On November 13, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee reporting on the implementation of a short-term rental model for apartments in apartment buildings.
Previously, the Department of Construction had proposed that the City People's Committee approve a pilot mechanism for leasing apartments under the form of short-term accommodation.
This model is only applied to buildings with technical systems such as electricity, water, elevators, fire prevention and fighting, waste treatment, etc. and is built in accordance with approved design documents.
After that, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong issued a conclusion directing the management of the short-term rental model at the apartment building.
For apartments with mixed-use purposes, the city assigned the Department of Construction to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Justice to fully review the provisions of current law, along with requirements on fire prevention and fighting, business registration, legal conditions, individuals... to issue instructions on necessary and sufficient conditions to allow the use of apartments for tourist accommodation.
The Department of Construction is also assigned to coordinate with the City Police and People's Committees of wards and communes to review and publish a list of apartments that meet the criteria for short-term accommodation rental.
For apartments without mixed functions, the city requires coordination with the Department of Tourism to study and propose a project to exploit apartments for economic and tourism purposes, but must still ensure security, safety and the rights of residents.
According to the Department of Construction, in the past time, the unit has received many documents with comments, recommendations and petitions, letters from individuals, the Management Board of the apartment building and the management and operation enterprise. Through the synthesis, two opposing opinions emerged.
One group resolutely opposed, saying that short-term rental in apartment buildings for living is contrary to the purpose of house use, can cause disorder, affect living space and the use of collective utilities.
Many opinions suggested keeping the regulation prohibiting the use of apartments as short-term accommodation facilities according to Decision 26/2025/QD-UBND, while strengthening inspection and strictly handling violations to ensure a safe and stable living environment for residents.
At the Business - City Government Dialogue Conference with the theme "Management and use of apartment buildings" organized by the Department of Construction in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), many opinions strongly opposed this model, worried that short-term tenants coming and going often will cause insecurity and affect urban living.
On the contrary, some apartment owners and business units believe that short-term leasing is an inevitable trend in the context of tourism and sharing economy development, which needs to be managed with a clear mechanism instead of absolutely banning.
This group believes that if licensed and strictly controlled, this model can create a legal source of income, promote urban tourism services and effectively exploit existing housing funds in Ho Chi Minh City.
Based on practical experience and comments, the Department of Construction proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assign the Department to continue researching, accepting, and supplementing regulations related to the use of apartments for short-term rental, and include them in the draft to amend and supplement Decision No. 26/2025/QD-UBND on management and use of apartment buildings in the city.
