Containers used as housing could allow savings of 30 percent on construction costs and 50-90 percent on foundation costs.
A report shows that the volume of container goods going through Vietnam’s ports in 2014 was 10.24 million TEU, an increase of 184 percent just within five years.
The number of used and liquidated containers has been increasing rapidly. Developing used containers into houses is seen as a good investment opportunity.
The containers are those that had problems during customs and were left at the port, or had some structural damage.
Port developers sold them to transport firms and industrial factories which will recycle or use them for other purposes.
In Vietnam, the enterprises which buy containers for conversion are mostly ones in mechanical engineering which have experience in making containers. These include Tan Thanh, Loc Thang, HTVINA and Viet Thang.
In most cases, containers have been developed into houses used on construction sites.
“The containers can be turned into normal houses, why not?” an analyst said. He said container houses were first seen in the US in 1987. In 2006, the house model became popular when Table Hosting completed a project on a world student village in the Netherlands. In France, container houses have been used at tourist sites.
Businesses can buy a dry container at VND24 million and develop the container into an apartment with essential facilities. A container house can be sold for VND65 million to hundreds of millions of dong.
An analyst noted that the businesses which have large land plots for containers will have advantages over the others because the input materials for the industry are cumbersome and cover large areas.
Kieu Cong Binh, director of Tan Thanh JSC, one of the container house developers, admitted that the sales remain modest as buyers still question the legitimacy of products.
“Vietnamese laws do not prohibit container houses, but there is no detailed regulation on developing containers into houses,” Binh said.
To boost sales, Tan Thanh has to both persuade customers of the convenience of the products and offer a wide range of products – from rooms for cafes and stalls to apartments for accommodation.
The analyst commented that the container house could serve as a solution to environmental problems. The houses are useful thanks to their mobility and durability.
Source: vietnamnet.vn