Termite control in Sala and Thu Thiem — villas, shophouses, apartments with timber interiors

Sala is part of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area. On 1 July 2025 Ho Chi Minh City replaced its districts with wards, the local administrative units, and Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 formed the new An Khanh ward from five old ones: Thu Thiem, An Loi Dong, Thao Dien, An Khanh and the rest of An Phu. Thu Thiem and An Loi Dong were not divided, so Sala and the towers of Thu Thiem now share one ward address.

Both are on our regular termite schedule, with bookings taken from 07:00 to 20:00, seven days a week.

Villas and townhouses in Saroma and SariTown

Fairly new multi-storey houses, with much glass and large-format stone, yet also timber floors, timber kitchen cabinets and timber-clad stairs.

Shophouses Sh1–Sh4 and shop units

Business on the ground floor, a home or office above; many are let as shops.

Sarimi, Sarica, Sarina and Sadora apartments

According to the newspaper Nguoi Lao Dong, Sarimi was the first complex in Sala to be occupied, from May 2016; many apartments are close to ten years old.

Apartments in Thu Thiem

Empire City, The Metropole Thu Thiem and the other residential towers.

Many owners assume termites belong to old houses. Termites do not eat concrete or brick, but neither stops them: a crack, a mortar joint, an expansion joint or an electrical conduit is enough of a route to timber, paper and plasterboard.

Sala gives them plenty to find. The villas and townhouses, new as they are, have timber floors, kitchen cabinets and timber-clad stairs; in the apartments the timber is in the flooring and in furniture chosen with care. Sala is also a leafy development with a park of its own, and in a low-rise house termites can enter through the ground slab, the service pipes or the backyard.

Renovation is the moment to look. Nearly ten years after handover, many Sarimi apartments are being refitted with new kitchen cabinets, bathrooms and flooring. When the old cabinets and boards come out, their backs and undersides are in plain view: a rare chance to see where termites hide, before new fittings close everything in again. Look for:

• Backs of kitchen cabinets and built-in wardrobes, once removed: tube-shaped trails of soil, or loose crumbs of it.
• The underside of floorboards: hollow channels along the grain, with soil in them.
• Timber-clad stairs and handrails: a dull sound when tapped, a blistered finish.
• Shophouses: cardboard boxes and papers kept for a long time in the ground-floor storeroom, eaten hollow.
• Plasterboard ceilings: yellowish stains, a slight sag, a line of soil along the edge.
• Winged termites round the balcony light after rain: sometimes only insects drawn to the lamp, sometimes a sign of a nest nearby.

After the survey our technicians decide between bait and monitoring stations, a localised residual treatment, treatment of the ground slab, or a mix, and carry out every step that involves a product. The rest falls to your Up specialist, with a different emphasis in each building:

Multi-storey villas and townhouses

The technicians trace upwards from the slab, the backyard and the service pipes. Your Up specialist covers large-format stone, timber floors and timber-clad stairs and photographs each area as found.

Shophouses lived in and traded from

The ground floor is booked before opening or on the shop's closing day. Displayed stock is moved only with your consent and put back where it was; the living floors have their own covering list.

Empty premises between lets

With counters and shelving out, wall bases, floor and ceiling are easy to inspect, and the Up Report photos help the owner at the next handover.

Apartments under renovation

Surveyed just after the old cabinets and flooring come out. Tell us the builders' schedule so that the works do not disturb the treatment plan.

Apartments with fine furnishings

Leather sofas, wool rugs and ornaments are covered or moved as agreed, then put back from the photos taken at the start.

We have no price list for termite control. Two apartments on the same floor with the same area may need different plans, depending on whether the termites are in one cabinet door or have followed a service pipe into another room. A fee can be named only after a survey, which is free.

The written all-inclusive quote gives the approach for each area, the re-entry time (how long a treated area must be kept clear), the number of return inspections and the scope of the warranty. Anything outside it needs your written agreement first.

Products must be on the list permitted in Vietnam and hold a valid registration number. Before treatment you receive a written note of which product is used, where, and the re-entry time. The household's preparation is short:

• During the re-entry time, young children, older relatives, anyone pregnant and pets stay out of the treated area.
• Food, crockery and children's toys go into closed cupboards. Cover the fish tank and ask our technicians about the air pump.
• Mention asthma or allergies at the survey, so that the plan can take them into account.
• Afterwards your Up specialist cleans as the safety instructions direct and leaves untouched the spots that must stay as they are to keep working.
• Do not open or move monitoring stations; the plan in your Up Report shows where each one is.
• In an apartment the door stays shut during treatment.

A termite job is rarely one meeting: after the survey and the treatment come return inspections, and bait and monitoring stations need watching for weeks. Being in the same urban area changes neither the procedure nor the quote; it makes that series of appointments easier to arrange.

• Message 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo with your precinct, block or house number and photos of the suspect spot. Leave any mud tubes (the tubes of soil termites travel in) intact and do not spray anything yourself.
• By appointment, your Up specialist can call in beforehand, so that the free survey goes straight to the right places. The plan and all-inclusive quote then arrive in writing.
• Our technicians treat with your Up specialist present to cover, watch each working point, clean up and put things back.
• Your Up Report holds a plan of the treated points, before-and-after photos and the inspection schedule. We remind you of each inspection until the termites are no longer active; if a new mud tube appears in between, send a photo and we book a re-check.
• With 24 hours' notice or more, changing or cancelling is free; within 24 hours the fee is 30%.
• UpClean is independent of the developer and the management offices here; entry to each building follows its own instructions.

Language

Your enquiry, the quote, the booking confirmation and the Up Report can all be in English. For an English-speaking specialist on site, note it when you book; if we cannot provide one, we tell you beforehand and help by phone or message.

Registering with building management

Many apartment buildings ask residents to register outside staff in advance. We send your Up specialist's name and photo, with our technicians' details, for you to pass to building management or estate security.

Access while you are away

You need not be at home. Leave a key with building management, reception or family: only the assigned specialist handles it, handover times are recorded and keys are never copied. We recommend a temporary code for a smart lock; the walk-through can be by video call.

Payment

After the walk-through, by bank transfer or cash; for a larger job the quote may state a deposit. Invoices are issued on request under Vietnamese regulations, to individuals and companies; if you need one, tell us when you approve the quote.