This study aims to shed light on the correlation between spatial composition and indoor airflow as a passive design used in contemporary tube houses in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. In this constraint housing typology due to rapid urbanization, the study clarifies patterns of the living room and bedroom for their architectural and environmental characteristics such as room placement, spatial openness, airflow area and wind path. By revealing variable combinations between spatial openness and airflow in terms of rooms pattern and houses pattern, the finding clarifies diverse design methods responding to the environment in the contemporary tropical city.