not escape because the “tiger cage” was sealed, and died here. More painfully, in the cry for help from the sea of fire, many neighbors tried to reach the place where the victim was trapped but could not pass the “tiger cage” from the outside. “The attic is so strong, it’s impossible to save people” – the helpless lament of a neighbor who witnessed the fire was quoted in many newspapers in recent days, leaving many thoughts. And then, the image of “tiger cages” – familiar and abundant in big cities, appeared continuously in newspapers in reportages, with many concerns and questions. 
“Tiger cages” in old apartments in Hanoi. What about townhouses, what about apartments? In fact, townhouses also have more escape locations and opportunities, because there are many floors, especially the terrace is the easiest place to escape (of course, no “tiger cage”); The apartment building has only one exit to the common corridor. In case there is a fire that cannot escape to the front door but the loggia is sealed by a tiger cage (in fact, most old apartments are like that) it is extremely dangerous. It should be added that with old apartments with small premises, few private rooms, if there is a fire, the fire breaks out – occupying space very quickly. In Hanoi, many years ago, there was a proposal for an urban renovation project in old apartment buildings, including the removal of iron cages and tiger cages in the balconies of the loggias of the apartments. It can be seen that this is not easy, if not impossible. People still find convenience and privacy benefits more practical than other factors. Now, perhaps not many people talk about urban aesthetics anymore, but fire safety is a matter of concern. There have been proposals made to mitigate the consequences of “tiger cages” if there is an unfortunate fire; such as the fact that houses living close to each other, adjacent to organize an emergency exit to each other’s houses; or make small escape doors on the “tiger cage”, to use when there is a problem. But these proposals are also not easy to implement, because in urban areas, people are used to knowing that every house knows their own house, and the worry that the exit door will become “Asin’s heel” for crooks to take advantage of. Saying “tiger cage” is bad, affecting urban aesthetics is very easy. It is easy to say that the “tiger cage” should be removed to ensure safety in the event of a fire. But the “tiger cage” is a folk product, it is associated with the people with the psychology, the consciousness of taking advantage, the temporary… has been deeply imprinted; and exist in an insecure society with too many evils, the story cannot be overnight. And sometimes, it is the architectural experts, urban managers, people who do fire prevention and fighting are also … living in houses or apartments with “tiger cages”. When the writer is working on this article, on April 16, 2021, Vietnam Television – VTV gave a short news, talking about the fact that the authorities and police of Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi have piloted campaigning and propagating 3 wards in the district, for households living in apartments with “tiger cages”, implementing the open the exit door in the “tiger cage”. The initial campaign so far – after a year, 60% with about 2,000 households have agreed and implemented. This model is being replicated to other wards. That’s just a small number compared to tens/hundreds of thousands of houses and apartments with tiger cages in urban areas. But anyway it is a good sign, to see that people’s consciousness has also had certain changes. It has been suggested that the “tiger cage” is an urban aesthetic tragedy, and it has also caused a literal tragedy like the fire mentioned above. That’s not wrong. But it is very difficult to have a sanction that is strong enough and flexible to handle this issue thoroughly. And perhaps, in the future, the “tiger cage” is still present as an inevitable part of life, and is always looking for… a solution.
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