Expat Apartments in Vietnam
Even though the expat population is still relatively small, it's growing and so too is the market for apartment rental in the expatriate sector. There are a few caveats to be aware of which we will try to outline in these pages.
Naturally, there is a wide range of options, from budget single room basic apartments, all the way up to luxurious villas and multi-room serviced apartments. This will of course be dictated by your personal budget or your company's policy/housing allowance. Modern Vietnam has both Asian style housing and also has more Western styled accommodation, which is fueled by the expatriate market of course.
When searching for a place to live, it's tempting to use many different housing agents but we would advise against this, as most of them use the same database of available accommodation, so you would probably end up viewing the same places again and again, wasting both time and money. Only consider changing agents if you're not being shown the types of property you want.
Whatever the case, you must make sure that the people you are renting from have the legal papers to do it.
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Budget Accommodation
For those on a more modest budget, there are plenty of rooms in the major cities between 300 to 600 US Dollars per month. At the lower end of that price range, you might not have air conditioning, although it will be clean and central. Accommodation such as this is not always advertised in English, so it might take a little hunting around when you arrive and a local Vietnamese speaking contact will certainly be a help.
Over 600 Dollars per month and you start to see significant improvements. Note that it's likely to cost you at least 1000 Dollars per month if you want to live in a centrally located house.
Serviced Apartments and Luxury Accommodation
Those with a bigger housing allowance will be able to afford luxury private residences and villas on secure compounds. 2000 Dollars per month and above will get you a large family home in a well known expat area of town.
Serviced apartments in this price range more resemble a five star hotel, with all the facilities that come with it... fine living indeed. With serviced apartment, you can probably bypass the agent altogether and simply approach the apartment itself to book a place to stay.
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