Technical article
Can a Foreigner Own a House or Flat in Vietnam?
Their first question is simple: are they even allowed to own one?
Picture a couple named Joan and Mike, both 61, from Ohio. They like the idea of a flat in Vietnam for part of each year. Their first question is simple: are they even allowed to own one?
What the law says
The rules sit in Law 27/2023/QH15 on Housing, which I read in the Official Gazette copy of 8 January 2024. I read it through a summary, so the wording below is paraphrase unless quoted.
| Question | Answer from the law | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Who may own | An individual foreigner "permitted to enter Vietnam", who does not hold diplomatic or consular immunity | 17 |
| How it can be acquired | Buy or lease-purchase commercial housing from a project investor, or receive it by gift or inheritance. The project must be outside defense and security zones | 17 |
| Flats | No more than 30% of the apartments in one building | 19 |
| Houses | No more than 250 houses in an area about the size of a ward | 19 |
| How long | Up to 50 years from the date of the certificate | 20 |
| Renewal | One renewal of up to 50 more years, if wanted | 20 |
| Selling or giving | Allowed before the term ends. If not done, the home becomes state property | 20 |
| Renting it out | Allowed for lawful purposes after telling the local housing authority | 21 |
In plain terms: it is a right with an end date, in approved projects, and the building or area can fill up its foreign share.
What is left open
- The date the law took effect. The excerpt I read did not show it.
- Any detail from the later government decrees, including which projects are open to foreign buyers.
- Taxes and fees on a purchase or sale.
- Whether the type of visa matters beyond permission to enter.
An older government page from 2020, under the 2014 law, gave the same 30%, 250 and 50-year figures. A 2022 page described a draft with a different cap for houses (10% of a project's houses, up to 250). That was a draft, so I left it out of the table.
You could…
- Ask a Vietnamese lawyer to confirm that a project is open to foreign buyers before you pay a deposit.
- Ask an accountant or lawyer who works with Americans abroad about tax at home.
- Think about who would sell or inherit if the term were running out.
If the right ended in 50 years, what would you want to happen to the home?
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: 10 October 2026.
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