Pet-Friendly Apartment Buildings in Ho Chi Minh City (2026)

In short: Most pet friendly apartments in Ho Chi Minh City are in large managed compounds with gardens, such as Masteri Thao Dien, Lumiere Riverside, Empire City, City Garden and Vinhomes Central Park. A building that allows pets is only half the answer: the owner of the flat must also agree, in writing. Expect to register your dog or cat with management, use a leash and often a muzzle in common areas, and pay an extra pet deposit. Most 2-bedrooms in these buildings ask between about $720 and $1,700 a month.

This guide replaces our older pet-friendly building lists. Instead of calling every building “pet-welcoming”, it tells you what we could confirm, what you still need to ask, and what each building costs to rent.

How pet rules work in Saigon apartment buildings

Vietnamese law does not ban dogs or cats in apartments. Each building decides through its own house rules, set by the management board, so two towers on the same street can have opposite policies.

That gives you two separate approvals to collect:

Approval	Who gives it	What to ask for
Building	Management office (ban quản lý)	Current pet rules, registration form, lift rules, areas where pets may walk
Landlord	The owner of the apartment	A pet clause in the lease naming the type and number of pets
Your own paperwork	You	Vaccination record, especially rabies

The landlord’s answer matters as much as the building’s. Some owners in pet-tolerant buildings still refuse animals because of carpets, sofas or wooden floors, and some short-stay units in the same towers advertise “no pets”. If either side says no, the pet cannot move in.

Public rules apply too. Pets in public spaces must be leashed or muzzled. Under Decree 282/2025, in force since 15 December 2025, letting a pet roam freely in the city or in public places can be fined VND 500,000 – 1,000,000, and a pet that injures someone can bring a fine of up to VND 3 million.

The rules you will usually sign

Lumiere Riverside is a good example of what a management office actually asks for. Its pet rules sheet, issued by Masterise Property Management, is signed by the pet owner. The main points:

1. Pets may not roam freely. Dogs must wear a muzzle and stay on a leash no longer than 2 metres.
2. No feeding, watering, peeing or pooping in common areas. Owners clean up immediately.
3. A pet that causes damage, repeated barking or aggressive behaviour can be required to leave the unit on 30 days’ written notice.
4. Owners follow government rules, including vaccinations.
5. Breaking the rules brings a first and second written reminder, then a request to stop keeping the pet.

Other buildings use similar wording. One Thu Duc building reported by SGGP asks owners to register, sign a pledge, muzzle and leash dogs outside the flat and limit lift use, with the same three-warning system. Some buildings also want pets in the service lift rather than the passenger lift, and some set size or breed limits. Ask for the current version in writing, because these rules change.

Pet-friendly apartment buildings: what we could confirm

The table below separates what we found in a management document, a press report or our own visits from what you still need to check unit by unit.

Building	Area	What we could confirm	Space for walks
Lumiere Riverside	Thao Dien	Written pet rules from the management office (above)	Grounds inside the compound, Thao Dien lanes nearby
Masteri Thao Dien	Thao Dien	Pets registered with the building; press reports pets are given an ID number	Gardens inside the compound
Masteri An Phu	Thao Dien	Same registration approach reported as Masteri Thao Dien; confirm with management	Thao Dien lanes nearby
Empire City	Thu Thiem	Our team photographed a dog play area with agility equipment on site	14.5 ha development by the river
City Garden	Binh Thanh	A 2020 report described muzzles in shared areas and set walking zones; check the current version	Gardens and pool deck inside the gate
Vinhomes Central Park	Binh Thanh	No written policy found; check with management and the landlord	About 14 ha riverside park next door
The Estella, Estella Heights	An Phu	Not confirmed; check with management	Gardens inside each compound
Gateway Thao Dien	Thao Dien	Not confirmed; check with management	Thao Dien streets
Diamond Island	Old District 2	Not confirmed; check with management	Low-density site with a riverside park
Sunwah Pearl	Binh Thanh	Many short-stay listings in the towers say no pets; check with management and the owner	Saigon River frontage

“Not confirmed” does not mean pets are banned. It means we found no written rule we could stand behind, so the answer depends on the tower and the owner.

Thao Dien and An Phu

Thao Dien is the easiest neighbourhood for pet owners. Low-rise lanes, villas with gardens and a cluster of pet services make daily walks simpler than in the centre, and vets such as Animal Doctors International are on Nguyen Van Huong. Masteri Thao Dien, Masteri An Phu and Lumiere Riverside all sit along Vo Nguyen Giap, a short walk from these lanes.

Our Thao Dien expat guide covers daily life in the area, and our list of pet shops in Ho Chi Minh City helps once you have moved in.

Thu Thiem: Empire City

Empire City covers about 14.5 hectares on the Thu Thiem riverbank. Our photo from the site shows a hedged lawn with painted tyres, tunnels and jump hurdles for dogs, something few buildings in the city offer. The pet rules themselves are set by management, so ask for them before you sign.

