How do I rent an apartment in Vietnam?

Are you looking to rent an apartment in Vietnam any time soon? Perhaps you are thinking to move or to visit for a longer period of time and need a place for at least a month. I would be happy to share the details of those two apartments in Vietnam that we rented during our time in the country. One was in a coastal city Nha Trang and another one in a mountain town Dalat.

Just keep in mind, the places we rented were pretty basic, located in neighborhoods where the locals lived.

There were options to rent an entire house or some really nice flat in a newly built complex where most of the expats and wealthy Vietnamese people lived, but we decided to go with a more simplistic home.

We didn’t really need a house for just two of us (plus it was more than we budgeted), and that super nice apartment on the high floor with mountain or ocean views required us to sign a one year lease. A goal was to start with a month to month rent before making any long-term commitments. The flat was really amazing though, fully furnished with two bedrooms, a spacious bathroom, lovely kitchen, and having sea views.

In Vietnam, as anywhere else, the more money you pay the better options you get. But the beauty of this country is in its affordability. For less than $500 you get a very nice home.

At the end of this post you will also find recommendations on where to look for the apartment. 

RELATED POST: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO LIVE IN VIETNAM AS A COUPLE?

Here is the example of the apartment in Vietnam you may get yourself:

Apartment in Vietnam – Nha Trang City

At the beginning of our arrival, we didn’t need an apartment because of the lined up volunteering opportunity in Ho Chi Min City. When volunteering was over we headed out to Nha Trang where the plan was to settle down for a while.

Finding an apartment there was difficult at that time because our arrival coincided with the arrival of the Tet holiday, in other words local New Year. All businesses were going to close for two weeks and most of the locals were out of town or preparing to celebrate. The only option on how to find a flat was either through Airbnb (which was insanely expensive due to holiday) or through some Facebook groups.

We got lucky and found an apartment through Facebook the next day after placing a request. It wasn’t really what we wanted but the fact that the building and flat were brand new and no one ever lived there was appealing to us. Also, in the beginning, it seemed to be very quiet but in less than two weeks construction began and all the noise associated with trucks came.

We lived in Phuoc Hai district on the Eastern side of the city.

Below you can watch a short video that shows how our temporarily home looked like. I apologize for the quality and format. Originally I didn’t plan to make any videos of our apartments and this particular one was created only for stories in Instagram. Only a few weeks after we moved out I realized I should have created something of a better quality. Anyway, I hope you’ll get an idea!

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The price we paid for this apartment per month:

This apartment was a studio that cost us $250 per month, excluding utilities. We paid an extra $20 for water and electricity.

Dalat is famous among tourists but not so much among expats. This town, located just three hours away from the coastline, offers an escape from the heat. Narrow cute streets, almost perfect year-round temperature, friendly locals, and amazing location captivate every visitor of this town.

In towns like Dalat finding an apartment may possess a challenge though. For some reason, a lot of local people turn their estates into guesthouses that they offer on a daily basis to tourists. At the same time, there are not many apartment buildings in the area like in cities near the sea, Saigon or Hanoi. Those a few that exist are occupied by locals.

We were not able to find a separate apartment for ourselves and ended up living in a Vietnamese home, renting one of the rooms there. As with anything else in life, sharing a living space with other people has its own pros and cons too. For us, in the end, it turned out to be an amazing experience and a blessing. We learned so much about the Vietnamese culture while living with a local family.

Check out the pictures below to see how our home looked like. The landlord had her own floor with her own kitchen and a few other rooms. We were sharing the kitchen, living room and other common areas with other renters. In total there were three rooms occupied by renters. Each room had its own bathroom but the rest we all shared. Noone was really in the house cooking or using any common space except us, that was a big advantage.

The price we paid for this apartment per month:

This apartment or room (whatever you think suits the title better) cost us $150, including all the utilities. We found it through the owner of this guesthouse where we stayed a couple of nights while looking for a home. The house we lived in was located in the southern part of Dalat, right near the Top Homestay (where many visitors love to book a room when they visit.)

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Where to rent an apartment in Vietnam?

Everyone has his own requirements when it comes to renting a flat. It is a bit tricky to recommend anything on this matter since a lot of folks prefer looking for home on spot, once they get to Vietnam, while others choose to use social media channels.

I do recommend asking around as well as checking out the following websites:

• Expat Blog – from renting a room to the enitre house around Vietnam
• Mui Ne Buy and Sell Facebook group – mainly housing in and around Mui Ne

What to pay attention to when renting an apartment in Vietnam

• If you are renting for a long-term, don’t be shy to negotiate and ask for a discount. The longer you rent it for, the cheaper it should be. It is a common tactic in Vietnam, as well as in many other countries in Asia, to negotiate and try to bring a price down.
• When you pay a deposit, make sure the owner confirms (writes in a contract) that this amount will cover the last month
• Don’t forget to clarify if any utilities are included.

Honestly, there are so many options in Vietnam where to rent a house, flat, villa or just a room. You definitely will find something. Just keep in mind that prices vary depending on the time of the year. The cheapest options come usually during the winter months.

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