For nearly 2 months now, Mr. Tran Dinh Khang (35 years old, Hoang Mai, Hanoi) has been searching for a house in an alley but has not yet closed any.
Mr. Khang said that in July 2024, he decided to sell a 50m2 house in Tran Phu ward, Hoang Mai district to make a profit. However, since selling the house, he has been struggling to buy a new house.
It is worth mentioning that the houses that brokers take to see in Tran Phu ward (Hoang Mai district) and Tu Hiep commune (Thanh Tri district) are all charged very high prices by their owners.
"Holding more than 5 billion VND in hand, there are still not many options for houses in alleys. Many homeowners " shouted the price" too high, so I still haven't closed any house" - Mr. Khang confided.
The actual research of PV at many brokerage offices shows that the demand for buying houses in alleys in Hanoi is continuously increasing. In particular, the number of customers interested in and transacting in apartments with an area of 30-45m2, priced at 3-5 billion VND, in districts such as Ha Dong, Hoang Mai, Hai Ba Trung, Gia Lam, etc.
Increased demand makes many homeowners expect to sell houses at higher prices. For example, since the beginning of 2025, Ms. Vu Thi Huong has been selling the main house with an area of 50m2, 4 floors, on Khuong Trung street, Thanh Xuan district, for 8.6 billion VND (equivalent to 172 million VND/m2).
According to Ms. Huong, the selling price is about 40-50 million VND higher than the selling price of apartments in the same area in early 2024.
However, although they are being offered at high prices in the hope of " Following" the market's heating up momentum, some homeowners are willing to give strong discounts to willing buyers and are willing to close deals early.
"Although I am selling at a higher price than the market price, when I meet a willing customer, I am willing to reduce 200-300 million VND" - Ms. Huong shared.
In the central area, houses in alleys have recently been advertised for sale at an average of over 300 million VND/m2. In some densely populated areas, small alleys, cars cannot circulate, the selling price is still up to 200-250 million VND/m2, depending on the area, characteristics of the land and the current status of the handover.
Recently, a house in an alley on Doi Can Street (Ba Dinh District) with an area of 62m2 is being advertised for sale at 11.5 billion VND, equivalent to over 177 million VND/m2; or a single house on Chua Lang Street (Dong Da District) with an area of 55 m2 (including the balcony) is being advertised for sale by its owner at 10.3 billion VND, equivalent to 188 million VND/m2.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha - representative of a brokerage office in Nam Tu Liem - said that normally, houses with good prices, locations not too deep, alleys at least 2-3m wide, clear legal documents, with red books and no Feng Shui errors can almost find customers quickly.
Explaining the phenomenon of houses in alleys being advertised for sale at high prices, experts say that this is an effect of the strong increase in new apartment prices, averaging 70-90 million VND/m2. Not to mention, the continuous increase in auctioned land prices has set new price records.
According to Mr. Le Van Binh - Deputy Director of the Department of Land (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), from 2023 - 2024 due to lack of supply, housing prices will increase very high. Even old apartment buildings, old collective houses, and houses in small alleys are 1.5 - 2 times more expensive than before.
