Buying Property in Da Nang as a Foreigner: The 2026 Step-by-Step Guide
Foreigners can legally buy apartments and landed houses in Da Nang under the Housing Law 2023 — but not land itself. Ownership runs for 50 years from the date on your certificate, with one extension provided for in law. No more than 30% of the apartments in any one building may be foreign-owned, and no more than 250 landed houses per ward.
Those two caps, and that 50-year clock, decide more Da Nang purchases than price ever does. Most guides mention them in passing. This one starts there, because they are the reason deals collapse at the last minute — and the reason some resale units are worth far less than they look.
We run a property portal covering Da Nang and central Vietnam and work with local partner agencies on the ground. We are not the selling agent on these listings, which is why this guide tells you where the risks sit rather than where the marketing is.
1. What you can own, and what you cannot
Three pieces of legislation govern foreign ownership, all in force since 2024: the Housing Law 2023, the Land Law 2024, and Decree 95/2024/ND-CP, which sets out the implementing detail.
Under them, a foreign individual may own:
- Apartments in commercial housing projects
- Landed houses — villas and townhouses — within those projects
What you cannot own is land. In Vietnam all land is held by the State, and no foreigner acquires it. What you receive is ownership of the building, with land-use rights attached to it for the duration of your term. This is not a technicality: it shapes what you can sell, and to whom.
The document that proves it is the Certificate of Home Ownership, universally called the Pink Book. It names you, the property, and — critically — the expiry date of your ownership term. Read that date before anything else.
Eligibility itself is straightforward: a valid passport, lawful entry into Vietnam, and no diplomatic or consular immunity. You do not need residency, a work permit, or a company.
2. The two caps that decide whether you can buy at all
This is the section to read twice.
| Property type | Foreign ownership cap |
|---|---|
| Apartments in one building | Maximum 30% of the total apartments |
| Landed houses per ward-level administrative unit | Maximum 250 houses |
Housing Law 2023, as implemented by Decree 95/2024/ND-CP.
In a sought-after beachfront project in Da Nang, the 30% fills. Sometimes it fills before the building is finished. When it does, the remaining units can only be sold to Vietnamese buyers — and a foreigner who has already paid a reservation deposit discovers this at the worst possible moment.
The single most useful thing you can do, before you part with any money, is this: ask the developer or the building’s management board for written confirmation of the remaining foreign quota, dated. Not a verbal assurance from a sales agent. A document.
An agent who cannot produce it, or who tells you not to worry about it, has told you something important.
3. The market you are buying into
Da Nang is not the market it was three years ago, and the numbers explain why entry pricing looks the way it does.
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average primary apartment price | VND 83 million per sqm (Q1 2026) |
| New condominium supply, 2024–2025 | More than 8,000 units launched |
| Annual supply before 2024 | Fewer than 1,000 units |
| Cumulative absorption rate | 89% (Q1 2026) |
| Total condominium stock | ~16,000 units — about 5% of Ho Chi Minh City’s |
Source: CBRE Vietnam, Da Nang Real Estate Market 2026 (Q1 2026 figures).
How to read this honestly. An 89% absorption rate is genuinely strong — the units launched have found buyers. But supply multiplied roughly eightfold in two years, from under a thousand units a year to over eight thousand across 2024–2025.
That cuts both ways. It means choice and competitive entry pricing today. It also means that when you come to resell, you will be competing against a far larger pool of comparable units than any Da Nang owner faced before 2024 — and, if you are selling to another foreigner, within a 30% slice of each building.
Da Nang’s stock is still only 5% of Ho Chi Minh City’s. It is a young market. That is the opportunity and the risk in the same sentence.
4. The seven steps, and what each one actually costs
- Check the foreign quota. Free, and it goes first. Written confirmation, dated. If the quota is full, nothing else in this list matters.
- Reserve the unit. A deposit holds it. Get the refund conditions in writing, in both languages, before you transfer anything.
- Do the due diligence. The project’s land-use rights certificate, its construction permit, and — for off-plan — the developer’s bank guarantee, which Vietnamese law requires. A developer without one is not one you buy from.
- Sign the sale and purchase agreement. It will be bilingual. Understand that the Vietnamese version prevails in any dispute, whichever one you read more carefully.
- Pay. Off-plan purchases are staged against construction milestones, and the law caps how much a developer may collect before handover. Transfer from your own account abroad and keep every bank document — you will need them to take money out later.
