Real Estate Briefing: Metro Land, Rising Loan Pressure and Hot Apartment Issues

The real estate market is seeing notable developments, from new approaches to exploiting land around metro lines to financial pressures and legal issues affecting housing projects. In Ho Chi Minh City, experts say the city should not focus solely on maximizing revenue from land around metro stations to offset infrastructure costs. Instead, the TOD model should be developed toward nurturing long-term revenue sources for the urban area. Meanwhile, outstanding credit for real estate projects involving restaurants, hotels, tourist areas and resorts in Ho Chi Minh City reached VND 30 trillion at the end of August, up 12.5% year on year. In the housing segment, real estate companies recorded VND 29.815 trillion in profit in the second quarter, a 265% increase from the same period, mainly driven by bulk sales, project transfers and divestments.

Financial pressure is becoming more apparent for homebuyers as floating mortgage rates exceed 16% per year, while car loan rates can reach 18% per year. In Hanoi, residents of HH Linh Dam are facing both falling asking prices, with some apartments dropping by hundreds of millions of dong or even more than VND 1 billion, and concerns over legal status, the issuance of ownership certificates and possible relocation as the city reviews projects belonging to the Muong Thanh ecosystem. If implemented, areas cleared after relocation and demolition are expected to be prioritized for community facilities, cultural and educational institutions, technical infrastructure and parking. These developments also highlight the need for buyers of time-limited apartments to check the building’s age, quality, legal status and renovation plans, while understanding that the end of a construction term does not mean losing ownership of the apartment.

Elsewhere, the site at 48 to 48A Tran Phu Street in Nha Trang, which had been abandoned for many years, is now being leveled for a high-end commercial and tourism services complex. Alora Nha Trang is also attracting attention for its location, distinctive products, support from international brands and ability to serve two existing customer streams. Internationally, the US high-end office market is reversing course as supply tightens, while China is entering a new phase of real estate development in which existing housing is playing an increasingly central role. Alongside market news, several lifestyle recommendations are also drawing attention, including avoiding the refrigerator door for storing certain foods, carefully considering hard-to-clean furniture and spending a few minutes preparing the bedroom before sleep to create a more relaxing evening.