Airbnb Banned in HCMC Until 2027: 5 Legal Alternatives for Former Short-Term Rental Hosts

In February 2025, Ho Chi Minh City issued Decision 26/2025 and banned all residential apartment rentals shorter than 30 days. The ban wasn’t a surprise — HCMC had been signaling it for years. But the formalization changed everything for landlords who’d built their income model on Airbnb.

The scale of the disruption is real. The ban directly affected 8,740 apartments across 24 residential projects citywide (Tuoi Tre News, 2025). Combined asset value: VND 43,700 billion (~$1.75 billion). Many of those owners borrowed at 70% loan-to-value, leaving them with VND 2,750 billion in annual interest to service — and no viable income strategy on day one of the ban (Vietnam Law Magazine, 2025).

The ban has since been extended to at least 2027 (VietnamNet, 2026). Waiting it out isn’t a plan.

This guide covers the five legal alternatives — what each one earns, what it takes to execute, and who each strategy actually suits.

TL;DR: HCMC’s Airbnb ban (Decision 26/2025) is extended to at least 2027, hitting 8,740 apartments (VietnamNet, 2026). Corporate housing and registered serviced apartments offer the best income replacement. 30-day minimum stays are a gray area. Digital nomad leases work for the right property profile.

What Exactly Is Now Prohibited

Decision 26/2025 prohibits rentals under 30 consecutive days in residential apartment buildings (chung cư). It doesn’t cover standalone houses, commercial serviced apartment complexes, hotels, or villas. If your unit is in a residential condominium — regardless of which building it’s in — you can’t legally offer it for less than 30 days per tenant.

HCMC Short-Term Rental Ban: What Landlords Need to Know

Three points that matter:

The 30-day floor is firm. A 28-day stay still violates the decision. There’s no exception for partial-month arrangements or weekend extensions.

Every unit in a residential building is covered. The ban operates at the building level. You can’t selectively comply while your neighbor doesn’t.

Zero Airbnb hosts had valid licenses. Before the ban, not a single HCMC Airbnb listing held a valid short-term rental license (Airbtics, 2025). The entire platform-driven STR ecosystem had been running on regulatory tolerance, not legal footing.

The Financial Case for Pivoting Now

The previous earnings model was clear: Airbnb operators in HCMC were averaging approximately VND 30 million per apartment per month from short-term rentals (VnExpress, 2025). That figure included high-occupancy months and the premium that tourist-season pricing adds.

Long-term rental gross yield in HCMC sits at 3.16–3.83%, with rents growing 5–8% annually into 2026 (Global Property Guide, Q1 2025). For a well-positioned furnished apartment, a corporate tenant can get you close to Airbnb income — without the nightly turnover, cleaning costs, or OTA commission.

The question isn’t whether long-term is viable. It is. The question is which long-term strategy fits your unit, your district, and your tolerance for management complexity.

Alternative 1: 30-Day Minimum Stays (Modified Airbnb)

The 30-day floor Decision 26/2025 sets doesn’t automatically push you off the platform entirely. As of early 2026, around 13.8% of HCMC Airbnb listings were already catering to 30-night-plus stays (AirROI, 2025). Airbnb’s own monthly rental interface still lists Vietnam properties.

This is the path of least resistance for former STR hosts. Your existing listing, photos, and reviews stay intact. You just set a 30-night minimum.

The complication is legal, not logistical. Some Vietnamese lawyers argue that even a 30-day Airbnb booking in a residential building violates the spirit of Decision 26 if it’s not structured as a proper residential lease signed directly between landlord and tenant. The conservative approach: run the first booking through Airbnb to find the tenant, then complete a proper VND lease contract outside the platform for renewals.

Income potential: VND 15–22 million/month for a typical 2BR in central districts — lower than STR peak, but with significantly reduced turnover costs and no cleaning crew overhead. Difficulty: Low. Legal status: Gray area. The 30-day floor is met; the platform mechanism is under legal review. Best for: Landlords with well-reviewed listings who want the fastest pivot with the least friction.

Alternative 2: Corporate and Expat Housing

This is the highest-income replacement strategy for units in the right districts.

FDI into HCMC rose 24% in 2025 to $8.37 billion, with Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong leading capital inflows (The Saigon Times, 2026). Every new regional headquarters, manufacturing expansion, and financial services operation arriving in the city brings mid- and senior-level staff who need furnished housing. Those staff come with corporate housing allowances — typically $1,500–$3,500/month for a 2–4BR furnished apartment.

