Under Article 186.2 of the 2013 Land Law, an overseas Vietnamese eligible for owning a house associated with residential land use rights in Vietnam may mortgage such house associated with residential land use rights at a credit institution licensed to operate in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Construction recently submitted to the Government a set of policy options for revision of the 2014 Housing Law of which the most controversy one is the idea of setting a definite term for apartment ownership.

Secured transactions play a vital role in securing the legitimate interests and reducing risks between the parties in transactions. Security assets are an important part of secured transactions. They are governed by Civil Code 91/2015/QH13 dated November 24, 2015 (the Civil Code), Government Decree 21 dated March 19, 2021, guiding the implementation of the Civil Code’s provisions on secured transactions (Decree 21) and other relevant legal texts. This article is confined to provide an overview of the current laws and regulations on security assets, focusing on new points of Decree 21.

In the coming time, Vietnam’s investment and business environment will be substantially improved in a bid to further raise the country’s competitiveness, according to Government Resolution 02 inked by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the first day of 2020.

Under the 2014 Housing Law, houses are recognized as private property and are not subject to the state management. The Vietnamese State protects the right to housing and lawful house ownership of house owners. Only in case of necessity, may the State decide on compulsory purchase, requisition, preemptive purchase or demolition of houses, provided compensations are paid and resettlement is provided to lawful owners of such houses under Articles 4 and 5 of the Housing Law.

In order to reside permanently in Vietnam and be eligible for naturalization in Vietnam, a foreign expat must apply for a permanent residence card, which has the same validity duration as a visa.

The 2014 Housing Law has new provisions for foreigners to own homes in Vietnam, making a breakthrough in attracting foreigners to work and live in the country. However, the applied term of house ownership for foreigners produces some negative effects that the law fails to anticipate. This article points out inadequacies in the regime of Vietnam-based house ownership by foreigners and gives recommendations for improvement.

In January 2019, local media reported that Le Dinh Huu Phuoc, a 55-year-old man in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, was beaten to death by a group of gangsters for failing to fully pay his nephew’s debt.

Under Vietnam’s law, foreign organizations and individuals may own houses, including apartments and private houses, built under commercial housing investment projects in areas where they are allowed to own homes.