Housing supply and affordable housing are both expected to increase in 2026 thanks to new directives resolving obstacles faced by real estate projects, including the establishment of a steering committee to remove difficulties nationwide, according to Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh.

Efforts to address legal bottlenecks related to projects and land, in line with Politburo Conclusion No77 and National Assembly Resolution No170/2024, have initially yielded results, with many long-stalled projects restarted.

According to the task force, 2,991 projects nationwide face obstacles. Among them, 326 projects are expected to apply Resolution 170, and 898 projects are under specialized review by the Government Inspectorate and local authorities. 

Based on inspection conclusions, the central government will allow the application of specific principles so that eligible projects can continue. With strong involvement from the Government, the Prime Minister and the National Assembly, projects are expected to be gradually unblocked in the coming period.

Regarding supply, the deputy minister said that nationwide there are 3,297 projects with 5.9 million housing units, including both commercial (for profit) and social housing projects. Despite the large number, real estate prices in recent years have risen sharply, outpacing income growth, making housing increasingly difficult to access for many people, especially for apartments in Hanoi and HCMC.

Can Van Luc, Chief Economist of BIDV and a member of the Prime Minister's National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council, said that property price levels in Vietnam have soared. In 2019-2024, real estate prices increased by nearly 60 percent. In the first 11 months of 2025 alone, apartment prices in Hanoi and HCMC rose by an average of over 20 percent.

The expert pointed out six main reasons for high property prices: prolonged legal bottlenecks causing supply shortages; sharply increasing input costs; a supply-demand mismatch as businesses focus on the high-end segment; price inflation and speculation; and the lack of a strong real estate tax policy to regulate the market.

The Ministry of Construction, in its report reviewing tasks in 2025, said that apartment prices in Hanoi and HCMC have soared by 50-100 percent compared with the pre-pandemic period. The prices do not truly reflect housing value.

Positive outlook in 2026

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Sinh emphasized that with the involvement of the Government, the National Assembly, ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses, the real estate market will see many positive developments.

Specifically, supply will increase and the proportion of affordably priced housing, especially social housing, will also rise, with about 160,000 units expected to be launched into the market. 

Additionally, supply will come from projects cleared of difficulties by local authorities as well as newly approved projects.

The Deputy Minister stated that the solution to developing the market is to continue amending the legal framework toward greater transparency and decentralization, allowing localities to decide, act, and take responsibility. 

He called for more research to promote affordably priced commercial housing and to speed up social housing.

Furthermore, it is necessary to soon complete the Real Estate Transaction Center established by the State, where all transactions will be conducted on a technological platform to ensure openness and transparency for the market to develop safely. 

At the same time, the housing and real estate market information system must be improved to assist in future policy planning.

Luc emphasized that the focus should be on continuing to improve the efficiency of institutions’ implementation, and controlling and gradually stabilizing real estate price levels. At the same time, there is a need to diversify capital sources and accelerate digital and green transformation in the field of land and real estate.

For businesses, he argued that it is necessary to review investment projects, with an urgent requirement to restructure operations, control financial risks, diversify products, bring prices to more reasonable levels, and enhance governance capacity according to new legal regulations.

"If the real estate market faces issues, the economy will take about 4-5 years to recover," Luc noted.

Nguyen Le