Hanoi Housing for Expats: Overview and Guide

Relocating in a new foreign city must be very difficult for someone who doesn’t speak the native language, and it would be much more challenging for a place in Hanoi where housing is quite complicated. Hanoi housing for newcomers may come as cheap and affordable at first but this is not the case for such a densely populated city, and ex-pats need to take up some tips to find you the dream home.

Hanoi housing overview: Cheap but not cost-effective

Coming to Hanoi and looking for a place to live in, ex-pats can easily find ads online about a fine studio apartment with an indoor bathroom and kitchen, all cost covered with only $150/month in the center of Hanoi in which you can easily travel to work. Inviting as it is,  some may take this as a great deal and rush to the location and place a deposit at once. However, it turns out to be a single room in a 4-floor house with a shared bathroom (it was indoor indeed!), only 15 square meters, which can be just fine for Vietnamese people but very uncomfortable for expatriates.

In return, when you come for a higher price range and stay away from office place and university surrounding area, you can find a room with full facilities at a slightly higher price. For example, the rental price of apartments for rent in Tay Ho maybe a little bit higher than that in Ba Dinh or Cau Giay, but here ex-pats can really have a private and quiet life and stay away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

To raise the standard to the next level, living in a luxury 2-bedroom apartment in residential areas is not a bad choice. Although the price may be up to $700-1000, amenities, facilities and services in these places and be classified as high-class, which can be of great advantage for ex-pats. Moreover, to make it more cost-effective, renters can totally share the apartment with colleagues or friends to reduce the cost.

According to statistics from CBRE Vietnam, there are hundreds of thousands ex-pats living in Vietnam, 45% of which are living in Hanoi. Besides the center districts Hoan Kiem, these ex-pats are relocating in the Eastern and Northern areas of Hanoi, or Nam Tu Liem or Tay Ho District. To be more specific, Nam Tu Liem is where the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese live and Westerners choose Tay Ho. As for the number of ex-pats in these areas are getting higher and higher, the services here are offered with great diversity and quality, bringing more choice for you.

Hanoi House Hunt Guide

Answer these questions and you can shape the apartment/house/villa you like

Your Budget

Expats residing in Hanoi come from all shapes and sizes, so do their budget. A luxurious Hanoi apartment rental (fully furnished or unfurnished) is from $700/month, which is quite reasonable and affordable. When you have already known how much you can afford, you can also shape the kind of property you want and the place you can have it. For example, It can be a villa on the outskirts of Hanoi or an apartment in Tay Ho.

The Location

The location of your home will play a very important role in your life and it will affect your convenience. It would be best for ex-pats if choosing one property near your office but this is not always the best solution as for the fact that housing prices in these areas are very high, plus there will always be traffic jams.

The Facilities

In general, residential areas of Hanoi offer quite the same facilities but with different quality. Expats will have to consider what they really want, a private pool with open-air or just a shared indoor pool? Fine wine and dine or just a canteen to have some local food? After determining this point, you will have a clearer image of where you want to live.

The Community

Residing in a foreign country is not something you can do alone, especially for those ex-pats from the West where the traditions and customs are sometimes completely different from those in Vietnam. It would be best for one to find a place with your own community because naturally, these places will have services that fit your traditions, the staff can also speak your language, which is a huge plus.

Housing options in Hanoi:

Nowadays, with the increasing density of urban areas and housing projects, diverse options are available not only for Vietnamese but also for the majority of foreigners living and working here.

Apartments in high-class / mid-rise buildings

 Ciputra Hanoi, Diplomatic complex, Vinhomes Metropolis, Vinhomes Times City,….

Size: from 30sqm to more than 300sqm

Average rental price: from 400$ to 9.000$/month

This apartment is a residence in a high-rise building, in which, each floor has a certain number of apartments and each apartment is a residential unit. In these apartments, the management and operation of the building are done relatively well and professionally, which helps residents always feel secure. Security system 24/24, ensuring absolute safety for people, the property of customers. Currently, although any project has a commercial floor on the ground floor, there are kindergartens, parks, amusement parks, private utilities … living here almost customers have the full satisfaction of the needs from physically and mentally, without having to travel far to use

Besides, the problems of damage and wear arising in public equipment, the common use of the building are also constantly inspected, repaired and replaced when necessary, the appearance of the apartment areas. Always like new, stable operation.

Apartments from an owner

Tay Ho district, Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Long Bien.

Size: from 30sqm to 150sqm

Average rental price: from 300$ to 5000$/month

This type of property is often overhauled with apartments overseen by private owners or small businesses. The average structure allowed by the state is 4 ~ 10 floors. Design can be from 1 room to 4 rooms. Dimensions along these roads can extend from more than 40 square meters to more than 250 square meters. This type of apartment is easy to be monitored by the owner of the apartment for security while ensuring privacy. Customers will always be cared for by the host. Currently, the construction structure of these types of apartments has a significant level of innovation (lifts, kitchens and restrooms are refreshed. ACs, etc.). These properties will be a good choice for foreigners.

Houses/villas in a joint venture supervised by an organization

Ciputra Hanoi, Starlake, Vinhomes Riverside,…

In a joint venture such as Ciputra, Starlake, or Vinhomes Riverside, there will be many different houses and villas, including terraced houses, semi-detached houses and detached houses. Parcel sizes can run from 150 square meters to over 500 square meters. Not quite like an independent home/building, this type of property has all day, daily security clock, surveillance group, simple access to the common office of work such as swimming pool, rec center. , schools, parks, amusement parks, etc… Therefore, they are family houses, protected and quiet.

Separate landed houses/estates

Tay Ho, Hoan Kiem, Long Bien, Ba Dinh district

Size: 60sqm to more than 300sqm                                                               

Average rental price: 500$ to 10.000$/month

Without a doubt, the local West Lake has the largest number of independent houses or country houses. Houses and properties vary in size, quality and cost. Some of them are planned with French pilgrimage designs, some with extremely lovely pools and nurseries, covering more than 200 square meters. While some of them are simply normal cylindrical houses with little outside and basic living space. They may be nearly 20 years old, but some have been assembled almost any year back. With this type of property, you have to take care of your home and things like the web, water, electricity and electricity.

All in all, it is a must for ex-pats to consider these 4 features so that they can live in their dream home at an affordable price. If you need to find a rental apartment, please contact us:

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