How a Foreigner Can Buy Property in Vietnam in 2026: Rules, Taxes and Market Overview

In Vietnam a foreigner can buy an apartment or a house in a residential project, but not land: ownership is granted for 50 years with the right to extend for another 50. We look at quotas, taxes and the steps of the deal, how a residential apartment differs from a condotel, what the market shows in 2026 and how Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc differ.

Vietnam opened its housing market to foreigners in 2015, and since 1 August 2024 a new Law on Housing, Law on Land and Law on Real Estate Business have been in force. The rules have become clearer, but the core principle has not changed: a foreigner buys housing, not land. And the choice should start not with the view from the window, but with the legal status of the property and whether a foreigner can register it in their own name.

The main rule: the land belongs to the state

In Vietnam all land belongs to the people and is administered by the state. Even Vietnamese citizens receive only the right to use it, and foreigners are not granted such a right to land for housing.

A foreigner can own an apartment or a house in a residential project. A separate plot of land or a house outside a project cannot be bought.

So every option for a foreign buyer is housing in developers' projects: apartments in residential complexes and detached houses in housing estates. If a seller offers a foreigner land in ownership or a villa outside a residential project, check the structure against the documents before discussing the price.

Who can buy

The buyer can be a foreigner who has entered Vietnam legally: the passport must carry a Vietnamese entry stamp. A residence permit or work visa is not required to buy. The exception is persons with diplomatic or consular immunity.

You can also buy through a foreign-invested company registered in Vietnam, or a branch or representative office of a foreign company. For a private buyer this is usually unnecessary: the property is registered directly to the individual.

What you can buy

You cannot buy housing in projects located in national defence and security zones. The list of projects where foreigners may buy is approved by each province's authorities and published on its official portal and on the portal of the provincial Department of Construction. Ho Chi Minh City, for example, published a list of 24 projects and has since added to it.

Apartment, condotel or resort apartment

On the coast, objects with different legal status are all sold as apartments, and for a foreigner the difference is fundamental:

The word apartments in an advert confirms nothing. Before the deposit, find out what document will be issued after the purchase, in whose name, for what term and with what designated use.

Quotas: 30% of apartments and 250 houses

Each project has a limit on the foreign share:

Once the quota in a building is used up, the apartment can no longer be registered to a foreigner. If such housing comes to a foreigner as a gift or inheritance, they receive only its value, not the property itself. That is why the quota is checked before the deposit, not after. A developer's verbal promise that the quota is available is not enough for a large payment — you need an answer for the specific tower.

Ownership term: 50 years and extension

A foreigner does not own housing indefinitely, but for up to 50 years from the date the ownership certificate is issued. The term is written directly on the certificate. On application it can be extended once for no more than another 50 years. The extension is arranged separately, subject to conditions, so the phrase 100 years of ownership should not be read as a guarantee.

There is an exception: a foreigner married to a Vietnamese citizen or to a Vietnamese living abroad owns housing on the same terms as Vietnamese citizens, without the 50-year limit. The documents for such registration are checked separately.

What you can do with the property

A foreign owner can live in the apartment, rent it out, sell it, give it away, pass it on by inheritance and mortgage it to a bank. The property can be sold to a Vietnamese buyer or to another foreigner if the project's quota is not used up.

Housing can only be let for residential use, and the lease must be notified to the local authority that keeps housing records. Rental income is taxed — see below.

What buying gives a foreigner, and what it does not

What it gives:

What it does not give:

You can visit your apartment under the normal entry rules: citizens of many countries can enter visa-free for up to 45 days, and everyone else can get an e-visa for up to 90 days with multiple entries.

Off-plan: how the buyer's money is protected

Most foreigners buy during construction, and the new Law on Real Estate Business, in force since 1 January 2025, has noticeably strengthened buyer protection:

The guarantee and the project documents are worth checking before the deposit: the construction permit, the right to sell housing in a building under construction and whether the project is on the list for foreigners. A sales brochure is not proof of the right to sell.

Taxes and fees

There are no separate taxes for foreigners — the rates are the same as for Vietnamese citizens.

PaymentWho paysHow much
VAT on new buildsbuyer10%, usually already included in the developer's price
Maintenance fundbuyer2% of the apartment price, paid to the developer together with the payments
Registration feebuyer0.5% of the price
Notary and registration servicesusually the buyerfixed tariffs
Tax on saleseller2% of the sale price
Tax on rental incomeowner5% VAT + 5% personal income tax on revenue above the tax-free threshold

For example, when buying an apartment from a developer for 3 billion dong, the registration fee will be about 15 million dong and the maintenance fund contribution about 60 million dong, with VAT already in the price.

