Corporate Housing in Ho Chi Minh City: Renting for Relocating Staff

In short: Corporate housing in Ho Chi Minh City for most long assignments means a furnished apartment on a 12-month lease, rented from a private owner, not a hotel-style unit. In Visreal’s own listings, a 2-bedroom has a median asking rent of $1,300 in District 1, $1,100 in Thao Dien and $1,380 in Binh Thanh. Before the search starts, HR should settle two things: who signs the lease, and whether finance needs a VAT red invoice for the rent.

Company lease or employee lease

Both models are common in employee housing in Vietnam, and each changes the paperwork.

	Company signs the lease	Employee signs, company pays or reimburses
Tenant on the contract	The company, with the employee named as occupant	The employee
Documents the landlord asks for	Business registration, authorised signatory, the occupant’s passport and visa	Passport and valid visa or temporary residence card
Deposit	Paid by and refunded to the company	Paid by the employee, unless the company advances it
If the assignment ends early	The company deals with the landlord	The employee deals with the landlord
What HR must check	Who in the company can sign, invoice requirements	That the housing benefit is written into the labour contract or company policy

A company lease gives HR control: the deposit stays on the company’s books and the apartment can pass to the next assignee. An employee lease is faster to set up, but the company needs its own paper trail to claim the cost.

If the company is not the named tenant, accounting guidance says the rent support should be written into the labour contract or company policy, backed by valid payment records. Confirm this with your accountant.

VAT invoice for rent in Vietnam: check before you view

Many finance teams expect a VAT invoice, the “red invoice”, for every rent payment. Most expat apartments here are owned by individuals, so this is where corporate rentals usually go wrong:

1. Small landlords pay no rental tax. Since 1 January 2026, an individual whose rental revenue is VND 1 billion a year or less pays no VAT or personal income tax on it. Decree 141/2026/ND-CP raised this threshold from VND 500 million.
2. Larger landlords pay VAT and PIT. Above the threshold, the landlord declares and pays VAT and PIT on the rent, at 5% each.
3. A private owner rarely has a VAT invoice of their own. Accounting guidance says a company renting from an individual can usually support the expense with the lease and bank-transfer records, plus tax receipts if it pays the landlord’s tax.
4. Company policy can be stricter than the law. Some regional finance teams accept only a red invoice. If that is your rule, the shortlist must start with landlords who can provide one.

Costs can move too. When a landlord who owes tax asks the tenant to cover it, the rent can rise by up to about 10% (5% PIT plus 5% VAT). Agree in writing whether the quoted rent includes tax.

Housing benefits and the employee’s income tax

Rent the employer pays is not tax-free for the employee. Under current guidance, employer-paid rent and utilities count as taxable income at the actual amount paid, capped at 15% of the employee’s other taxable income from that employer.

Putting the company’s name on the lease does not change this. Payroll should build the cap into the package before the offer letter.

Documents and the temporary residence rule

Landlords mainly need the occupant’s passport and a valid visa or temporary residence card, plus company papers for a company lease. Our list of documents needed to rent an apartment in Vietnam has the full checklist.

The landlord or accommodation manager must declare a foreign tenant’s stay to the local police within 12 hours of arrival. The employee’s temporary residence card application later relies on that registered address.

Budget by area: what Visreal’s listings show

Across the 937 Binh Thanh, 690 Thao Dien, 402 District 1, 249 Thu Thiem, 121 An Phu and 69 District 4 listings Visreal has published, median asking rents per month look like this. The figure in brackets is the middle half of the listings for that area.

Area	Rental market	1-bedroom	2-bedroom	3-bedroom
District 1	402 listings	$950 ($850 – $1,230)	$1,300 ($1,160 – $1,545)	$2,030 ($1,604 – $2,604)
Thao Dien	690 listings	$920 ($866 – $1,000)	$1,100 ($885 – $1,380)	$1,990 ($1,458 – $2,600)
An Phu	121 listings	$1,008 ($966 – $1,140)	$1,255 ($1,135 – $1,370)	$2,180 ($1,900 – $2,680)
Thu Thiem	249 listings	$1,145 ($1,033 – $1,250)	$1,595 ($1,360 – $1,900)	$2,760 ($2,325 – $3,385)
Binh Thanh	937 listings	$900 ($850 – $950)	$1,380 ($1,050 – $1,550)	$1,890 ($1,450 – $2,300)
District 4	69 listings	$825 ($770 – $888)	$950 ($900 – $1,038)	$1,100 ($1,000 – $1,350)

These are asking rents for apartments listed with Visreal, not final contract prices. Signing for 12 months or more, or paying ahead, often leaves room to negotiate 5–10%.

