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Several underprivileged students in HCM City have been forced into the role of domestic help for their landlords after being provided with free or discounted accommodation.

Many students who come from families with economic difficulties often try to find rented houses at low prices in order to minimise their expenses.

 Being aware of such demand, several landlords in the city have registered via student support centres to provide one or two female students with free or discounted accommodations along with utilities.

 They prefer choosing those who are obedient so they can easily assign them housework.

 A female student of University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City was guided to free accommodation on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Road,  Binh Thanh District.

 The 40-year-old landlord lives alone as her husband is away on business and her two children are studying abroad.

 After the first two days of living there, the landlord gave the student a  strict weekly timetable for housework. The schedule included waking up at 4:30am, doing the cleaning and buying food at the market in the morning. She was asked to wash dishes and do the cleaning in the afternoon before 8:00pm.

 The student also has to take care of her landlord’s dog and return home from school before 11:30am to cook lunch if she has no afternoon classes. Two violations in one month would be grounds for eviction.

 “Sometimes I think I’m just free domestic help. I have to pay VND1 million (USD47.7) for food per month. I will take summer vocation by the end of this month and will look for a new place to live then,” she said.

 Another female student from HCM City College of Food Industry found discounted accommodation for VND350,000 (USD16.7) per month, including utilities, along Pham Van Hai Road, in Tan Binh District.

 Only after paying her first month's rent did the landlords, a couple aged over 70, tell her that she would have to do the washing and hanging of clothes in order to receive free electricity.

 She had to leave the living situation after two weeks in order to move in with a friend so as to have more time to study.

 After searching on some websites, a female student of HCM City College of Transport found a free accommodation at an apartment. Only after moving in did she find out that the landlord expected her to take care of her second grade daughter. A week later the landlord asked her to take care of two more children, who she was told were the neighbours'.

 In addition to cooking, the student was required to deliver clothes to the landlord's customers.

 "This house is like a nursery. It's noisy early in the morning and I find it difficult to concentrate on my studies. Even though I only have to pay VND500,000 (USD23.85) per month for food, I intend to leave soon," she said.

 Nguyen Trong Hoang from the HCM City Students’ Support Centre, said it is not appropriate to require students to do housework and take care of children free of charge, as payment for  such work is usually around VND25,000 (USD1.19) per hour.

 “Students should promptly report any such abuses so they can be dealt with," Hoang added.