Half a year, 2 home price increases
Mr. Bui Dinh Thanh and his friend rented a room on Tran Dai Nghia Street (Hai Ba Trung Ward, Hanoi) from the end of 2024.
According to Mr. Thanh, his rented room is on the 3rd floor, about 25m2 wide, with a rental price of 5 million VND/month, not including electricity and water bills.
"We rented this room to a tenant who rented the whole house. The first floor is for business use, the upper 4 floors are for rent. Depending on the area, the rental price ranges from 3 - 5 million VND/month. In addition to electricity and water bills, each month my friend and I rent a house for about 3 million VND/person, said Mr. Thanh.
Mr. Thanh said that the room rental price of 5 million VND/month in Tran Dai Nghia street is "acceptable". Not to mention, the place he rented was near the market, about 3km from the company. However, in April 2025, the renter announced an increase of 500,000 VND/month with the reason "all-increased common premises".
At the end of August 2025, Mr. Thanh and his friend received another notice from October 2025, the rental price increased to 6 million VND/month, without any reason for the increase.
A room of more than 20 square meters rents 6 million VND/month, which is expensive for workers like us. Currently, my total monthly income is about 14 million VND, if I work overtime according to the project schedule, I will earn more than 16 million VND. However, there are still many costs. I have to send money back to my hometown to support my parents in taking care of their two children's education. Not to mention, welding is very toxic, I don't know how long I can keep up with it. I discussed with my friend to move to Ngoc Hoi area (Hoang Liet ward) to reduce costs," Mr. Thanh shared.
Mr. Thanh and his friend are renting a level 4 house in a collective housing area on Ngoc Hoi Street, with an area of 35m2, with a garden, for 4 million VND/month. Although the distance to work is longer than 4km, Mr. Thanh accepts to reduce the cost of renting a house.
Rental prices increase too quickly
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong (from Thai Binh ward, Hung Yen) was "shocked" because after returning to her hometown to have children and return to Hanoi to rent a house to work, the rental price increased by 1.5 million VND/month.
Ms. Hong said that in May 2025, she and her husband returned to their rented room in the alley of Nam Du Street (Hai Ba Trung Ward, Hanoi) to return to their hometown to give birth. Ms. Hong works as a nhanck for a restaurant system in Hoan Kiem ward, her husband is a freelancer. The couple rented a 2-storey house with an area of about 25m2 per floor in the alley of Nam Du street for 5.5 million VND/month. Because her husband returned to his hometown with Ms. Hong, the couple decided to return the house to save costs, and when they returned to Hanoi, they would look for a new house to rent.
"My husband went to Hanoi in early October 2025, staying at friends' houses to find a house to rent. He has been to see dozens of houses and rooms but has not yet closed them. It was our house that we paid for in May, now that it has returned, the owner has rented it out for 7 million VND/month. Around that area, if you want to rent a house for a couple and children to live in, the price is not less than 8 million VND/month. The rental price increased so quickly, I was really stunned, Ms. Hong said sadly.
According to Ms. Hong, because the rental price is too high, her husband is still wandering around looking for a house, so her mother and children have not yet returned to Hanoi. "We have calculated that if we rent a house at a high price and hire someone to look after our young children so that we can work, we will not have much money to spend and live on. My wife and I discuss renting a house to go to the suburbs, willing to travel far to reduce costs. My husband has been looking for a house in Thanh Tri, Cau Dien... for the whole week," said Ms. Hong.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Anh - Deputy General Director of Batdongsan.com.vn - said that tenants in Hanoi tend to accept renting less furniture and prioritize renting smaller places to reduce costs. In addition, some other options are chosen including renting a place with less amenities, renting a house in the suburbs or in a shared house.
