Vietnam’s land plot market cools as clearing inventory hinges on housing demand
Vietnam’s land plot market remains sluggish. According to the Ministry of Construction, transactions fell 6% quarter on quarter in the third quarter of 2026, while inventory in 27 localities rose 75.3% year on year. Industry experts say better transport and amenities, adjusted prices and genuine housing demand are key to restoring liquidity.
Transactions in Vietnam’s land plot market continue to slow as inventory rises. According to the Ministry of Construction, land plot transactions nationwide fell 6% quarter on quarter in the third quarter of 2026; inventory in 27 localities reached 19,542 plots, up 75.3% year on year. DKRA Consulting data show that in the first nine months of 2026, the average absorption rate for land plots was just 1% to 4% of total supply. Liquidity declined each quarter from the first through the third, by about 50% to 66% per quarter.
Đinh Minh Tuấn, head of Batdongsan’s southern region, said the land plot market needs genuine housing demand to match the number of plots already brought to market if liquidity is to recover. He called for improvements to transport and local amenities to encourage people to move to suburbs and areas around cities. He said prices also need to be adjusted in some areas where they previously rose sharply on expectations about planning, but transport links and amenities have yet to catch up.
Nguyễn Trần Trung Hiếu, who works in real estate transactions in Thủ Thiêm, said the model of subdividing and selling plots after completing only part of the infrastructure, relying on expectations of price increases to attract buyers, will become increasingly difficult to sustain. Developers should complete project procedures and infrastructure and design products for local needs: areas around major cities can serve people moving out of the center, while projects near industrial parks should take workers’ purchasing power into account. He also urged developers to disclose infrastructure progress and transfer conditions and honor their sales commitments.
Apartments, townhouses and land plots in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2026.（VietVance）
Trương Lệ Tâm, HouseNow’s sales director for the southern region, suggested that developers continue to help buyers build homes, find tenants or manage properties after selling land plots. She cited developers in Tân Uyên, in the former Bình Dương Province, who are targeting professionals working in nearby industrial parks as tenants. Some companies also promise land plot buyers an annual return of about 2.8% to 3.2%. Industry experts also advise buyers to assess housing, employment and rental demand before purchasing land and to consider from the outset whether they will live on it, rent it out or use it for business.
Source: VietVance
