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  • Hanoi Property Flippers Struggle Amid Market Downturn and High Mortgage Rates

    Hanoi Property Flippers Struggle Amid Market Downturn and High Mortgage Rates

    Property buyers who invested in under-construction apartments in Hanoi are facing difficulties in selling their properties due to falling prices and high mortgage rates. These speculators had capitalized on the previously increasing prices, expecting to make a profit upon re-sale. However, the prices have ceased to rise and have even plunged in some localities, putting these speculators under pressure to sell off their properties.

    Investors who bought early were offered a grace period for their interest rates. This period is now coming to an end, subjecting them to high fluctuating rates. For instance, Thuy Vy, a 35-year-old investor, purchased a one-bedroom apartment in Gia Lam Commune in 2024 for VND3 billion (US$114,300). She planned to sell it for a profit once the construction was completed, but despite reducing the asking price by VND150 million, she is struggling to find a buyer. The situation is similar for other investors who bought apartments during 2024-2025.

    Market Updates

    According to a recent market report by the Vietnam Association of Realtors, many projects are now in the handover phase, and buyers are required to pay the remaining 45% of their investment. Online property platform Batdongsan’s historical data shows that prices in several Hanoi localities have dropped from their peaks by about 8% to 13%.

    Real estate brokers reveal that many speculators are moving away from short-term flipping strategies, focusing on selling their properties as quickly as possible, even if it means incurring losses. Duc Trung, a broker specializing in east Hanoi apartments, noted a 20-30% rise in the number of property owners looking to sell their apartments compared to the start of the year.

    Concerns and Predictions

    Pham Duc Toan, CEO of real estate agency EZ Property, suggested that it’s now challenging to sell apartments, especially those launched during the 2024 market boom. Borrowing costs remain high, making secondary buyers cautious. Vo Huynh Tuan Kiet, Director of the Residential Market at CBRE Vietnam, agreed that as property prices continue to rise, the market could reach a saturation point where sellers are unwilling to lower prices and buyers are wary of risks.

    Several research firms predict that selling pressure from highly leveraged investors will heighten as a large supply of properties is set to enter the market. The situation is exacerbated by high bank lending rates, with mortgage rates now standing at 12-14%, and even 15-16% in many cases. Consequently, market liquidity has taken a hit, with the property absorption rate dropping to 20-30% in the first half of the year, down from 50-60% in the latter half of 2025.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the current state of the Hanoi property market?
    The Hanoi property market has fallen into a slump, with falling prices and high mortgage rates dampening sales.

    How are speculators responding to the current conditions?
    Many speculators who had earlier invested in under-construction properties are now struggling to sell their units. Some are even willing to sell at a loss to offload their properties quickly.

    What is the outlook for the Hanoi property market?
    The outlook remains uncertain. Market liquidity has been hit, borrowing costs are high, and a large supply of properties is set to enter the market, which could further intensify selling pressures.

  • HSBC Singapore Expands Foreign Mortgage Solutions

    HSBC Singapore Expands Foreign Mortgage Solutions

    Responding to growing interest among clients, HSBC Singapore now offers mortgages for investment residential properties in five cities across Australia.

    HSBC Singapore is hoping to tap on the growing number of Singaporeans who plan on buying investment properties abroad with the launch of its first overseas mortgage solution, the bank announced on Thursday.

    HSBC International Mortgage will be offered in Singapore in either Singapore or Australian dollars for investment residential properties in and around Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, with other overseas destinations to be added over time.

    Successful applicants will get HSBC Premier status, which gives them access to a relationship manager in Singapore and Australia to facilitate the process, the bank said.

    We went with Australia as the first market for this solution given the close affinity that Singaporeans have for the country on the back of their business, education, holiday or familial ties. as a result of business, education, holiday and familial ties, Ranojoy Dutta, head of Retail Products, HSBC Bank (Singapore), said.

    The bank also highlighted its own Beyond the Bricks report from 2018, which indicated that one-third of mass affluent Singaporeans currently have overseas property investments, and 70 percent plan to buy investment properties abroad.

    Singapore’s real estate investment in Australia grew 141 percent in 2018 to $3.5 billion, despite skyrocketing property prices, according to Real Capital Analytics data. According to Knight Frank’s 2018 Wealth Report, Australia was the second-most popular destination for prime property purchases among wealthy Singaporeans.

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  • Vietnam to tighten credit for high-end property developments

    Vietnam to tighten credit for high-end property developments

     Vietnam’s central bank plans to issue a circular to the country’s commercial banks instructing them to prioritize credit for low-cost housing and social housing projects while slashing loans for high-end and mid-level developments.

    Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Le Minh Hung made the remark at a National Assembly Q&A session on Friday.

    Banks will be allowed to use no more than 50 percent of their short-term funds for medium- to long-term purposes including mortgages until the end of this year. The ratio will be slashed to 45 percent in 2018 and 40 percent in 2019, according to the draft circular revised by the central bank.

    According to the central bank, long and medium-term credit accounts for 53-55 percent of the total loans offered by commercial banks, while long and medium-term funds make up only 13-15 percent of their total mobilized capital. The unbalance in using short-term funds for medium-to long-term purposes could pose huge risks to banks, said experts.

    The central bank has also raised the risk ratio of property loans at commercial banks to 200 percent from 150 percent.

    Property loans have reached VND400 trillion ($176.12 million), accounting for 6.5 percent of total outstanding loans in the country, Hung said.

    Some legislatures have expressed concerns that banks could offer more property loans in a bid to reach the credit growth target for this year. Governor Hung quashed these remarks, saying the target was set by the government and banks are not under pressure to reach it at all costs.

    Credit growth reached 10.6 percent in the first nine months of this year, leaving the annual growth target of 18-20 percent seemingly out of reach.