How to Rent an Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City (An Expat’s Guide)

While living in Vietnam, I’ve rented nearly a dozen apartments. I have lived in several parts of Da Nang and four different districts in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve rented boutique apartments, where the entire building had only a handful of units, and in bigger buildings, where there were nearly 100 units, a management office, and maintenance staff always on site. I’ve stayed in great apartments and others where I couldn’t wait to move out.

The rental landscape out here isn’t regulated. Locals often moonlight as “agents.” Rental listings usually aren’t exclusive; numerous agents will advertise and show everyone the same apartments. You may fall in love with a unit, tell your contact that you’ll take it, and find out it was taken by someone else within minutes. It’s a free-for-all of first come, first serve.

True story: I was viewing a unit with a landlord one time, as the apartment was becoming available in one week. We were inside the actual unit, and she was giving me a tour. As I walked around the apartment, imagining myself living there, she received a text message that someone else had just come to the office downstairs and put a deposit down on that very unit.

You will have head-scratching moments like this—be prepared. Renting an apartment in Vietnam will require patience and persistence.

Contact me in my Ho Chi Minh City travel planning Facebook group if you have any questions or need advice on a unit.

Don’t miss my other article on the best districts to live in Ho Chi Minh City. If you’re heading to the city for the first time, you’ll want to download and make use of the Grab app to get around HCMC.

I personally use Agoda to book a hotel, usually in District 1 or District 3, to use as a base to view apartments.

Choosing a District to Live in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is broken down into 24 districts, mostly numbered, some named. Most are not relevant for tourists or expats. The majority of tourist attractions are in the central areas of District 1 and District 3. 

District 2 contains Thao Dien, which is a very popular little enclave for tourists and expats. There are numerous international schools here, and many expat teachers and families live in Thao Dien. The area has sort of built up with this in mind, and as such, countless restaurants and bars cater to Westerners and other tourists. There are grocery stores, the Vincom Mega Mall, and most of the district is walkable. Even if you don’t live in Thao Dien, there are many great cafes and restaurants worth checking out. I lived here for three months. The Common Inn Thao Dien is a nice budget hotel in Thao Dien to use as a base to explore the area.

District 7 is one of my favorites and is also a popular place to stay long-term. It contains an area called Phu My Hung, which is in the district’s southern part. I lived in District 7 for six months, though not in the Phu My Hung area. I rented an apartment on Tran Xuan Soan, the northernmost road in the district, facing District 4. District 7 is self-contained; you’ll find everything you need to stay long-term here. There are plenty of gyms, parks, and Lotte Mart, which is one of my favorite supermarkets in all of Ho Chi Minh City. Crescent Mall is also here, one of the better malls in the city. The Golden Star Apartment & Hotel is in a great area of Phu My Hung.

Here’s a video I filmed from the balcony of my apartment in District 7, facing District 4 over the canal.

District 4 is the floating triangle on Google Maps between District 1 and District 7. This is an interesting district because of its location. Staying here, you’ll have easy access to the city’s central districts, as well as District 7 down south. There are a couple of high-end luxury buildings like Millenium Masteri, but apart from those, rent is generally cheaper. District 4 is a bit trafficky partly because of its location between popular districts and is more popular among Vietnamese locals than foreigners.

Binh Thanh District is another popular spot to stay, specifically in or around Wards 17, 19, 21, or 22. Ward 19 has a high concentration of great restaurants, cafes, and bars. Sushi Nhi is a great spot for budget-friendly (and good) sushi. Oliver’s Pizza is good, too. That’s one of my favorite pizza spots in HCMC. Ward 19’s streets are small and walkable. The location of Binh Thanh is excellent as well. It’s not in the center of the city, but it’s nearby enough for easy access. The Bloom Pham Viet Chanh is in a great area of Binh Thanh to use as a base.

If you are coming to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time, rent a hotel or Airbnb for a few days and check out some areas. I wouldn’t commit to any long-term apartment before seeing an area or the actual apartment yourself first, in person. Use a hotel for a few days to check out some places, see some different areas of Saigon, and then move into a suitable long-term apartment elsewhere. 

If you plan on having a motorbike or learning how to ride, your options will be much greater. And if you’re moving here for a job, you may want to stay near your place of work, which will limit your options.

What to Look for in a Rental Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City

There are many variations of apartment layouts, furnishings, and building amenities. “Fully furnished” means different things to different people, apparently. 

True story: I was once looking for an apartment and was clear with agents that it needed to have a big couch or sofa. An agent showed me a unit that he said had a big couch, but it really had two wooden armchairs pushed next to each other. This “couch” was also situated under and facing away from the TV hanging on the wall. I guess tenants were meant to watch the TV with a rearview mirror.