How we usually match staff to areas:

1. Single assignee working in the CBD: a 1-bedroom in District 1, District 4 or Binh Thanh, close to the office.
2. Couple or senior manager: a 2-bedroom in District 1, Thu Thiem or Binh Thanh, with a spare room for a home office.
3. Family with school-age children: a 3-bedroom in Thao Dien or An Phu, chosen around the school run first.

Long-term apartment or serviced apartment

Visreal does not lease serviced apartments, so here is a neutral comparison using market ranges.

	Long-term apartment	Serviced apartment
Typical size	45 – 150 m²+	25 – 50 m²
Lease	Usually 12 months	Shorter terms common
Bills	Rent plus management fee, electricity, water, internet	Cleaning and utilities often bundled
Typical budget	1-bedroom $800 – $1,200 citywide	$400 – $2,000
Best fit	Assignments of a year or more, families	First weeks in the city, short projects

For a year or longer, a long-term apartment usually gives more space for the budget. A serviced unit suits the first weeks while the employee chooses an area.

Timeline from brief to move-in

Step	What HR or the employee prepares
Brief	Budget, move-in date, office and school, who signs, invoice needs
Shortlist and viewings	Employee’s availability; Visreal arranges viewings 7 days a week
Hold the apartment	1 month’s deposit to hold the unit, counted toward the full deposit
Contract	Three-party draft (tenant, Visreal, owner) reviewed by HR or legal
Handover	2 months’ deposit plus 1 month’s rent, minus the holding deposit
First days	Landlord declares the stay to local police within 12 hours

Plan viewings for the employee’s first week in the city, and have their passport and valid visa ready, because landlords check both before signing.

From Visreal’s experience

Our process starts with your brief by Zalo, WhatsApp or email. For company-sponsored staff we add two questions: who signs, and whether finance needs a red invoice. We then check in advance which landlords on the shortlist can provide one.

Our agents’ most common tip for HR: ask for a diplomatic clause. It lets the tenant end the lease early with 30–60 days’ notice and get the deposit back if the assignment changes.

After the contract, we explain it in English, help with temporary residence registration at the local police for free, and stay the contact for repairs and renewals.

Abhishek Agarwal wrote on Google: “Helen from Visreal has been my go to person for all renting needs, maintenance, utilities, etc. for the 4+ years of my stay in Ho Chi Minh City. She has also helped my colleagues find apartments of choice within their budgets.”

Another reviewer, Lien Le, rented an apartment for their manager through Visreal and described the support as attentive and thorough. Visreal is rated 4.9/5 from 34 Google reviews.

FAQ

Can a company rent an apartment in Vietnam for an employee?

Yes. The company signs as tenant with its business registration and an authorised signatory, and the employee is named as occupant.

Can an individual landlord issue a VAT invoice for rent?

Usually not. Companies renting from a private owner normally support the cost with the lease and bank-transfer records, so check your finance rules first.

Is company-paid rent taxable for the employee?

Yes, at the actual amount paid, capped at 15% of the employee’s other taxable income from that employer.

How much should we budget for a 2-bedroom?

In Visreal’s listings, 2-bedroom medians run from $950 in District 4 to $1,595 in Thu Thiem, with District 1 at $1,300.

Does Visreal charge the company or the employee a fee?

No. Visreal is free for tenants, including companies renting for their staff.

Find corporate housing in Ho Chi Minh City

Send the budget, move-in date, office location and invoice requirements by Zalo or WhatsApp on +84 903 004 226. You can also browse apartments for rent in Ho Chi Minh City to start a shortlist with your employee.