Corporate tenants are structurally different from tourist guests. Companies sign the lease — not individuals — which means rent gets paid by the company’s finance team on a fixed schedule. Maintenance requests come through HR, not at 11pm. Most corporations want 12-month contracts minimum. The tradeoff is unit quality: furnished, maintained, and professionally photographed at a standard that justifies the allowance.

Prime locations: Thao Dien (Thu Duc/District 2), Phu My Hung (District 7), CBD (District 1). Korean and Japanese companies concentrate in Districts 1 and 7. European multinationals tend toward Thao Dien.

Income potential: VND 22–35 million/month for a well-positioned furnished 2–3BR apartment. Difficulty: Medium. Requires professional presentation and a channel to reach company relocation teams. Legal status: Fully legal. Standard residential lease signed by the company entity. Channels: HousingSGN.com, LivinginVietnam.com, VietRent, international school housing boards, HCMC expat Facebook groups, direct outreach to company HR/relocation departments. Best for: District 1, 2, 7 landlords with furnished units above VND 20 million/month asking price.

Alternative 3: Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Tenants

Da Nang gets the most coverage, but HCMC has a substantial and growing digital nomad population concentrated in Thao Dien, Binh Thanh, and District 3. Remote workers typically want 3–6 month leases, fast internet, a dedicated workspace, and proximity to cafes and coworking spaces. They pay reliably, treat apartments well, and renew if the setup works.

Vietnam doesn’t have a formal digital nomad visa. The closest option is Vietnam’s 5-year multi-entry talent visa, which allows stays up to 90 days per trip. Many nomads cycle between Vietnam and neighboring countries to reset. This creates a practical ceiling: 3-month leases are common, and the tenant may not renew if their visa situation forces a departure. Build renewal flexibility into your lease terms.

Platforms: Nomad Rental (nomadrental.com), Flatio (flatio.com), Facebook Groups (“Ho Chi Minh City Housing” and “Expats in Vietnam”), and Airbnb monthly listings.

Income potential: VND 14–20 million/month for a 1–2BR unit with good WiFi and a workspace setup. Difficulty: Low-to-medium. Requires decent internet and a clean, functional workspace. Legal status: Fully legal. Standard residential lease with 30-day minimum. Best for: Thao Dien, Binh Thanh, District 3 landlords with compact furnished units under VND 20 million/month.

Alternative 4: Registered Serviced Apartment Operation

This is the highest-income strategy and the most operationally complex. A registered serviced apartment is a different legal entity from a residential rental — it can legally offer stays under 30 days, provide hotel-style services, and charge premium rates.

HCMC’s serviced apartment market had 7,995 units with 81% occupancy in Q1 2025 (Savills Vietnam, April 2025). Grade A units averaged VND 564,000/sqm/month (~$22.50/sqm) with 83% occupancy. The ban on residential STRs is actively pushing unmet demand into this compliant sector — Savills explicitly noted this demand tailwind in their Q1 2025 report.

The catch: registration requires fire safety certification, hygiene standards compliance, and meeting QCVN 07:2019/BVHTTDL service standards. Over 25% of Vietnam serviced apartment operators report difficulty obtaining required permits (LodgeCompliance, 2025). This isn’t a weekend project — it typically takes 3–6 months and requires a local lawyer.

Income potential: VND 20–35 million/month for a licensed 2BR serviced unit in a good location. Difficulty: High. Legal registration, fire safety compliance, and service standards required. Legal status: Fully legal once licensed. Sub-30-day stays permitted. Best for: Landlords with multiple units willing to convert an entire floor or building, or those with existing hospitality operator relationships.

Alternative 5: Co-Living and Shared Housing Management

Co-living isn’t a dominant model in HCMC yet, but it’s growing. The concept: divide a large apartment (3–4BR) into individual rooms, each rented separately to young professionals or remote workers. Each tenant has a private room and shared kitchen/living space. Monthly income per room runs VND 4–8 million; a 4BR generating four separate incomes beats a single long-term lease on the same unit.

Vietnam Investment Review covered the HCMC co-living growth story in 2024 (VIR) — operators like Coliving.com and local brands are establishing a market. What’s missing is landlord-side guidance on how to structure leases when multiple unrelated tenants share a single residential unit.

