Vietnam’s real estate market is experiencing a surge in international investment, driven by legal reforms, infrastructure development, and the rise of new growth segments. According to industry stakeholders, the country is emerging as a strategic destination for global capital, particularly in industrial, residential, and digital infrastructure sectors.
Ivan Kalungi Clausen, co-founder of Civitas, a new real estate data platform, revealed that foreign interest in Vietnam is at its highest level in years. “In the first four months of 2025 alone, capital disbursement rose 46% year-on-year — the highest in five years,” Clausen said. He attributed the growth to Vietnam’s updated land law, a strong young workforce, and supply chain shifts from China.
Key sectors driving this momentum include industrial parks, high-tech manufacturing, mid-income housing, and serviced apartments. The hospitality sector is also rebounding, buoyed by 17 million tourist arrivals in 2024. Meanwhile, demand for data centres and cold storage is growing rapidly as e-commerce activity doubles.
Civitas plans to launch its platform in Vietnam in July, with a focus on accelerating property development through faster project assessment and transparent zoning. Clausen emphasized the need for speed and precision as Ho Chi Minh City expands with new expressways and metro systems.
In a related development, Richard D. McClellan, founder of RMAC Advisory, highlighted the significance of Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, a policy designed to level the playing field for private investors. The resolution pushes for regulatory consistency, land access reforms, and streamlined compensation for stalled projects.
Under the new rules, developers must reserve a portion of land — at least 20 hectares or 5% of total land area — for high-priority businesses in need of production space. This aims to prevent land monopolization by large bidders and support economic diversification.
Vietnam’s data infrastructure is also drawing foreign capital. Louis Nguyen, chairman of Saigon Asset Management, noted that Vietnam is positioning itself as a regional digital hub. His firm recently announced a $1.5 billion data centre project, banking on growing interest from global cloud giants like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
However, Nguyen cautioned that investors are waiting for clarity on the upcoming Data Law, set to take effect July 1. He stressed the need for updates that align with global standards and enhance access to power, renewable energy, water, and subsea cable infrastructure to attract major tech players.
With these developments, Vietnam is not only attracting capital but also reshaping its real estate market into a more transparent, investor-friendly, and future-ready ecosystem.
