Paperwork explained
Owners' general assembly: what it is, why it matters, how to obtain it
What is the owners' general assembly in a Hanoi condominium?
Owners' general assembly at a glance
Document- Vietnamese name
- Hội nghị nhà chung cư
- Literally “building conference”; referred to in English as the owners' general assembly or Residents' Meeting
- Convened by
- The Building Management Board once elected; the developer/investor convenes the founding assembly beforehand
- Applies to every condominium, regardless of the foreign-ownership quota
- When it happens
- Founding assembly within about 12 months of handover, then an ordinary session at least once a year
- Extraordinary sessions can be called between annual meetings
- Typical cost to you
- No attendance fee
- Funded through the building's operating budget and the one-off 2% maintenance fund collected at handover
- Validity
- Resolutions bind every owner and occupant until amended at a later assembly
- No expiry date — governance is continuous
- Governing law
- Housing Law 2023 and Decree 95/2024/ND-CP
- Decree 95/2024 sets the administrative detail — convening timelines, quorum rules and the Management Board's mandate
- Required for
- Every condominium with an elected Management Board
- Foreign owners vote and can stand for election on equal footing with Vietnamese owners
How the assembly works — and how you take part from abroad
⏱ Founding assembly within about 12 months of handover; ordinary sessions annually thereafter
The assembly is not a single event but a governance cycle that starts soon after handover and repeats every year for as long as you own the unit. As a foreign, often non-resident owner, your main task is less about attending in person and more about making sure your vote and your information rights are never left unrepresented while you are back in Europe — a proxy arranged once, at the founding assembly, can cover you for every session that follows.
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Handover and the interim period
⏱ From handover until the founding assembly
Immediately after handover, the developer still administers the building and is responsible for convening the founding assembly once enough units are occupied. During this interim period, the developer's appointed manager applies the interim condominium regulations and collects the one-off maintenance fund contribution — 2% of your unit price — that later funds major repairs once the Management Board takes over. Keep your payment receipt: it is the evidence you rely on if the opening balance is ever disputed.
DocumentsSale & Purchase Agreement · Handover minutes · Proof of maintenance-fund payment
⚠Some developers delay convening the founding assembly well past occupancy thresholds so they keep control of the budget longer — ask the building's admin office for the convening timeline in writing.
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The founding assembly elects the Management Board
⏱ Typically a single session, once quorum is reached◈ No fee to attend
Owners meet — in person or by proxy — to elect the Building Management Board, adopt the definitive condominium regulations and approve the maintenance fund's opening balance. A minimum quorum of owners, measured by apartments represented, must be reached for resolutions to be valid; if it is not met on first call, a second convening proceeds under a lower threshold set by decree.
DocumentsPassport or Pink Book (proof of ownership) · Power of attorney, if voting by proxy
⚠Resolutions passed at a quorate meeting bind absent owners too — arrange a proxy in advance if you cannot attend from overseas.
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Ordinary annual assemblies
⏱ At least once a year
Once the Management Board is in place, it convenes an ordinary assembly at least once a year — usually in the first quarter — to approve the previous year's accounts, confirm the coming year's service charge and budget, and report on the maintenance fund's balance and any works funded from it.
DocumentsPrevious year's accounts · Proposed annual budget
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Extraordinary assemblies
⏱ As needed, on notice to all owners
Between annual meetings, the Management Board — or a sufficient number of owners acting together — can call an extraordinary assembly for urgent matters: a major repair, a Management Board vacancy, or a dispute over the accounts. The same quorum and voting rules apply as for an ordinary session.
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Get and keep the minutes
Whether or not you attend, request the signed minutes and the approved budget from the Management Board or your property manager after every assembly, and keep them with your title documents. If you manage the unit remotely, this is the simplest way to catch a service-charge increase or a rental-rule change before it affects you.
DocumentsGeneral assembly minutes · Approved annual budget
Property managers who track Management Board meetings for overseas owners
Savills Property Management (Savills Vietnam Co., Ltd.)
★Conseiller immobilier international: Property & Asset Management (gestion locative et d'actifs), gestion résidentielle et commerciale, location résidentielle, valorisation, conseil en investissement, recherche de marché. Grand bureau à Hanoi (Lotte Center).
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VN
CBRE Property Management (CBRE Vietnam Co., Ltd.)
★Plus grand conseiller immobilier mondial: Property Management / Asset Services, gestion d'immeubles, conseil, location bureaux/résidentiel, valorisation, project marketing résidentiel. Bureau Hanoi: Capital Place, 29 Lieu Giai.
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VN
Anabuki NL Housing Service Vietnam
★Gestion et exploitation d'immeubles résidentiels au standard japonais (Anabuki Japon + Nam Long); call center 24/7, technique, financier, courtage.
Ho Chi Minh City · VI, EN, JA
JLL Vietnam (Jones Lang LaSalle)
★Property & facility management, conseil, valuation, leasing; division property management pour actifs premium et institutionnels.
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VI
Frequently asked questions
Can foreign owners vote at the general assembly?
Yes. Once you hold a valid Sale & Purchase Agreement or Pink Book, you vote and can stand for election to the Management Board on exactly the same footing as Vietnamese owners — unaffected by the building's 30% foreign-ownership quota, which governs purchases, not co-ownership rights.
What happens if I live abroad and cannot attend?
You can authorise a representative — a family member, your property manager, or a licensed lawyer — to vote on your behalf by power of attorney. Resolutions passed at a quorate assembly bind every owner, present or not, so arranging a proxy before you leave Vietnam after signing is worth doing early.
Is attending the general assembly compulsory?
No, but your vote still counts if you are absent and represented by proxy, and it does not count at all if you are neither present nor represented. For decisions with financial consequences — a budget increase or a special assessment — an unrepresented unit is simply outvoted by the owners in the room.
What does the assembly actually decide?
It elects and can remove the Management Board, adopts and amends the condominium regulations, approves the annual budget and service charge, and oversees the maintenance fund — including authorising major repairs funded from it. Anything outside these areas, such as your own unit's interior, is not the assembly's business.
How do I get a copy of the minutes if I missed the meeting?
Request them from the Management Board or your building's property manager — minutes and the approved budget should be shared with every owner as a matter of course. If you manage the unit remotely, ask to be added to the owners' distribution list rather than relying on being told informally.
What if the Management Board hasn't been elected yet?
Before the founding assembly, the developer's appointed manager administers the building under interim regulations and holds the maintenance fund. This is normal in newly handed-over projects — your task is to confirm the founding assembly is actually convened once occupancy thresholds are met, not to wait indefinitely.
Can the assembly change my building's short-term rental rules?
Yes. Rental restrictions live in the condominium regulations, which the assembly can amend by vote after you buy — so a building that allowed Airbnb-style letting when you signed could tighten that rule later. Check the current wording before you rely on rental income, not just the version in your original Sale & Purchase Agreement appendix.
Sources
- Housing Law 2023 (Law No. 27/2023/QH15) — governs condominium co-ownership and the legal basis for the owners' general assembly.
- Decree 95/2024/ND-CP — implementing decree setting the convening timelines, quorum rules and Management Board mandate detailed on this page (no verified official English-language URL at time of writing).
Want your building's governance checked before — or after — you buy?
Send us the condominium regulations, the latest assembly minutes and the maintenance fund's balance. Our Hanoi advisory desk reviews the Management Board's accounts and flags anything that looks underfunded or off, with an independent second opinion within 24 hours — no obligation.