ABSTRACT
The ubiquity of the alleyways in Ho Chi Minh City's urban structure has led to the development of a sense of local territoriality and a vibrant social life, with a complex intersection between economic life, private family life, and collective social life. The city's urban structure is characterized by the juxtaposition of different urban fabrics, loosely woven together by the historical network of the main axes. The different meanings of the notion of neighborhood in the Vietnamese context are reflected in local terminology, which makes use of distinct expressions. Morphologically speaking, Ho Chi Minh City is made up of large and densely populated blocks, which are divided into many neighborhoods. The different morphological patterns of the alleyways developed in response to the variety of local situations: like a palimpsest, their spatial organization occasionally lays bare the ancient framework of rural paths. The identity of a neighborhood can rely on the presence of a community of informal workers.
