How to rent out your Hanoi property as a foreign owner

From vacant unit to first rent payment

⏱ 4–8 weeks to your first tenant, then ongoing management

1. 1

   Confirm your building allows the type of let you have in mind

   ⏱ Same day — a document check◈ No direct cost

   National law places no extra restriction on a foreign owner letting out an apartment or house you already own within an approved commercial project — the same 50-year, renewable-once term applies whether you occupy the unit yourself or rent it out. What varies is the building: some developments' internal bylaws restrict short-term or corporate leases even where national law does not, so check your management board's rules before you commit to a rental strategy. Confirm your Pink Book is issued in your name and note your remaining tenure — it is, in practice, what you are renting out.

   DocumentsPink Book (sổ hồng) · Building bylaws / management board rules

   ⚠Assuming every development allows short-term or Airbnb-style lets — some bylaws restrict this even though national law does not.

   → property management
2. 2

   Price the unit and prepare it for tenants

   ⏱ 1–2 weeks◈ Photography and minor repairs, if needed

   Set your asking rent against current comparable listings rather than a fixed formula — our rental yield guide shows what similar units by district and type are actually achieving. Photograph the apartment properly, resolve any maintenance item a tenant would flag on day one, and decide whether to let it furnished, which tends to widen your pool of corporate and expat tenants in established districts such as Tây Hồ.

   ⚠Setting a rent from an outdated listing rather than current comparables — ask a property manager for a fresh read before you advertise.

   → property management
3. 3

   Market the property and screen tenants

   ⏱ 2–4 weeks◈ Agency or management commission, if delegated

   List through a property manager or agent with an established foreign-tenant network rather than relying on a single channel — our directory of property managers working with foreign landlords is a starting point. Verify every applicant's identification (passport or ID card, and company registration for a corporate lease) before you commit to viewings or hold the unit off the market for them.

   DocumentsTenant identification · Company registration (corporate leases)

   ⚠Skipping tenant screening to fill the unit faster — verified identity protects you in a dispute and is expected practice for any landlord in Vietnam.

   → property management
4. 4

   Sign a written, bilingual lease

   ⏱ 3–7 days◈ €100–300 for legal drafting or review, if used

   Put the tenancy in writing: rent, deposit, term, renewal conditions and each party's maintenance responsibilities, stated in Vietnamese đồng and, ideally, in a bilingual Vietnamese–English document you can read in full. A written lease is also what a property manager or accountant needs to declare the tenancy correctly at tax time, and what protects you if a dispute over the deposit or an early exit arises later.

   DocumentsLease agreement (bilingual recommended) · Tenant identification · Deposit receipt

   ⚠An unwritten agreement, or a Vietnamese-only lease you cannot fully verify before signing.

   → law firms
5. 5

   Collect rent and file your VAT and PIT

   ⏱ Ongoing — periodic filings◈ 5% VAT + 5% PIT on gross rent

   Rental income is taxed at 5% VAT plus 5% personal income tax on gross rent, above the annual threshold, whether you are Vietnamese or a foreign owner — see the full picture in our taxes and fees guide. Because your name is on the filing, keep clean records of every lease and rent receipt from the first month; a property manager can handle the periodic declaration and payment on your behalf, which matters if you do not reside in Vietnam year-round.

   DocumentsLease agreement · Rent receipts · Tax filings

   ⚠Not budgeting for the 10% combined tax on gross rent, or missing a filing deadline because you are based abroad.

   → property management
6. 6

   Manage the tenancy and plan the next renewal

   ⏱ Ongoing◈ Management fee, if delegated

   A let unit still needs oversight: maintenance requests, service-charge payments to the building, and — at renewal or exit — a clear-eyed read on whether to re-let, adjust the rent, or eventually sell. Your ownership term keeps running regardless of occupancy, so weigh your remaining years into any renewal decision. See our guide to property management services and fees before deciding how much to delegate.

   DocumentsMeter readings · Handover / return-of-deposit checklist

   ⚠Letting the unit sit vacant between tenants without reviewing the rent — an idle apartment still accrues building charges and counts against your ownership term.

   → property management

What it costs to rent out your Hanoi apartment

The 5% VAT and 5% personal income tax rates are the statutory rates on rental income and apply equally to foreign and Vietnamese landlords. Other lines are indicative estimates from Maison Hanoi's property-management partner network, not live market data. The worked example uses the €530,000 Tây Hồ median apartment referenced across our guides, with a round illustrative rent used for the calculation only — check current asking rents in our live listings before you set your price.

Housing Law 2023; Land Law 2024; Decree 95/2024 (rental income VAT and PIT rates) · Property-management commission: indicative estimate from Maison Hanoi's partner network, July 2026 — not live market data

Property managers who work with foreign landlords in Hanoi

Frequently asked questions

Sources