Binh Thanh: City Garden and Vinhomes Central Park

City Garden is a gated compound with gardens and a large pool deck, close to District 1. A 2020 report said management required muzzles in shared areas and limited dog walks to set zones, so dog owners should ask for the latest version.

Vinhomes Central Park sits beside a riverside park of about 14 hectares along the Saigon River, which makes it popular with people who walk their dogs. It is a very large compound with many towers, so ask management for the rules of the specific tower and confirm with the landlord.

What pet-friendly buildings cost to rent

Across the 385 Masteri Thao Dien listings Visreal has published, a 2-bedroom asks a median $850 a month, with most between $790 and $930. Rents vary widely between pet-tolerant buildings, as the table shows.

Building	Rental market	1-bedroom (median)	2-bedroom (middle half of listings)	3-bedroom (median)
Masteri Thao Dien	385 listings	$700	$790 – $930	$1,230
Masteri An Phu	73 listings	$700	$720 – $878	$1,250
Lumiere Riverside	178 listings	$1,000	$1,160 – $1,370	$1,900
Gateway Thao Dien	148 listings	$890	$1,319 – $1,556	$2,800
The Estella	33 listings	not enough data	$1,089 – $1,313	$2,200
Estella Heights	136 listings	$950	$1,350 – $1,500	$2,500
Empire City	337 listings	$1,050	$1,300 – $1,700	$2,500
City Garden	121 listings	$1,100	$1,450 – $1,700	$2,000
Vinhomes Central Park	396 listings	$800	$986 – $1,100	$1,450
Sunwah Pearl	410 listings	$905	$1,400 – $1,600	$2,300
Diamond Island	87 listings	not enough data	$1,040 – $1,200	$1,600

Monthly asking rents in USD across every listing Visreal has published for each building, as of 5 November 2026. The Masteri An Phu 1-bedroom and 3-bedroom figures rest on fewer than ten listings each.

On top of rent, landlords who accept pets often ask for an extra pet deposit of around $200 – $500, and some add $10 – $50 a month. It is usually negotiable, and it should be written into the lease with the conditions for getting it back.

What to put in the lease

A verbal “yes, no problem” from a landlord is not enough. The pet clause should say:

1. The type, breed and number of pets allowed, and ideally their names.
2. The amount of any pet deposit and when it is refunded.
3. Who pays for professional cleaning, pest treatment or repairs to scratched floors and doors at move-out.
4. That you will follow the building’s pet rules, with a copy attached.
5. What happens if management later changes its policy.

Our guide to the process of renting an apartment explains the deposit and handover steps in more detail.

From Visreal’s experience: raising pets in an apartment

The first step of our process is your brief: budget, move-in date, and your office or school. If you have a pet, put it in the first message: dog or cat, breed, weight, and how many. It changes the shortlist straight away: the answer has to come from both the landlord and the management office, and it is better to have it before viewings than after you have fallen for a flat.

At the negotiate-and-sign stage, the pet clause and any pet deposit go into the three-party lease, and we explain it in English. After that, three habits make life easier: register your pet with management in your first week, introduce it to neighbours on your floor, and be upfront with the landlord about any accident.

After you move in, we stay on for repairs, utilities and lease questions, at no cost to the tenant. Brendontutu Tu wrote on Google: “The whole process was smooth, professional, and stress-free from start to finish. Everything was clearly explained and handled efficiently.” Visreal is rated 4.9/5 from 34 Google reviews.

For more on daily life with a pet here, read our tips on raising a pet in Vietnam and our round-up of pet cafes in Saigon.

FAQ

Can foreigners keep dogs and cats in Ho Chi Minh City apartments?

Yes. The law does not ban pets in apartments, but each building sets its own rules and each landlord decides for their unit. You need both to agree.

Which neighbourhood is best for renting with a dog?

Thao Dien is the most practical, with quieter lanes, pet shops and vets close to buildings such as Masteri Thao Dien and Lumiere Riverside. Thu Thiem and the Vinhomes Central Park area in Binh Thanh also have large green spaces.

Do I have to pay a pet deposit?

Often, yes. Landlords who accept pets commonly ask for around $200 – $500 extra, sometimes with $10 – $50 a month. Make sure the amount and refund terms are in the lease.

Do dogs have to wear a muzzle in apartment buildings?

In many buildings, yes, in lifts and common areas. Lumiere Riverside’s written rules, for example, require a muzzle and a leash no longer than 2 metres.

Are there size or breed limits for dogs?

Some buildings and many landlords set them, but there is no citywide rule. If you have a large dog, tell us its weight at the start so we only show apartments where it is accepted.

What if the building allows pets but the landlord says no?

Then the pet cannot move in. Building approval and landlord approval are separate, and the lease must name your pet.

Find a pet-friendly apartment in Ho Chi Minh City

Visreal is free for tenants. Send your budget, move-in date, and your pet’s type and weight by Zalo or WhatsApp, and browse current apartments for rent in Ho Chi Minh City to start your shortlist.