In mid-2024, Ms. Bui Thi Hoa (35 years old, from Thai Binh) and her husband bought an apartment in Thanh Tri district. The apartment has an area of 65m2 with a price of 2.6 billion VND, almost fully equipped with basic furniture.
At the time of looking to buy this area, Ms. Hoa said the apartment price was around 42 - 44 million VND/m2. However, the couple was lucky to buy it at a cheaper price, only about 40 million VND/m2 because the old owner needed to sell it urgently.
In November 2024, just 4 months after buying a house, Ms. Hoa received a call from a real estate broker asking to buy for 3 billion VND.
"At that time, I thought that selling would be difficult to buy, so my husband and I decided to keep it. In recent days, brokers have reported that someone needs to buy for about 3.4 billion VND. My wife and I don't know whether to sell or wait for the price to increase further" - Ms. Hoa confided.
Unlike Ms. Hoa, Mr. Vo Hung (37 years old, from Nghe An) quickly sold the apartment he was living in, earning a profit of nearly 800 million VND.
Mr. Hung said that in early 2023, along with savings from many years and additional loans from the bank, his family bought a 68m2 apartment in Nam Tu Liem district for 3.3 billion VND. The repair and purchase of additional furniture costs about 200 million VND.
"Two weeks ago, my apartment was asked to be bought by a customer for nearly 4.3 billion VND. I am hesitating because I do not know what apartment prices will be like in the near future. Many people gave advice that I should not sell in a hurry" - Mr. Hung expressed his concern and said that he and his wife had reached an agreement to "close the sale".
Some real estate brokers informed that up to this point, most of the people who bought apartments 1 to 3 years ago have made a profit.
Cases of taking profits or intending to take profits in apartments to diversify investment portfolios and maximize profits have not been rare in recent times.
However, there are cases where customers who are residents with real housing needs when they see apartments with strong price increases and profit selling, will find it very difficult to find a new apartment when they return because the price level has increased.
The latest data from Batdongsan.com.vn shows that the average selling price of apartments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the first half of February 2025 is 62 and 57 million VND/m2 respectively.
Meanwhile, the average apartment price in January 2025 in Hanoi is 63 million VND/m2, while in Ho Chi Minh City is 60 million VND/m2.
The figures show that apartment prices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are still anchored at a very high level, but there is a slight adjustment since the beginning of 2025.
However, according to the website Batdongsan.com.vn, this is only a short-term fluctuation, to grasp the price trend, more time is needed to monitor.
From an expert's perspective, Mr. Pham Duc Toan - CEO of EZ Property - said that it is appropriate for investors to intend to take profits to restructure their basket at this time. Because, after 5-6 years from the date of handover, the price increase rate of apartments will often be saturated and the increase range will decrease over the years.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Vu Cuong Quyet - General Director of Dat Xanh Bac Bac - acknowledged that after 2 years of sudden increase, Hanoi apartment prices have almost reached their peak, making it difficult to increase higher. Investors who are caught up in the current fever need to consider carefully.
From another perspective, an expert believes that for investors with strong finances, waiting more still shows potential because the demand for apartments is still very large, so in the medium term, prices will still increase.
However, investors need to consider the possibility that in the coming years, when the supply of social housing and workers' housing increases, the liquidity of commercial apartments will be affected to some extent.
