One of Hanoi’s most prominent unfinished skyscrapers may soon find a new purpose as authorities move forward with plans to transfer the long-stalled Vicem tower.

Amid HCMC’s orientation to limit further high-rise apartment development in the central core, the old apartment market is heating up significantly. Many buildings put into use more than 30 years ago are still listed at up to VND80 million/m2.

The “great unblocking” of thousands of stalled real estate projects worth millions of billions of VND has begun.

HCMC’s greater openness to the Airbnb model after more than a year of tight control reflects a trend toward balancing the sharing economy with modern urban management. However, without proper management solutions, disputes will continue to arise.

Imposing progressive fees on abandoned real estate is a necessary solution to prevent speculation, avoid waste of land, place assets into use, and increase housing supply, experts have said.

Behind tightly closed corrugated iron fences are "golden" land plots abandoned for many years. Many real estate projects in Hanoi remain "frozen", though land was allocated to investors by the state a decade ago.

Persa Place achieved a complete sellout on launch day, reinforcing Springville’s growing appeal in Nhon Trach’s booming property market.

As Airbnb expands in Vietnam, concerns over security, overcrowding and residential quality of life continue to divide opinion.

Vietnam’s inclusion among the top 20 growth hubs in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to accelerate the standardisation of the country’s real estate operations in line with increasingly stringent international requirements.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is reviewing challenges and shortcomings in the implementation of property-related tax policies and will report to competent authorities at an appropriate time.

Many apartments are being offered for VND200-300 million less than units of the same size within the same project, but they come with inconveniences that buyers must carefully consider.

In Hanoi, in Q1 2026, newly launched apartments continued to climb, with average prices reaching VND128 million per sqm, while the secondary market showed signs of price adjustments.

After a period of rapid price increases before Tet, many old collective apartment buildings in central Hanoi have reduced prices by VND300–500 million per unit. However, liquidity remains low as buyers grow cautious and investors leave.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been ranked among the top five fastest-growing urban centres in the world, according to a newly released Growth Hubs Index ranking by Savills.

The Government Inspectorate has transferred the dossier related to the Van Khe Urban Area expansion project (Usilk City), developed by Song Da Thang Long JSC, to the Ministry of Public Security for investigation.

Since early 2026, Hanoi’s real estate market has shown strong momentum as a series of projects commenced construction and introduced new inventory.

Developing the affordable housing segment is expected to help increase supply and reduce house price levels, but to attract developers, policies on land-use fees, taxes, capital, and home-buying conditions need to be clarified.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction says that improving housing supply will help stabilize the overall market, limit unreasonable price increases, and create more favorable conditions for genuine homebuyers.

Experts believe that waiting for home loan interest rates to fall is not a good idea as buyers may risk missing out on price opportunities now.