HCMC housing prices rise on shortage of new supply
HOUSING prices continue to rise rapidly in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam because of a shortage of new supply, increasing population and a lack of transport infrastructure in outlying areas.
It has become very difficult to find apartments for less than two billion dong ($85,500) in the city.
Prices are up five to 10 per cent compared to just six months ago.
At one apartment project in District 1, an 85sqm unit with two bedrooms costs 21 billion dong. Apartments measuring 140-180sqm sell at 47.7-50 billion dong.
A bit further from the city centre, in Thu Duc district, near the Hanoi Highway, apartments in the Tan Hai Minh project was selling at 35-40 million dong last year, but now cost 50-60 million dong per square metre.
Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA) chairman Le Hoang Chau said housing prices continue to increase because of a lack of new projects and demand far outstripping supply.
Administrative procedures take too much time while transportation between the central and suburban areas is not good, meaning people do not want to stay outside the main areas, he said.
With the government likely to take time to simplify the administrative procedures, developers could now price their projects at whatever level they want, he added.
The rapidly rising population is also a reason for the soaring housing prices.
HoREA pointed out the city’s population increases by one million every five years. The Department of Construction has said 476,000 families lack housing while 21,000 others living along canals and 35,000 living in dilapidated apartments need to relocate.
To resolve the shortage, HoREA has called on authorities to build more housing at reasonable prices for low-income people and simplify administrative procedures for social housing projects, Chau said.
Le Thanh Real Estate Company director Le Huu Nghia said his company submitted a proposal for a social housing project in Binh Chanh district in March, but has not heard back from the Department of Planning and Investment though the project area is earmarked for social housing.
“We recommend that the government speed up and simplify administrative procedures and draft new policies to encourage investment i n social housing.”
Viet An Real Estate Company director-general Tran Khanh Quang said the government should also create support policies for first-time buyers of housing. This would also preclude the purchase of social housing as an investment, he added.
Chau said HoREA has called for upg radi ng t ra f f ic i nf rastr ucture to link t he f ive suburban districts of Cu Chi, Can Gio, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, a nd Nha Be wit h t he cit y ’s cent r a l a rea s so t hat t hey become more at t ract ive a s residentia l areas.