Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, a 30-year-old office worker, decided to buy a 2-bedroom apartment in Hoai Duc district (Hanoi), after many years of waiting to save up to buy a house in the inner city.
"With our current salary, for my husband and I, owning an apartment in the city center is almost impossible," Ms. Tuyet shared.
In the same situation, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thanh (35 years old, from Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh) confided that when seeing the high price of apartments in the inner city, his family decided to buy a 68m2 apartment for nearly 3.3 billion VND, about 48 million VND/m2 in Thanh Tri district.
"My wife and I both work in Cau Giay district. Although it is about 10km away from our workplace, because of the reasonable price, my family bought this apartment," said Mr. Thanh.
The story of Ms. Tuyet and Mr. Thanh is a vivid illustration of the trend of moving to the suburbs in the context of skyrocketing real estate prices in Hanoi's inner city.
It can be seen that, over the past 5 years, the selling price of apartments in the center of Hanoi has escalated to an average of more than 70 million VND/m2.
In contrast, suburban areas such as Hoai Duc, Dong Anh or Gia Lam districts offer options priced from only VND40 to 50 million/m2. The price difference has prompted many families to look for apartments in the suburbs.
Besides the price factor, many suburban apartment projects also promise significant amenities such as children's play areas, swimming pools and spacious garages, meeting family living needs.
However, moving to the suburbs also brings many challenges, especially traffic problems. For Ms. Tuyet, although the apartment is reasonably priced, the daily travel time from Hoai Duc to the city center still takes about 1 hour. "On rainy days, with pollution or traffic jams, it is really tiring" - Ms. Tuyet confided.
Many projects are advertised as having a series of utilities, but in reality, synchronous progress is not guaranteed. Many areas still lack schools, medical stations and traditional markets.
According to architect Nguyen Anh Tuan, an expert with more than 20 years of experience in the field of urban planning, this problem can be solved by building multi-purpose public service centers combined with new residential areas.
"Projects need to ensure infrastructure is one step ahead, creating favorable conditions for residents to use immediately after moving in. This is a way to not only help improve the quality of life but also increase the long-term value of real estate" - architect Nguyen Anh Tuan analyzed.
Mr. Vu Cuong Quyet - General Director of Dat Xanh Mien Bac - assessed that the trend of moving to the suburbs of Hanoi is currently attracting young people. Because in recent years, suburban districts have promoted infrastructure development, so the distance between the suburbs and the inner city is no longer a problem.
In addition, large enterprises are also looking for new land far from the central area. This has attracted a large number of real estate investors, creating a wave of migration from the center to the suburbs.
However, for this trend to become a sustainable choice, experts say that localities need to have synchronous planning and reasonable investment in suburban areas, ensuring that people can live in a desirable environment instead of just a temporary solution.