There are a lot of odd furniture choices and arrangements like this, not just here but all over Vietnam. Expect to see some goofy apartment layouts.

Also, be prepared that if you’re looking for a one-bedroom apartment, you may be shown a studio apartment with a bed and be told this is the same thing. Communicating and dealing with agents and landlords will require patience.

Here’s a video I filmed as I was moving into a new apartment in Phu Nhuan District.

Below is a list of what I look for in an apartment after years of renting. Not everything is always available. I’ve usually had to sacrifice one or more things, so it’s a balance depending on personal preferences. 

Motorbike parking. Some buildings have an open garage where you can easily drive in and out. These are the best. Other buildings have locked gates where you have to park your bike, hop off, unlock and open the gate, drive in and park, and then come back out front to close and lock the gate. I’ve stayed at places like this; some have fingerprint scanners to open the gate. It’s something to consider if you come in and out often.

Elevator. Not all buildings have elevators. You may see pictures of a great-looking unit for rent, then find out later it’s on a high floor in a building without an elevator. I stayed on the 6th Floor of an apartment without an elevator in District 8 for two months, and it got old pretty quickly, especially if you’re like me and you come in and out multiple times per day.

Layout/Furniture. Desk? Couch? Balcony? TV? Wi-Fi? How is the furniture arranged? 

Washing machine. Some apartments have private washing machines in the units, which are super convenient. Other places have a common area with machines. And there are even other buildings that don’t have them at all, and you’ll have to bring your clothes to a laundromat. These services are very affordable, but it’s something to remember if you’re living somewhere long-term.

District/Area. As mentioned above, the district, or area within it, is an important consideration. If you have a motorbike, maybe less so. I’ve looked at great units that have ticked all the boxes but were on the city’s outskirts. Or a great unit in a noisy area or on a noisy street. Road traffic and honking can be heard floors up. Karaoke singing on the street is popular here, too. When you’re going to check out a unit, be mindful of what’s going on in the neighborhood. Look at the area and streets around the unit. 

Drinking water. Tap water is not safe to drink in Vietnam. I brush my teeth with it, that’s all. Some apartments have a water delivery service for the 18L jugs. They’ll usually be kept on the ground level, and you can freely swap your empty one out for another. This is the ideal thing to look for. I have also stayed at a place that had a water filtration system that was free for residents. This was good, too. But keep in mind that there are places with neither, and you may be on your own to order these 18L jugs (easy to arrange) or do grocery store runs for water bottles.

Security. Most buildings will have some kind of security guard, especially the bigger ones. But I have stayed in smaller buildings without security. The ones that have had it, these guys work 24/7. They usually post up in the garage or one of the main entrances. They will watch your motorbike and keep an eye on who belongs in/out of the building. If you are in a boutique apartment building without security, you and the other tenants usually keep the garage and such locked. This is something to keep in mind if you’re living alone or planning to have your own motorbike.  

Serviced. Most apartments for rent are serviced apartments. This means the landlord will clean your unit, and it sometimes includes changing linens and towels as well. In a serviced apartment, these services are included in the rent at no extra cost. I have viewed nice units that do not offer this service, so they also exist. Some tenants prefer privacy, don’t want to be bothered, and would rather clean independently. If this applies to you, you can also rent a serviced apartment and forgo the cleaning service if you want. But in the places I’ve been, you schedule your cleaning for certain days/times, so you can set up what works best for you. 

Construction. If there is nearby construction or going to be (a land parcel is being prepared), that is an immediate deal breaker. The Vietnamese builders work all hours of the day, weekends, and nights. You will hear hammering on Sunday morning at 6 AM. You will hear saws and drilling at 9 PM. I have stayed in places where new construction began after I had been there a while, and it’s terrible, especially if you work from home. I have gone to view units and, on the way, discovered ongoing construction in the neighborhood and have passed on the unit before even viewing it fully. It’s not worth it, no matter how nice the apartment is.

How Much is Rent in Ho Chi Minh City?

The cost of apartment rentals in Saigon varies considerably. Apartments can be had for as low as 5.000.000 VND per month. These will be small studios with limited furnishings. An elevator, a private washing machine, a good-sized couch, and a decent TV are not likely. 

Rentals can also be had for upwards of 70.000.000 VND or more per month. These will be multiple bedrooms and in high-end, luxury buildings. But two bedrooms can be had for ~15.000.000 VND or more if you look around a bit.

Price can be negotiated. Long-term rentals (6 months to one-plus years) can be negotiated much lower. Expect to pay more if you only want a short-term rental for one, two, or three months. 