Income potential: VND 16–30 million/month for a 3–4BR unit converted to co-living, depending on district and room quality. Difficulty: Medium-to-high. Requires legal multi-tenant lease structure, furnished rooms, and ongoing coordination across multiple tenants. Legal status: Legal, but lease structure needs careful drafting — separate contracts per tenant, each meeting the 30-day minimum. Best for: Landlords with large units (3–4BR) near international schools, universities, or coworking clusters.

Comparing Your Options: Expected Monthly Income

The income comparison below is based on a representative 2BR, 60sqm furnished apartment in a mid-tier HCMC district (Binh Thanh, District 3, or inner Thu Duc). Actual figures vary significantly by location, furnishing quality, and marketing.

Which Strategy Is Right for Your Situation?

The best pivot depends on your unit location, furnishing standard, and how much management work you want to take on.

Best Property Management Software for Vietnam Landlords

The landlords recovering their income fastest aren’t the ones who picked the highest-earning strategy. They’re the ones who matched the strategy to the unit they actually have. A studio in Binh Thanh near coworking spaces won’t attract a corporate tenant paying VND 35M. A 3BR near an international school won’t appeal to a digital nomad solo traveler. Starting from your unit type and location — not the income ceiling — leads to better outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Airbnb itself illegal in HCMC now?

Airbnb as a platform isn’t banned. What’s banned is sub-30-day residential apartment rentals. You can still use Airbnb to list your HCMC unit with a 30-night minimum. The legal question is whether that’s fully compliant under Decision 26/2025’s intent, or whether you need a direct lease contract outside the platform. Most lawyers recommend the latter for any stay.

How long will the HCMC Airbnb ban last?

The ban has been extended to at least 2027, according to VietnamNet (VietnamNet, 2026). There’s no confirmed sunset date. Building an income strategy around the ban ending is not a plan. HCMC Short-Term Rental Ban: What Landlords Need to Know

What’s the fastest pivot for a landlord who needs income now?

30-day minimum stays on Airbnb or a direct rental listing. You can reframe your existing listing with a 30-night minimum overnight. Income will drop from STR peak, but you’ll have tenants in the unit within 1–2 weeks. Corporate housing and serviced apartment licensing both take 2–6 months to set up properly.

Does the ban apply to standalone houses and villas?

No. Decision 26/2025 applies specifically to apartments within residential condominium buildings (chung cư). Standalone houses, villas, and commercial serviced apartment complexes are not covered. If you own a house in Thao Dien or a villa in An Phu, short-term rentals remain legal — subject to business registration and hotel licensing requirements.

How does corporate housing actually work in practice?

You furnish the unit to professional standard (appliances, linens, stable WiFi, clean layout). List it on relocation-focused platforms or contact company HR teams directly. The company signs a lease — typically 12–24 months — for their incoming employee. You deal with one point of contact, a guaranteed monthly bank transfer, and a tenant who isn’t going to call you at midnight about a noisy neighbor.

The Ban Is Not Going Away

The landlords managing the pivot well are the ones who stopped treating the ban as a temporary problem. Waiting for the regulation to reverse while servicing VND 2,750 billion in annual sector-wide interest is a losing position.

The good news: HCMC’s corporate housing market is absorbing displaced STR demand. FDI keeps rising. Digital nomad populations are growing. The income replacement exists — it just looks different from nightly Airbnb rates and requires a different management posture.

Which pivot works for your unit depends on where it is, what it looks like furnished, and how much time you can spend managing it. The five strategies above cover the full spectrum from lowest-effort (30-day minimum on existing listing) to highest-income potential (licensed serviced apartment). Pick the one that matches your actual situation.

How to Screen Tenants for HCMC Apartments

Continue Reading

Leasing:

• HCMC Short-Term Rental Ban: What Landlords Need to Know After Decision 26/2025
• How to Manage Corporate Expat Tenants in HCMC
• How to Screen Tenants for HCMC Apartments

Market Intelligence:

• HCMC District-by-District Rental Guide: Yields, Rents, and Tenant Profiles
• Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Market 2026: The Property Manager’s Guide

Finance:

• Vietnam Rental Yield Calculator: Gross and Net Yield for HCMC Apartments
• Vietnam Rental Income Tax Guide for Landlords

Tools:

• Hausive — property management software built for Vietnam landlords