Delays to approvals for new office developments, along with proposed land price hikes, are unsettling the prospects for the Ho Chi Minh City office segment.

Recent proposals in several cities to increase land prices, together with the current restrictions placed on new projects by local authorities, are expected to cause headaches for real estate developers.

Due to tax violations, real estate giant Lideco has been fined for VND2.3 billion ($100,000).

Despite a small supply of new projects at rather high prices, both investors and experts are optimistic about the prospects of this market – with good reason.

Ho Chi Minh City is named among top three markets for real estate investors in Asia-Pacific, according to a survey unveiled in Singapore on November 12.

Suspended ventures due to lack of ­administrative procedures are instigating a severe shortage of supply and sharp increase of prices of the property market in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as in outskirt areas.

The merger and acquisition market has witnessed the real estate segment in a strong leading position; however, there remains many pitfalls which partners must be careful of whenever they enter into a property deal.

Many foreign businesses have come to explore the investment opportunities in Vietnam recently with the intention of investing or expanding operation in the country, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Instead of investing millions of dollars to build properties in HCM City’s inner districts, real estate developers are renting properties and furnishing apartments and putting them up as mid-priced serviced apartments for rent.

Many foreigners are keen to buy high-end apartments in Vietnam but the process is anything but straightforward.

After many years of being neglected, resort real estate in Binh Thuan province has been awakened by projects worth billions of dollars.

Many companies are moving their factories from other countries to Vietnam, showing the potential for strong development of industrial real estate, according to Savills Vietnam.

Real estate in coastal central localities has proved its attractiveness to both investors and buyers thanks to the booming tourism industry.

The General Statistic Office (GSO) announced on August 16 that it has started a process to revise the country’s GDP calculation.

Investor Pham Thi Trang of HCM City told Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper that she had bought 2,000sq.m of land in Long An Province's Moc Hoa District for around VND1 million (US$43.2) per sq.m.

The banking sector reported a credit growth of 7.33 percent in the first half of this year compared to the end of 2018, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Le Minh Hung said.

The domestic real estate market in the second half of this year is not expected to witness significant changes in price due to stability in supply.

The Ministry of Construction's statistics on the total real estate inventory value is incorrect as the inventories of many property enterprises are not fully taken into account, according to the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA).

Chinese investment capital in the first four months of 2019 alone amounted to 70 percent of the investment capital in the entire year 2018.

In an effort to become more attractive to investors and feature more modern infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City is intensifying development of its urban real estate market.