Foreigners buying homes in Vietnam: conditions, quantity, term

Legal basis: Law on Housing No. 27/2023/QH15 (Articles 8, 17, 19, 20); Decree 95/2024/NĐ-CP of 24/7/2024; Law on Real Estate Business No. 29/2023/QH15 (Article 48); Land Law 2024 (Article 44) — all effective from 01/8/2024 · Updated 24/10/2026.

The three questions foreign investors ask most: how many units may I buy, how long may I keep them, and is the unit I plan to buy in a project that may be sold to foreigners. This article answers according to the legal texts, with ways to check for yourself before paying a deposit.

1. Who may own housing in Vietnam

Group	Main conditions	Basis
Foreign individuals	Permitted to enter Vietnam; not entitled to diplomatic or consular privileges and immunities	Articles 17, 18 of the 2023 Law on Housing
Foreign organisations	Foreign-invested enterprises, branches, representative offices, etc. operating in Vietnam	Article 17 of the 2023 Law on Housing
Overseas Vietnamese (Vietnamese people residing abroad)	Permitted to enter Vietnam; own housing attached to residential land use rights under land law	Article 8 of the 2023 Law on Housing, Article 44 of the 2024 Land Law

A foreign individual may buy, lease-purchase, receive as a gift or inherit commercial housing — including condominium apartments and landed houses — in a housing construction investment project, except projects located in areas that must be kept for national defence and security. They may not buy stand-alone houses and land outside projects (an alley townhouse, residential land bought from an individual).

2. Limits: 30% of apartments, 250 landed houses

Type of home	Limit for foreign organisations and individuals	Basis
Condominium apartments	No more than 30% of the apartments in a building; for a building with several blocks / wings, 30% applies to each block / wing	Article 19 of the 2023 Law on Housing, Decree 95/2024
Landed houses (villas, adjoining houses)	No more than 250 houses in an area with a population equivalent to a ward-level administrative unit	Article 19 of the 2023 Law on Housing

The limit is counted across all foreigners in the building / area, not per person. Once a building has reached 30% of its units sold to foreigners, the developer may not sell any more units in that building to foreigners — even when you are buying back a unit from a Vietnamese owner.

The law does not cap the number of units one person may buy; the limit lies in the share of the building and the area.

3. Ownership term: 50 years, renewable once

• Foreign individuals: ownership as agreed in the contract but for at most 50 years from the date the Certificate is issued; the term is stated on the Certificate. On request, ownership may be renewed once, for up to another 50 years (Article 20 of the 2023 Law on Housing).
• Foreign organisations: the ownership term may not exceed the term stated in the organisation's investment certificate / operating documents, including any renewal.
• Foreigners married to Vietnamese citizens and living in Vietnam: may own housing and hold the rights and obligations of an owner like Vietnamese citizens — not limited to 50 years like an ordinary foreign individual.

Renewal procedure (Decree 95/2024): file at least 3 months before expiry at the one-stop unit / provincial public administration centre where the home is located — the application (Form No. 01, Appendix I), a copy of the Certificate, and a copy of a valid passport with an entry stamp. The provincial People's Committee considers it within 30 days; once approved, within 15 days submit this document with the registration of changes so the new term is recorded on the Certificate.

If the term is about to end and not renewed: the owner sells or gifts the home (or authorises someone else to sell or gift it) to a person permitted to own housing in Vietnam. If the term passes without a sale or gift, the home becomes public property.

4. How overseas Vietnamese differ from foreigners

	Foreign individual	Overseas Vietnamese (Vietnamese people residing abroad)
Homes that may be bought	Commercial housing in projects, outside defence and security areas	Housing attached to residential land use rights under land law
30% / 250-unit limit	Yes	Does not apply (the limit is for foreign organisations and individuals — Article 19)
Term	50 years, renewable once	Not bound by the foreigners' 50-year term
Proof documents	Valid foreign passport with entry stamp + undertaking not to claim diplomatic privileges and immunities	Still holding Vietnamese nationality: valid Vietnamese passport. Person of Vietnamese origin without nationality: foreign passport with entry stamp + a document confirming Vietnamese origin

In short: if you still hold Vietnamese nationality you buy like a domestic buyer; a person of Vietnamese origin who has given up nationality may still buy housing attached to residential land (apartments, homes in housing development projects, etc.) under Article 44 of the 2024 Land Law, but needs a document confirming Vietnamese origin. For dual nationals, ask the notary which passport to use for the transaction before signing.

5. Documents when buying and when receiving the pink book

When paying a deposit and signing the sale contract:

• A valid passport with a Vietnam entry verification stamp (or an international travel document with an entry stamp) at the time of signing.
• A written undertaking that you are not entitled to diplomatic or consular privileges and immunities.
• Payment by bank transfer to the account of the developer / real estate business at a bank lawfully operating in Vietnam (Article 48 of the 2023 Law on Real Estate Business). Keep all transfer records — needed when reselling and when sending money abroad.

When receiving the Certificate (pink book):

• The sale contract, handover record, proof of full payment under the contract and the registration fee.
• A passport as above. A foreign individual's pink book states the ownership term — check this line when you receive it.

