Cockroaches in Your Ho Chi Minh City Apartment: What Residents Can Do
Quick answer. Cockroaches reach apartments on every floor through floor drains, pipe shafts, gaps around cables and in cardboard deliveries. The large brown ones come up from drains and the building's refuse areas; the small light-brown ones breed inside the flat, in the kitchen and around appliances. You can cut the numbers a lot yourself by covering drains, sealing gaps, clearing cardboard and keeping food and water away at night. If you still see small cockroaches after a few weeks, they are breeding inside and need treating.
How cockroaches reach your flat
- Floor drains: bathroom and balcony drains connect to the building's drain stacks.
- Pipe and cable shafts: gaps around pipes under the sink, behind the toilet and at electrical boxes.
- Deliveries: cardboard boxes from markets and warehouses often carry egg cases.
- Neighbouring units and refuse rooms: cockroaches move along shafts between floors, which is why pests reach high-floor apartments as easily as the ground floor.
Where they hide in a flat
Behind and under the fridge, in the dishwasher and oven housings, in cupboard hinges, under the sink, in bathroom cabinets and in electrical fittings. Look for droppings like ground pepper and brown egg cases in corners.
What you can do yourself
- Cover drains with covers that close, and pour hot water down them every week.
- Seal gaps around pipes under the sink and behind the toilet with silicone.
- Clear cardboard: unpack deliveries at the door and take boxes out the same day.
- Take away food and water at night: wash dishes, wipe counters, dry the sink, close bins and lift pet bowls.
- Clean behind appliances every month; grease and crumbs there feed a colony.
When it is time to call
- You see small light-brown cockroaches in the daytime; they are breeding in the flat.
- You find egg cases or many droppings in cupboards.
- Cockroaches keep coming out of the same drain or shaft after you have covered and sealed it.
Our cockroach control service in HCMC combines residual spray along drains and wall bases with gel bait in hinges and appliances, on monthly visits. If you are wondering which suits your flat, see gel bait or spray.
Common questions
Do I need to leave the flat during treatment?
For the time the technician tells you, usually until surfaces are dry. Food and dishes are put away first.
Who pays, me or the landlord?
It depends on your lease; see who pays, landlord or tenant.
Why do I see more cockroaches right after treatment?
Some leave their hiding places before they die. This settles within a week or two.