Personally, I’ve found the sweet spot for a nice one-bedroom to be between 10.000.000 and 13.000.000, give or take. In this range, I can get almost everything I find important on my above list. But, this will be highly dependent on location. For example, because of the number of foreigners in Thao Dien, prices there are more inflated than in District 4, in parts of District 7, and in other districts like Phu Nhuan. The same applies to apartments in District 1 and parts of District 3; they will be more expensive because that’s the city’s heart and is the most busy and touristy.

It is a good strategy to get a nicer place in a less popular district and pair it with a motorbike. 

Electricity is not included in rentals. Sometimes water isn’t included as well. My electric bill has never exceeded 1.500.000 VND, give or take, and I often work from home with near-constant air conditioning.

What About Rental Deposits?

Owners and landlords will want a deposit. It’s usually one month’s rent. I have seen owners ask for two months. This can be negotiated.

Sometimes, owners steal deposits outright or justify the stealing by overexaggerating “damage” done to a unit. It’s not very common, but it does happen. There are some ways to mitigate this. Namely, picking up on the vibes of the agent and owner of the building when you go to view the unit. If you see any other tenants during your visit, don’t be afraid to ask them about their experience living there. When I see other tenants while I’m viewing a unit, I always say hello and ask them about their experience living there. 

I have also stayed in places that let me pay the rental deposit with a credit card. This is good for keeping a paper trail in the event you need to dispute the charge in the future. 

The good thing about renting in Vietnam, though, is that most rentals here are serviced apartments. They are buildings where all of the units are owned by one person who sometimes even lives there or, at the very least, is on the premises often. This is good for paying deposits because the owners can’t run away with your money. The risk of overexaggeration of damage still exists, though. Owners like this are usually nitpicky about stains on the furniture or curtains and will accuse you of breaking something that was already broken when you moved in. The good places will have a checklist of all furniture and appliances in the apartment, and the owner or manager will go through that with you when you move in.

The bottom line: When you’re viewing the unit and interacting with agents and owners, pay attention to them, too, not just the unit. The owner is the one you’ll be dealing with if anything goes wrong, something needs fixing, and to get your deposit back when you eventually move out. Don’t feel pressured to rent the unit if they seem slimy or your gut feels off. There are plenty of great owners and buildings in Saigon. Also, pay your deposit with a credit card if you can.

Rental Resources: Facebook Groups and Rental Websites

You’ll find several agency-run websites through Google if you search for a rental in Saigon. I don’t use any of these. The websites are usually clunky, glitchy, not updated, hard to search for different parameters, and the prices are inflated. Some of them throw a ton of units on their websites, and sorting through everything or contacting someone is a mess. 

You will succeed more using any of the numerous Facebook groups devoted to accommodation rentals in Ho Chi Minh City.

These are some of the best groups, all of which I have used personally:

• Housing/Apartment Solutions in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
• Housing & Apartment For Rent In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Vietnam
• Rooms, flats, apartments, & houses for rent – Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam
• Accommodation for Expats in Ho Chi Minh City
• Housing for expats in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

You can browse the posts and message agents directly, or you can create your own “looking for” post in groups that allow it.

What I usually do is post a short and direct as possible message about what type of unit I want (studio, one or two bedrooms), the term length, my budget, the district/area, and what furniture/amenities it needs to have, all in a bullet point list. I’ve tried different approaches to these messages, but no matter what I do, my FB Messenger inbox still gets flooded by agents offering me units that don’t match my description at all. Some will just copy and paste random units repeatedly.

However, you can find some good units by sorting through these. This is also a good opportunity to pluck some better agents privately and have them start looking for units for you directly. Sometimes, I’ve not even posted my own wanted ad; I’ve only messaged a few agents from the groups directly who looked to be on top of their game, told them what I was looking for, and had them do the searching for me. This works, too.  

Be prepared that pictures in the groups or even coming from agents don’t always match reality. They usually do, but sometimes they don’t. The owners/landlords take the pictures and distribute them to agents, who spam the various Facebook groups. Sometimes, outdated pictures are reused to advertise newly available units. Sometimes, even the agents don’t know if the pictures match. 

Here’s another personal story: I once communicated with an agent and owner about an available unit being advertised in one of the groups. It was fully furnished and looked great in the pictures, so I made an appointment to go see it. After traveling to that part of the city, maybe 20 minutes away, the unit I was shown by the security guard was entirely empty. It didn’t have one piece of furniture. I called the owner right away, really just confused, and I was told, “If you like the unit in the pictures, we can make this unit look like that, but we’ll need two weeks to do it.” 

Be prepared for shenanigans throughout your rental journey. But once you find a place you’re satisfied with and in a good area, problems and annoyances hardly arise after you’ve moved in. It’s usually smooth sailing. It’s just the searching that takes the most effort and patience.

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How to Rent an Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City (FAQs)