6. How to check that a project can still be sold to foreigners

1. Is the project on the list. The provincial People's Committee publishes the list of projects in which foreign organisations and individuals may own housing, after obtaining the opinion of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security on defence and security areas (Article 4 of Decree 95/2024); the Department of Construction posts each project's information on its portal (Article 7(1)). Example, Ho Chi Minh City: Official Letter 1164/UBND-ĐT of 22/8/2025 added 48 projects (65 in total at that time); Official Letter 3357/UBND-ĐT of 23/4/2026 added 8 projects; on 12/10/2026 a further 4 projects in An Khanh, Long Binh and Binh Hoa wards were announced.
2. Whether the building still has quota. Ask the developer for the number of units already sold to foreigners in the very building / block you choose, and ask for it in writing. The list only says the project may be sold; it does not guarantee the building still has room.
3. Buying back (secondary): a unit held by a Vietnamese person can only be transferred to you if the building still has quota. Ask the Department of Construction / the land registration office where the home is located, and a notary, before paying a deposit — especially when the seller is also a foreigner (the ownership term is on their pink book).
4. The contract should state how it is handled if a pink book cannot be issued to a foreigner because the quota is exhausted (refund, refund deadline).

7. Changes that may be coming

The Ministry of Construction is drafting an amended Law on Housing, expected to go to the National Assembly at its end-2026 session: it proposes removing the 250 landed-house limit, keeping 30% of apartments per building and the 50-year term renewable once, and adding a mechanism for authorising a sale or gift when the term ends (Vietnam Law Newspaper, 18/9/2026). This is only a draft — transactions today still follow the 2023 Law on Housing.

This article is for reference only and does not replace legal advice for your specific case.

1. Work out which group you belong to: a foreign individual, a foreigner married to a Vietnamese citizen living in Vietnam, an overseas Vietnamese who still holds Vietnamese nationality, or a person of Vietnamese origin who has given up nationality.
2. Check that your passport is valid and carries a Vietnam entry stamp on the date you plan to sign the contract.
3. Find the project in the list of projects open to foreign buyers on the portal of the provincial / municipal People's Committee or Department of Construction where the project is located.
4. Ask the developer in writing: how many units remain within the 30% limit in the building / block you have chosen.
5. Read the refund clause for the case where a certificate cannot be issued to a foreigner.
6. Transfer money only to the account in the developer's name stated in the contract; keep every receipt.
7. On receiving the pink book, check the line stating the ownership term (50 years from the date of issue).
8. Note the date to file the renewal application — at least 3 months before expiry — or your plan to sell / gift before the term ends.

Before you reserve, HPR checks the project against the list open to foreign buyers published by the provincial / municipal People's Committee and asks the developer how many units remain within the limit for each building. The result is sent to you in writing from the developer / state agency — not confirmed verbally.

• Monrei Saigon — Thuan Giao Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The developer has a separate policy for foreign buyers of tower A1: a 50 million VND deposit at signing, raised to 5% of the price excluding VAT within 7 days (Policy No. 02/2026/TT-MR of 23/06/2026).
• The Marq — 29B Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Tan Dinh Ward (former District 1); a completed project and a secondary transaction, so check the building's limit before paying a deposit.
• The Grand Manhattan — 100 Co Giang, Cau Ong Lanh Ward (former District 1).
• One Central Saigon — Ben Thanh Ward (former District 1).
• Imperia Sensa Park — Vo Chi Cong axis, Phuoc Long Ward (former Thu Duc City).

A project being named here does not mean quota remains for foreigners — let HPR check for the specific unit.

• Government Electronic Portal — Law on Housing No. 27/2023/QH15 (Official Gazette Nos. 37 + 38, 08/01/2024) — Articles 8, 17, 18, 19, 20.
• Can Tho City Legal Dissemination and Education Portal — Government Decree No. 95/2024/NĐ-CP (issued 24/7/2024, effective 01/8/2024; documents proving eligibility).
• LuatVietnam — File and procedure for extending home ownership in Vietnam (Decree 95/2024: file 3 months ahead, 30-day processing).
• Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper — How long may foreigners own a home in Vietnam? (term, marriage to a Vietnamese citizen, handling at expiry), 17 August 2025.
• Vietnam Lawyers Magazine — Home ownership rights of foreign individuals in Vietnam and the legal issues raised (defence and security areas under Article 4 of Decree 95/2024), 12 August 2026.
• Tuoi Tre — From 1 August, closing the door on two-price real estate deals, no cash payments (Article 48 of the 2023 Law on Real Estate Business), 12 July 2024.
• People's Representatives Newspaper — Ho Chi Minh City adds 48 housing projects that foreign organisations and individuals may own (Official Letter 1164/UBND-ĐT), 22 August 2025.
• LuatVietnam — Ho Chi Minh City Official Letter 3357/UBND-ĐT 2026 announcing the list of housing construction investment projects for foreign organisations and individuals, 23 April 2026.
• Vietnam Law Newspaper — Ho Chi Minh City announces 4 housing projects foreigners may own, 12 October 2026.
• Vietnam Law Newspaper — New proposal on foreigners' home ownership rights in Vietnam (draft amended Law on Housing), 18 September 2026.