Vietnam real estate investment | Overseas real estate rights, growth potential, rental demand, risks, and selecting a real estate agent [with examples]

There are probably many people who want to invest overseas but are hesitant to take the plunge. For example, if you search for "Vietnam Vietnam real estate" on Google, 30 million pages will appear, but you probably won't hear of anyone actually investing in Vietnam.

So, this time I would like to explain in detail to help you feel more familiar with Vietnam as a real estate destination.

Our company, Suzuki Real Estate, was established in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2020, and we will be focusing on what we have felt and experienced while running our business over the past five years.

Elements of Vietnam real estate

When considering investing in Vietnam real estate, you first need to know the following:

1. Types of Vietnam property that foreigners can buy
2. Purchasing land, office buildings and business sites
3. Vietnam Real Estate Title
4. Vietnam real estate growth potential
   1. Vietnam's demographics and rising wages
   2. Rental demand
   3. Rising real estate prices
5. Vietnam real estate investment risks
6. Reasonableness of prices for real estate in Vietnam
7. Real-life examples
8. Choosing an experienced real estate agent

Now, I will explain them one by one.

Types of Vietnam property that foreigners can buy

It is no exaggeration to say that almost all properties that foreigners can purchase are condominiums.

It is said that it is possible to purchase houses and villas, but the prices are now quite high, at 300 million to 400 million yen, so condominiums are the mainstream investment.

The rights to a condominium are called homeownership rights.

Buying land

We don't receive that many inquiries, but we do receive inquiries from people who want to purchase land.

Land rights are called Land Use Rights and can only be acquired by Vietnamese people.

We do get involved in this, but since it is rare for foreigners to be involved, we will not go into detail here.

Vietnam Real Estate Title

Ownership of a condominium is similar to ownership of a property in Japan.

Vietnam real estate growth potential

When it comes to Vietnamese real estate, let's look at Vietnam's growth potential from the following three perspectives.

Vietnam's Demographics and Youth: IMF GDP per Capita Projections

One episode about "per capita GDP" that left a strong impression on me was something that a friend working at a major insurance company told me when I was considering changing jobs to work at an accounting firm in Hong Kong in 2016.

"Why are you going to Hong Kong?"

He said that Japan was definitely the leader in Asia, and that going to other countries would mean falling behind. However, even back then, I thought that Japan was third in Asia in terms of GDP per capita, after Singapore and Hong Kong, and I felt that there was some strong growth potential overseas.

Meanwhile, the trend of a weak yen and a strong dollar has continued in recent times, and it is said that by 2024, Japan will surpass South Korea and Taiwan on a dollar basis.

It was striking that people who purchased real estate around 2023-2024 believe that Japan will structurally move toward a weaker yen.

Citation:IMF Vietnam GDP per capita forecastBased on this, we created a graph

Vietnamese population, youth and wages

As shown in the following graph, Vietnam's population pyramid is characterized by a "pot-shaped" population with a high proportion of young people aged 25 to 40. The bulk of the population is in the productive age group of 15 to 64, which is the core of the labor force and purchasing power. There are few elderly people, which is said to be due to the impact of the Vietnam War.

Citation:Vietnam's population trends Based on this, we created a graph

Characteristic

• The average age of Vietnamese people is about 31 years old.
• Approximately 651 TP3T of the total population are under 60 years old
• The proportion of young people is high, and the proportion of the productive age population (15 to 64 years old), who are said to be the core of the labor force, is high, especially the proportion of people in their late 20s.
• There is a large population under the age of 15
• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) predicts that Vietnam's population will reach 102.7 million in 2029 and 108.7 million in 2049.

In fact, when I look around Ho Chi Minh City, I see everyone younger than me (I'm 35), and even at my age, I'm often referred to as Ong (a term used to refer to older people).

The problem facing small and medium-sized enterprises like ours is rising wages. According to a survey by JETRO, Japanese companies in Vietnam have been increasing wages by an average of 5-6% every year since 2020. However, my experience running a business in Ho Chi Minh City is that the rate of increase is definitely higher in the Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi metropolitan areas.

Citation:(JETRO) Survey results on wage growth in Vietnam

Rental demand: Offices expand from Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 to Binh Tan District

Our company regularly provides rental brokerage services for offices, apartments, street shops, etc. in Ho Chi Minh City. Our main customers are foreign expatriates from major business companies in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, and ASEAN.

In many cases, offices are based in the central areas of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. In Ho Chi Minh City, the office is located in the center of District 1, and people commute to work from the surrounding districts of Binh Tan, 2, 3, and 7. Recently, office rents in the center have been rising, and it seems that the area that can be called an office district is gradually expanding.

For example, this image, which is featured on our office special page, is an office for rent in Binh Tan District. It was expanded around 2021 due to business expansion, but was originally based near the Vietcom Bank Tower in the center of District 1.

As the central office area expands, residential areas are also expanding to include Districts 2 and 7.

Tenant: Japanese IT company, Reason for rent: Business expansion

Tenant: Chinese company, Reason for rent: New expansion

This office has been rented by a Chinese company that is a global top brand in electrical appliances around 2022. Because it is a top brand, they originally considered locations in the central area of District 1 as well, but they ended up renting an office in District 1, which is close to District 5.

⇒Office special page

Rental demand: Binh Thanh and District 2 are popular among Japanese and Koreans for apartments

Particularly popular areas for apartments are Binh Tan District and District 2.

