Mosquito control in District 1 — townhouses, roof terraces, riverside apartments

People still say District 1 for the city centre, but since 1 July 2025 Ho Chi Minh City has had wards, its local administrative units, in place of districts: Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 left the former District 1, once ten wards, with four. Send the street and house number, or the name of the building, as you know it and we find the current address.

We survey in all four wards, 07:00 to 20:00 daily; the hour is confirmed when you book, as traffic in the centre varies through the day.

Saigon ward

All of the old Ben Nghe ward, plus a part each of Da Kao and Nguyen Thai Binh: riverside apartment towers at Ba Son and, round Dong Khoi and Hai Ba Trung, townhouses and apartment blocks from before 1975 whose balconies and roof terraces need checking for standing water.

Tan Dinh ward

What was Tan Dinh ward, joined by the remainder of Da Kao: townhouses handed down through generations, old villas and long-established lanes by Tan Dinh market and on Tran Quang Khai.

Ben Thanh ward

Ben Thanh and Pham Ngu Lao, with a part of Cau Ong Lanh and the remainder of Nguyen Thai Binh. Round the market and along Bui Vien, many tube houses (narrow, deep townhouses) are split floor by floor into mini hotels, restaurants and rooms to let.

Cau Ong Lanh ward

Co Giang, Cau Kho and Nguyen Cu Trinh, with what remained of the old Cau Ong Lanh: houses wall to wall down deep lanes, and low-rise apartment blocks, a short way from the Ben Nghe canal.

Villa neighbourhoods with wide gardens, familiar in the east of the city, are missing from the former District 1; its homes are mostly multi-storey townhouses, older apartment blocks, serviced apartments and high-rise flats. Mosquitoes therefore come less from one large garden than from small pockets of water up the height of a building: the roof terrace, balconies, gutters, a water tank whose lid does not close, an aircon drip tray.

Of the 474 apartment blocks in Ho Chi Minh City that date from before 1975, 89 are in District 1, Tuoi Tre reported in March 2025; in buildings of that age, blocked gutters and puddled roof terraces hold water. The striped Aedes mosquito that carries dengue, say the Ministry of Health and the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, lays its eggs where fairly clean water stands in a container round the home; these small pockets are therefore dealt with first.

Shared walls, deep lanes and the Ben Nghe canal to the south also let mosquitoes fly in from outside, so a spraying reduces them for a limited time. The result holds longer with a habit of clearing standing water, ideally agreed with the houses on either side.

Multi-storey townhouses in the lanes

The survey works down from the roof terrace: gutters, roof slab, water tank and plant pots, then each balcony and the gully in front of the house. High points with no safe way up are noted for a separate survey.

Flats in older apartment blocks

The source is often in a shared roof terrace, staircase or service shaft. We check your flat and ask you to raise the rest with your neighbours and whoever manages the block.

Old villas

Where a yard, large trees or a water feature remain, we also look at low shrubs and shaded porch corners, where mosquitoes rest by day. Tell us in advance about a fish pond: it is marked off and nothing is applied directly to the water.

There is no published rate: an apartment with one balcony is a long way from a multi-storey townhouse with a roof terrace and several rooms to let. The survey is free. The written all-inclusive quote sets out the area to be sprayed, the method, the repeat schedule and the re-entry time, meaning how long people and pets stay out of a sprayed area; its price is fixed and changes only with your written agreement.

• Floors, balconies, porches and the size of the roof terrace to be treated.
• Greenery, pot plants, water features, gullies and other water that cannot be removed.
• The treatment proposed and the number of repeat sprayings in the rainy season.
• Warranty, if any: as written in the quote, with no single period for every home.

Apartment buildings in the centre usually manage access strictly: contractors declare the materials they bring and work only within permitted hours. For a house on the street, plan where the vehicle can stop, as some roads ban stopping at certain hours.

• At the survey, tell us if the household includes older people, small children, anyone with a respiratory illness, pet birds, dogs, cats or fish.
• Tell the neighbours through the wall and on your floor when spraying is due, above all on a roof terrace or balcony at the boundary.
• During spraying, keep windows and balcony doors closed, and take laundry, toys and the pets' feeding bowls indoors.
• Fish ponds and tanks, bowls of water plants and the household water tank are covered as our technicians instruct.
• Family, guests and pets return to a sprayed area only when the re-entry time in the plan has passed.

Dealing with us in English

Write to us in English and we reply, quote, confirm the booking and report in English. To have the specialist at your home speak English, tell us at booking; if we cannot arrange it, we say so beforehand and help you by phone or message.

Building registration

Outside staff often have to be registered with building management by the resident before the day; for that you get your Up specialist's name and photo and our technicians' details.

When you are out

Nobody needs to be home. A key can wait with building management, at reception or with a relative; nobody but the assigned specialist touches it, the times are recorded, and no key is ever copied. With a smart lock, a temporary code is the recommended choice, and the walk-through can be joined by video call.

Paying

Pay when the walk-through is finished, in cash or by bank transfer; the quote says so where a larger job calls for a deposit. An invoice under Vietnamese regulations is issued to a person or a company that asks for one.

Dengue is spread by the Aedes mosquito, which, the health authorities note, bites mostly in daytime, early in the morning and at dusk. Their reminder is that without mosquito larvae there is no dengue: removing the places where mosquitoes lay eggs is what counts. Spraying at home does not replace their measures, and anyone at home with a high fever should be examined at a medical facility, not treated at home.

The rainy season here usually lasts from about May to November. Our technicians propose the interval between sprayings and it is written in the quote; in between:

• Once a week, empty plant saucers and turn over buckets and anything unused on the roof terrace.
• Before the rainy season and after heavy rain, clear the gutters and the downpipes from the roof.
• Keep water tanks and storage containers tightly covered; change the water in flower vases often.
• Check the aircon and fridge drip trays, the balcony floor drain and the insect screens.
• Use a bed net, for daytime sleep too, and co-operate when an outbreak site is sprayed by the local authorities.

Guide: mosquitoes at home in Ho Chi Minh City

What reduces them through the rainy season, and when spraying makes sense.

UpClean's technicians do the spraying themselves, with a product that holds a valid registration number in Vietnam, is on the permitted list and is used as its label directs.

• Reach us on 0968 726 135 by phone, WhatsApp or Zalo, tell us when mosquitoes bother you most and attach photos of the roof terrace, balcony or porch with your address.
• After the free survey our technicians propose the method, and you receive the plan and all-inclusive quote in writing. The plan names the product, the area to be sprayed and the re-entry time.
• On spraying day, standing water is cleared by your Up specialist, who also covers fish tanks and outdoor belongings and watches that spraying stays inside the agreed area; afterwards balcony and roof-terrace furniture is wiped down and you receive your Up Report: the areas treated, the standing water removed and the points to watch. In rain or strong wind the spraying is usually moved.
• A specialist who turns up over 15 minutes late earns you 10% off that visit's invoice. You may change or cancel at no charge up to 24 hours before the appointment; after that the fee is 30%.