From 12 November to 14 December, a social housing project in Long Truong ward, Ho Chi Minh City, will accept applications to buy or rent apartments.VnExpress It is the first time the project has a concrete application schedule, following the city Department of Construction's public disclosure of the offering. At the same time, the Thanh Tan apartment project in Di An ward has announced a sale price of just over VND 24.1 million per m².Tiền Phong
If you are renting a room or saving for a first home, these two projects answer a very concrete question: how much does a social housing unit in Ho Chi Minh City actually cost right now? This article follows the order an applicant will meet: the money to pay, who is eligible, where to file, which payments to refuse, and what changes once you hold the keys.
What a unit in Long Truong costs
The developer is Dien Phuc Thanh Construction and Trading Co., Ltd. The project has 462 units: 344 for sale and 118 for rent.Tiền Phong Sale units range from 29 to 57 m², rental units from 37 to 69 m². All sit in a six-storey block on a site of more than 14,300 m².
According to the Department of Construction's disclosure, the sale price is nearly VND 24.5 million per m², including 5% VAT but excluding the maintenance fund.VnExpress Per unit, the smallest costs about VND 705 million and the 57 m² unit about VND 1.4 billion. Neither figure includes the maintenance fee.
Pay attention to the words "excludes maintenance". The maintenance fund for the building's shared areas is collected separately when the purchase contract is signed.Tiền Phong The cash you need at signing will therefore be higher than the VND 705 million or VND 1.4 billion quoted in the press. The sources do not say by how much.
Renting is simpler. The rent is about VND 162,433 per m² per month, including tax and the maintenance fee, so a 37 m² unit costs about VND 6 million a month.VnExpress The largest rental unit, 69 m², comes to roughly VND 11.2 million a month at the same rate.
Thanh Tan: a second price benchmark, no application dates yet
The Thanh Tan project sits in Tan Long quarter, Di An ward, and is developed by Thanh Tan Construction Investment Co., Ltd. The developer has approved a sale price for block 1A-1B of VND 24,164,557 per m², made up of VND 23,013,864 base price and VND 1,150,693 VAT. This price also excludes the maintenance fund.Tiền Phong
The price applies to 362 units for sale, from 36 to 51.9 m², costing from about VND 826 million to just over VND 1.29 billion each. A further 121 units are for rent at VND 157,859 per m² per month after tax and maintenance, or about VND 5.57 to 5.76 million a month for 36 to 36.5 m² units.
Side by side, social housing in the two areas is priced at around VND 24 million per m². The biggest difference for applicants is the schedule: Long Truong has set dates, while for Thanh Tan the current sources give only sale and rental prices, not an application window.
Who can buy: eligibility on status, income and housing
Having the money is not enough. Applicants must belong to a group covered by the policy, including low-income urban residents, workers at enterprises and cooperatives, and civil servants and public employees.Vietnam Government News
The income test follows Decree 136/2026/ND-CP, effective 7 April 2026. A single person must have average actual income of no more than VND 25 million a month. A single parent supporting a minor child gets a cap of VND 35 million. For a married couple, the combined average income must not exceed VND 50 million a month.Vietnam Government News
Income is assessed from pay records confirmed by the employer. The decree also lets provincial people's committees set regional adjustment coefficients, so applicants in Ho Chi Minh City should check the city's own guidance. Income confirmations issued before 7 April 2026 remain valid for 12 months from the confirmation date.
On housing, applicants must own no home, or, if they do, have less than 15 m² of floor area per person.Công Thương Each household may apply to only one project at a time. The developer works with the Department of Construction to verify applicants before publishing the list of eligible files.
Where to file, and which payments to refuse
For Long Truong, the Department of Construction advises applicants to file directly with the developer during the announced window.VnExpress Files can be submitted in person at Dien Phuc Thanh's office at 1.01, Block B, Centana, 36 Mai Chi Tho, Binh Trung ward, sent by post, or emailed to the company. Applicants are responsible for the accuracy and honesty of their files.
The department also urges residents to beware of brokers who collect money or take deposits in violation of the rules. When the filing channel has been clearly announced as the developer, a stranger promising a "guaranteed slot" in exchange for a deposit is a signal to stop. Selection rests on status, income and housing conditions, not on who pays first.
After you buy: an asset with resale restrictions
This part gets little attention in price discussions, yet it defines what the apartment is for someone who owns it. Under the 2023 Housing Law, a buyer of social housing may not resell for at least 5 years from the date the full price is paid.LuatVietnam During those 5 years, a buyer who must sell can sell only to the project developer or to someone eligible to buy social housing, at a price capped at the amount in the original contract with the developer. Selling to an ineligible buyer can void the contract and force the buyer to hand the home back.LuatVietnam
After 5 years, the apartment may be sold at market prices, provided a land-use certificate has been issued. So for at least 5 years from full payment, a social housing unit cannot be sold for more than its purchase price.
That is what separates it from a commercial apartment. A commercial unit can be sold whenever a buyer appears, at a higher or lower price. A social housing unit is locked in both directions for the first 5 years: the owner is not forced to sell cheaply to outsiders, but also does not capture any rise in local prices. The money, whether VND 705 million or VND 1.4 billion, cannot be withdrawn as flexibly as a bank deposit or the cash in a brokerage account.
Takeaway
A social housing unit in Long Truong or Thanh Tan is a long-term home with a regulated, approved price, tied to buyer eligibility rules and resale limits. The roughly VND 705 million to VND 1.4 billion is best understood as money committed to housing for at least 5 years, not an investment that can be sold quickly when cash is needed.
Before 12 November, the items worth checking are: your 12-month average income against the VND 25 million cap (single) or VND 50 million cap (couple), the real cash due at contract signing once the maintenance fee is added, and how long that money can sit untouched in the apartment. For Thanh Tan, the signal to watch is an announcement of the application schedule from the developer or the Department of Construction.