Until now, long-established service apartments in Districts 1 and 3 of Ho Chi Minh City were popular.

Currently, many high-rise apartment buildings built several years ago are lined up in Binh Tan District and District 2. Because they are relatively new, the trend of switching from service apartments to condominiums is gradually increasing.

Furthermore, Ward 7 remains very popular with families attending international primary schools.

⇒ Sanwa Pearl Property Information [Lots of experience in supporting sales and purchases]

Rental demand: Shops move from Le Thanh Ton Street to Binh Tan District and District 2

Not only are we expanding our offices, but our retail locations are also expanding.

Previously, Japanese companies were only expanding into Le Thanh Ton in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, but recently they have been expanding into Phan Bic Chanh in Binh Tan District and the Tao Dien area in District 2.

⇒ List of stores

⇒Ho Chi Minh City, District 2, Tao Dien rice ball shop

Rising real estate prices

As our company mainly acts as an intermediary for the buying and selling of properties for foreigners, we will only tell you about properties that foreigners can purchase.

When I first visited Ho Chi Minh City in 2017, 1 yen was worth 200 VND. Sometimes it even exceeds 210 VND. At that time, a meal in Le Thanh Ton cost 300,000 VND, which is about 1,500 yen. At that time, 2 billion VND was exactly 10 million yen, and there were quite a lot of properties available for purchase for around 10 million yen.

Time has passed, and now in 2024, 1 yen = 170 VND.

Around 2020, there were certainly advertisements saying that you could still purchase a used apartment for just over 10 million yen. However, now in 2024, you will need at least 15 million yen. And in popular areas such as Binh Thanh District and District 2, even a small one will cost at least 20 million yen.

I sometimes see articles saying that real estate in Vietnam is cheap, but frankly, what I think every day is, "It's expensive." However, maybe because I used to work in China and Hong Kong, I don't find it strange that real estate prices are no longer growing or that there is a bubble.

connection:List of real estate in Vietnam (purchase and sale)

Vietnam real estate investment risks

In Vietnam real estate, even well-known developers face the risk of construction delays.

For this reason, since our founding in 2020, we have mainly introduced resale properties where construction work has already been completed to our customers. However, there have been cases where we have introduced pre-built properties, but our basic policy is to introduce resale properties and properties in good locations.

connection:⇒Introduction of major Vietnamese developers

Reasonable prices for real estate in Vietnam

Vinhomes Grand Park is an apartment complex that the largest company, Vinhomes, has been building in Ho Chi Minh City's 9th district since the late 2010s. The second phase, "Origami," has attracted attention as an apartment complex for the wealthy in Ho Chi Minh City's 9th district, with the participation of major Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Corporation and Nomura Real Estate.

Subsequently, in 2022, economic and travel restrictions also had an impact, causing the resale market for this project to fall by 30%.

Currently, the developer has adjusted the price, and I feel that it is easier to buy compared to when Origami was first released. However, the properties that we mainly introduce are still properties in Bintan District, District 2, and District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City. For those who are interested in Vinhomes Grand Park, we will directly explain the properties that are particularly cost-effective and the risks, including various cases and experiences.

*We are proud to say that for about three years since 2020, we have publicly declared on our website that we would not sell any of the second-hand "Origami" condominiums, as we felt that their prices were too high. This is just one example, but what makes us different from other companies is that, because we are a company run by our representative, Suzuki, we can only sell properties that we deem to be reasonably priced.

What I want to convey here is that it is difficult for even a real estate agent who has been based in the area for many years to judge the appropriateness of a price. However, we are proud that we have directly communicated our views to our customers and have helped them make purchases.

⇒ Views on Vinhomes Grand Park

[Example] Estella Heights yield

[Example] A person who invested in Estella Heights 1 Bed in 2020 and sold it in 2024

This is just one example of how we handle purchases and sales.

It is said that investment in real estate can be considered as an investment target if the IRR is 5% or more. As a result, 12% is a fairly high figure.

This table does not take into account exchange rates, but investments in Japanese yen were favorable during this period.

⇒ List of properties for sale in Vietnam

For real estate in Vietnam, go to a local real estate agency with plenty of experience

As it was a major developer, a consultant at a seminar in Tokyo introduced a property to someone who ended up purchasing it. The connection with me was that the owner had asked if there was a company that could help him sell the property after asking the real estate agency he had bought it from to sell it, but the matter did not move forward. I think it was around 2019. I was contacted by the chef/owner.

After that, we assisted them in successfully selling the property and transferring the funds to Japan, and received a review. Frankly, I don't recommend going with a big company, famous company, or famous person.

On the other hand, I think that real estate agents who are established in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi are good. Because the network there is small, I think that there are few people who will dare to do bad things.

In addition, if you have a local partner, you will have to pay extra introduction fees. Even worse, there are many cases where the relationship with the partner deteriorates and the buyer is left behind. In the end, the actual work is handled by local real estate companies, so in this day and age when email and SNS are widespread, it is best to contact a local real estate agent directly, see the person, and make a firm decision for yourself.

Real estate is a business that covers everything from buying to renting and selling. For this reason, it is very helpful to have word-of-mouth reviews from owners and buyers.

In this column, I have written a little bit about what I have felt after five years of running a business in Ho Chi Minh City. If you are interested in real estate in Vietnam, I would love to talk to you about more. Please feel free to contact me.

Real estate agent with Japanese National Qualifications is based in Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh Suzuki Real Estate [Buying and Selling Reviews]

Suzuki Real Estate Company Information