The tax on sale is retained in the new Law on Personal Income Tax, in force since 1 July 2026: 2% of the transaction price. The revenue threshold below which rental income is not taxed has been raised from 2026, but the exact figure is worth checking at the time you let the property — different regulations interpret it differently.

Money: only through a Vietnamese bank

The purchase is paid through a bank in Vietnam, in dong, from an account in the buyer's name. Money from abroad is brought in by an official transfer through an authorised bank, and all confirmations of these transfers should be kept.

This is not a formality: when you sell, you can take the money out of the country only if it is clear that the purchase was paid with legally imported funds. Paying in cash or through third parties creates problems precisely at the moment of sale.

If the goal is renting out: how to calculate the yield

Count the net income, not the advertised one. From the annual rent, deduct vacant months, the management company's fees, building maintenance, repairs and furniture, and the tax on rent. For a resort property, seasonality must be taken into account separately: the high season and empty months give a very different picture from the average rate in a brochure.

The yield promised by an operator or developer is not yet the owner's result. It can only be confirmed by real rental rates and occupancy of the specific property or similar apartments in the same building.

What is happening on the market in 2026

According to the report of Vietnam's Ministry of Construction for the second quarter of 2026, published on 21 August, supply is growing while demand is weakening:

For the buyer this means that in the second half of 2026 there is more room to negotiate and a wider choice of new builds. But these are national and city averages — they do not show the price of a specific apartment, which should be compared with similar offers in the same area.

Five destinations: what to assess

Each destination suits its own purpose. This is not a yield ranking, but a guide to what to look at:

DestinationWhat it suitsThe main thing to check
Hanoiliving in the capital and long-term rentalentry price, transport, liquidity of the specific complex
Ho Chi Minh Citythe largest urban market, living and rentingdistrict, project readiness, documents, resale terms
Da Nanga city by the sea, both for living and for guestsdo not confuse a residential apartment with a tourist apartment
Nha Tranga seaside city with a large tourist segmentresidential apartment or condotel, land use
Phu Quoca resort islandseasonality, management company, status of the property

Hanoi. An apartment here is assessed as city housing: the commute to work and schools, how the complex is organised, the price against similar offers. For renting out you need real rates and vacancy in the chosen district — the city average will not replace them.

Ho Chi Minh City. The country's largest market, and the analysis here is done at the level of the district and the project. If the apartment is bought for resale, find out in advance the ownership term in the documents, the remaining foreign quota and the circle of future buyers.

Da Nang. City life and a seaside holiday combine here, so first decide what the property is for: for yourself, for long-term rental or for guests. A sea view does not answer the question of whether the property can be registered as a foreigner's residential ownership.

Nha Trang. Residential buildings and condotels stand side by side on the waterfront, and one sale may concern a residential apartment and another a hotel unit on commercial land. Compare properties first of all by legal status and actual management costs.

Phu Quoc. The island lives on tourism, and most of the supply is resort villas and apartments in hotel complexes. What decides is the project documents, the contract with the management company, the running costs and how the property fills up in the low season.

How the purchase works: step by step

  1. The purpose of the purchase — for living, long-term rental or resort use: both the property and the calculation depend on it.
  2. Choosing a project from the province's official list where foreigners are allowed to buy.
  3. Checking the status and quota — whether it is residential premises and how many apartments in the tower can still go to foreigners.
  4. Checking documents — the right to sell and the bank guarantee for a new build; for resale, the seller's certificate and absence of encumbrances.
  5. Opening an account at a Vietnamese bank and transferring money from abroad with confirmation.
  6. Deposit and sale and purchase contract. Before signing — the full contract with annexes: the area and how it is adjusted, the price, the schedule, the handover date, liability for delay. With a developer, a contract on the approved form; on the resale market, a notarised contract.
  7. Payments on schedule within the 30%, 70% and 95% limits.
  8. Handover and payment of the registration fee.
  9. Ownership certificate, the so-called pink book, stating the ownership term. For a new build the developer arranges it after handover.

What to watch out for

Questions about buying

If you are considering buying property abroad and want to go through your situation — the ownership structure, taxes and payment procedure — message us on WhatsApp.

See also

Sources

This blog is written by Anna — Realty 51’s AI guide. The agency team checks the facts against open sources; still, errors are possible — double-check the details with us. Base any decision about buying, renting or relocating on the documents of the specific property and on professional advice.