The Best Neighbourhoods for Expats in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026

They are now informal neighbourhood names, not administrative units. Under Resolution 203/2025/QH15, district-level government ended nationwide on 1 July 2025, and Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 reorganised Ho Chi Minh City into 168 commune-level units: 113 wards, 54 communes and the Con Dao special zone. The old district names are still widely used in conversation and property listings, but official addresses now give only the ward or commune and the city.

No. Thu Duc City stopped being an administrative unit when district-level government ended on 1 July 2025, and its area is now split into wards directly under Ho Chi Minh City. Under Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15, the former Thao Dien, An Khanh, Thu Thiem and An Loi Dong wards and part of An Phu ward were merged into a new An Khanh ward. Many people still call the area District 2 or Thao Dien.

Yes. Under Resolution 202/2025/QH15, the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces were merged into Ho Chi Minh City, and the enlarged city's government began operating on 1 July 2025. Places such as Thu Dau Mot, Di An and Vung Tau are now wards of Ho Chi Minh City, and Con Dao is the city's special zone.

Yes. Under the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, a private home where a foreigner stays counts as an accommodation establishment, so its owner or manager must declare the stay to the police. Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA, in force since 24 July 2026, requires the online declaration as soon as the foreigner arrives, including bookings made through accommodation apps. A paper Form NA17 must reach the commune-level police within 12 hours, or 24 hours in remote areas.

Yes, and a residential lease does not need to be notarised or certified unless the parties choose to. Under Article 164 of the Law on Housing 2023 (No. 27/2023/QH15), the lease takes effect on the date the parties agree or, if they agree none, when it is signed. Whoever provides the home must still declare the foreign tenant's temporary residence to the police.

Yes, within limits. Under the Law on Housing 2023, foreign individuals permitted to enter Vietnam can buy apartments and houses in commercial housing projects outside national defence and security areas, either from the developer or from another foreign owner, for up to 50 years from the date the certificate is issued, extendable once. Foreigners together can own no more than 30% of the apartments in one building and no more than 250 houses in an area with the population of one ward.

Metro Line 1, from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, opened to passengers on 22 December 2024. It runs about 19.7 km with 14 stations: three underground in the city centre and 11 elevated. After the centre it serves the Binh Thanh area at Van Thanh and Tan Cang stations, then Thao Dien and An Phu, before continuing east through Thu Duc to Suoi Tien.