What the law allows (2014 Housing Law, 2023 amendments)
A foreigner in Vietnam may own an apartment on a 50-year leasehold (extendable once, freely resalable). Villas and houses are held via a long-term land lease — also up to 50 years, resalable.
Two caps exist, and we check both: the 30% quota (foreigners may own at most 30% of units in a building) and the 250-villa quota per ward.
Paperwork: booking to pink book
- Booking — $3–5K deposit takes the unit off market for 30 days.
- Legal check — quota, land status, construction licence, encumbrances, escrow account; 7–10 days.
- SPA — the main sale contract, registered for the foreign buyer.
- Pink book — the ownership certificate, issued after full payment (or per escrow schedule for off-plan).
What to avoid
“Register under a local friend” (you lose all title), houses sold “on agreement” without a construction licence (they never register), and installments without an SPA (that is an unsecured loan to the developer).
Bottom line: foreigners can buy — through the official scheme with quota and licence checks. That is exactly what our legal department does on every deal.
