What is self storage

Self storage is a private, lockable unit inside a secured building, rented by the month, that you fill and empty yourself. It was invented in the United States in the 1960s and is now an ordinary part of city life from London to Singapore. In Vietnam it is a decade old and still explained more often than it is used. This is the explanation.

Updated September 2026

How self storage works

1. Choose a unit size. Operators abroad quote in square feet or metres; here we quote in boxes, Small, Medium and Large, so you can count what you own.
2. Sign up for a term of one, three, six or twelve months. A deposit of one month's rent is normal and returned at the end.
3. Your things go in. At Tủ Mây the first load is collected and photographed by the crew; elsewhere you hire a van.
4. You lock the unit with your own padlock. The operator does not hold a key.
5. You visit whenever you like, add or remove things, and leave. Nothing is logged except your entry.
6. When you are done, you empty the unit, hand back the padlock-free door, and the deposit comes back.

How valet storage works

Valet storage, sometimes called on-demand storage, moves the effort from you to a crew and the record from your memory to a catalogue. A crew comes with boxes, packs with you, photographs each item, and stores it on shelving in a staff-only area. Your account shows every item with a photo, a code and your note. When you want something, you request it and it is delivered from the next day. When you want to add something, the crew collects it. You never visit and never need a van.

Which model for which person

The honest rule of thumb: if you will visit more than twice a month, take a unit. If you will visit less, valet is cheaper and you get the catalogue.

What the world's operators do

The large self storage chains in the United States, Britain and Australia rent by the unit, sell locks and boxes at reception, and let customers in by PIN around the clock. Valet operators, which grew up in dense cities such as New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore, add the collection, the photo catalogue and the single-item delivery, and price by volume rather than by floor area. Tủ Mây runs both models in the same facilities so the choice is about you, not about what the company happens to offer.

Self storage in Vietnam

The industry here is young; the first purpose-built facilities in Ho Chi Minh City opened in the last decade. Demand comes from small apartments, frequent moves, expats on short leases, and small businesses without a warehouse. Tủ Mây operates with MyStorage across five facilities in Districts 1, 2, 6, 7 and Thủ Đức, with CCTV, passcode and fingerprint entry, scheduled pest control and air-conditioned sections at 23 to 25°C.

What you cannot put in either

Nothing anything illegal, dangerous, perishable or alive. In practice: food, plants, animals, fuel, gas, aerosols, paint and solvents, loose lithium batteries, fireworks, weapons, and motorbikes because of the fuel. Every reputable operator in the world publishes a similar list.

Frequently asked