- Take handover. Inspect before signing the acceptance record, not after.
- Apply for the Pink Book. This is where the timeline slips. Budget months rather than weeks, and treat any promise of a fast certificate with suspicion.
What you pay on top of the price
| Item | Rate | When |
|---|---|---|
| VAT | 10% | On purchase, usually included in the quoted price |
| Registration fee | 0.5% | At certificate issue |
| Maintenance fund | 2% | One-off, at handover |
| Personal income tax on resale | 2% of the sale price | When you sell — payable on the price, not the profit |
Rates per the Vietnamese tax code. Confirm current rates with a Vietnamese accountant before you commit — tax treatment changes.
Note the last line carefully. Resale tax is levied on the sale price, not the gain. You pay it whether or not you made money. Build it into your exit assumptions from day one.
Add legal fees, sworn translation and notarisation, and — if you intend to let the unit — furnishing, without which most Da Nang apartments do not rent.
5. The 50-year clock, and what most guides leave out
Your ownership term is 50 years from the date on the certificate. The Housing Law provides for one extension of up to a further 50 years.
Three consequences that rarely appear in a sales brochure:
The clock does not restart when the property changes hands. If you buy a resale unit from another foreigner, you inherit what remains of their term — not a fresh 50 years. A unit with 41 years left is not the same asset as one with 49, and it should not carry the same price. Ask for the remaining term in writing. It is on the Pink Book.
The extension is provided for, but lightly tested. The mechanism exists in law. The number of foreign owners who have actually been through it, on Vietnamese residential property, is small. Treat the second fifty years as a reasonable expectation, not a certainty you have paid for.
Your exit pool narrows as the term runs down. A Vietnamese buyer owns the same unit indefinitely; you own it for a term. Late in that term, foreign buyers become harder to find, and the 30% cap limits how many there can be in your building at once. Vietnamese buyers remain — but they are pricing an indefinite asset, and you are selling a finite one.
None of this makes Da Nang a bad purchase. It makes the remaining term a component of the price, exactly like floor level or sea view. Most buyers never think to ask.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy land in Da Nang?
No. All land in Vietnam is held by the State. Foreigners may own apartments and landed houses within commercial housing projects, with land-use rights attached to the building for the duration of the ownership term, but never the land itself.
How do I check whether a building’s foreign quota is still open?
Ask the developer or the building’s management board for dated written confirmation of the remaining foreign-owned percentage. Do this before paying a reservation deposit, not after. The cap is 30% of the total apartments in the building, and in popular Da Nang projects it does fill.
Does buying property in Da Nang give me a visa or residency?
No. Property ownership and immigration status are separate in Vietnam. Owning an apartment gives you no right of residence, and no automatic visa. Plan your immigration route independently of your purchase.
Can I rent out my Da Nang apartment?
Yes. Foreign owners may lease their property, subject to registering the lease with the local authority and declaring the rental income for tax. Building management rules may also restrict short stays, so check the co-ownership rules before you buy with letting in mind.
What happens when the 50 years are up?
The Housing Law provides for one extension of up to another 50 years. The mechanism exists but has limited practical track record for foreign residential owners. The safer approach is to treat the remaining term as part of what you are paying for, and to price a resale unit accordingly.
Looking at Da Nang property now?
Browse properties for sale in Da Nang, or narrow to apartments and condos and houses and villas. Tell us your budget and whether you need a unit inside the foreign quota, and we will put you in front of the partner agency that works that project — not a call centre.
Sources
- Housing Law 2023, Land Law 2024 and Decree 95/2024/ND-CP — foreign ownership rights, the 30% building cap, the 250-house ward limit and the 50-year term.
- CBRE Vietnam — Da Nang Real Estate Market 2026, Q1 2026 figures for average primary price, new supply and absorption.
- Vietnamese tax code — VAT, registration fee, maintenance fund and personal income tax on transfer.
Figures verified 8 September 2026. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Take advice from a Vietnamese lawyer and accountant before you buy.
Written by Phil Rooman — I spent 10 years as a real estate agent in Thailand before founding Beach & Houses in 2020, a property portal covering Vietnam, Thailand, Bali and Cambodia. I’m not the selling agent on any of these listings, which is why this guide tells you where the risks sit rather than where the marketing is.
