Condominium apartment feng shui: 6 points to look at and how to check them in reality

Feng shui is a traditional belief many people consult; each school sees things differently. This article gives common beliefs and checks them against practical criteria, without claiming or promising results. Updated 23/10/2026.

A condominium apartment differs from a house on land: the main door opens onto a shared corridor, the orientation is already fixed by the design, and you cannot change the structure yourself. So when consulting feng shui, what is useful is to know which points can be handled with furnishings and which are best compared between units to choose. Below are 6 points often mentioned, with the practical angle.

Quick comparison table

Point to look at	Feng shui belief	Practical criteria to check
Main door	Not facing the lift or stairs directly; not facing another unit's door	Privacy, noise, draught when the door opens
Position on the floor	Avoid the end of the corridor near the fire exit or rubbish room	Smell, noise, escape route, distance to the lift
Corner unit	Liked by many for being "airy"; some dislike the sharp corner	Two open sides, many windows; afternoon sun if facing West
Corridor	A wide, bright corridor with few cross-lines	Lighting, ventilation, escape routes
Lifts	The unit's door should not face the lift directly	Lift noise, waiting time, number of lifts against number of units
View	Water and park views are seen as good; avoid sharp objects and facing a wall	Glare, noise, dust, privacy, views that may be blocked in future

1. Main door

By feng shui belief, the main door is where "qi" enters the home, so people usually avoid having it face a lift directly or a large window directly. A main door facing another unit's main door is also disliked by many.

Practical angle: a door facing the lift is usually noisier and less private when the lift doors open; a door facing a large window directly easily causes a draught. The usual remedies are a shoe cabinet, a partition, a curtain or a rug; no structural changes are needed.

2. Position on the floor

A unit in the middle of the corridor is usually seen as balanced. A unit at the end of the corridor, right by the fire exit or rubbish room, worries many people.

Practical angle: this is a point to check by visiting. The end of a corridor may be quiet but may also have smells, the noise of the fire-exit door and of the rubbish chute. A unit near the lift is convenient to get around but noisy. Escape routes follow the fire-safety regulation designed by the developer; QCVN 06:2022/BXD (amendment 1:2023, applied from 01/12/2023) is the fire-safety regulation for buildings and works, including condominiums. You should ask the developer for the escape plan of the floor you choose.

3. Corner unit

Many people like a corner unit because it has two open sides, many windows, and good light and wind. Some dislike the building's sharp corner under the belief of "killing qi", and use plants and curtains to soften it.

Practical angle: the condominium regulation QCVN 04:2021/BXD (Circular 03/2021/TT-BXD, effective 05/07/2021) requires apartments to have natural lighting, bedrooms to be ventilated and have natural light, and bedroom area not less than 9 m². A corner unit usually meets this more easily, but if it faces West the afternoon is hot; you need glass, curtains or a balcony to shade it. A corner unit is usually priced higher than a middle one — compare the project's price list.

4. Corridor and common areas

Feng shui prefers corridors that are airy, bright enough and not crossed from many directions. A unit right on the axis of a long corridor, facing its end, worries some people because of "qi rushing straight in".

Practical angle: stand in the corridor and check natural light, wind, smell and the sound of footsteps. A dark, stuffy corridor usually affects comfort more than any belief. Ask clearly about the number of units per floor and the number of lifts.

5. Lifts

A common belief is that you should not live right next to the lift because of "movement" and noise; too far away is a hassle. A unit facing the lift door directly is also avoided by many.

Practical angle: noise and vibration from the lift shaft can be felt in a room next to the lift, especially a bedroom. Stand and listen at peak hours. Check the number of lifts against the number of units (morning waiting time), the freight lift, and whether there is a separate lift for residents.

6. View

By feng shui belief, a view of a lake, river or park is usually seen as good ("with water and trees"); people avoid looking straight at the sharp edge of another building, an expressway or a wall close by. Being near a cemetery, pagoda or temple concerns some people greatly; see also the article Homes near cemeteries, pagodas and temples.

Practical angle: a lake or park view is open and easier to resell, but you should look at the surrounding planning to be sure the view will not be blocked by a later building. A main-road view may be noisy and dusty; an internal view is usually quieter. Stand on the right floor, in the right unit at the right early-evening hour to see it as it really is.

How to view a unit: short tips

1. Go in the afternoon to see the West sun and the temperature, and in the evening too if possible.
2. Stand at the main door, balcony and bedroom: listen for noise, feel the wind.
3. Measure orientation with a real compass if orientation matters to you.
4. Look at the escape route and the position of the stairs.
5. For a project on sale, see the show unit and compare with the actual plan of the unit you choose. For a project formed in the future, check the legal status before paying a deposit.

What if the unit you like is not "correct" by feng shui?

The orientation and position of the unit cannot be changed, but inside you can arrange things in the direction you care about: the position of the bed, the desk and the kitchen (see the article Choosing house orientation by age). Many people also set priorities: legal status, price, amenities, travel time — and only then feng shui.

Note: feng shui is for reference only. Put clear legal status, the quality of the apartment, light and ventilation, safety and a price that fits your finances first. No apartment guarantees luck or profit.

• Supreme People's Procuracy (vksndtc.gov.vn) — National technical regulation on condominiums (QCVN 04:2021/BXD, Circular 03/2021/TT-BXD of 19/05/2021, effective 05/07/2021: natural lighting for apartments, bedrooms ≥ 9 m²), accessed 23 October 2026.
• Thu Vien Phap Luat — QCVN 06:2022/BXD (amendment 1:2023) Fire safety for buildings and works (Circular 06/2022/TT-BXD, amendment 1 under Circular 09/2023/TT-BXD; applies from 01/12/2023; content read only through search summaries because the full version needs a login).
• Investment Newspaper — Hoang Trieu Hai, Advice on choosing a condominium by feng shui, 24 June 2017 (an apartment's door cannot be turned; measure orientation with a real compass).
• Beliefs about the main door, corridor, lifts and view: common folk feng shui beliefs, with no source attached; the "practical angle" parts are checking advice commonly used when viewing homes, not figures.