There are many locals offering extra rooms for rent in their apartments, and it is practical for many reasons. First, you can stay with someone who can offer you some pointers when you first arrive. At the same time, it gives you a chance to look around different areas of the city before committing to a lease, while also allowing time to find a job and choose an apartment for rent close to your office. The last situation you want to be in is to living out of a hostel and desperate to sign a lease. This is what happened to us when we first got here, and it’s not ideal.

Don’t be embarrassed to play hardball. This is going to be your home for a year or maybe more, so get the best deal you can now, because you will not be able to change it later. And don’t feel bad about doing so, because there are more apartments in Ho Chi Minh than there are tenants. Please note that you should not be too hard if you really like it and the landlord will be ok to leave it vacant for a few months as they are all billionaires (to afford to buy an apartment in Ho Chi Minh city).

Before you start negotiating, pick a budget that you are willing to pay. Start low and chances are they will meet you in the middle. Don’t be scared to say no if they don’t accept your offer. Walk away. And then call them in a couple of days. Chances are they might have changed their mind.

They might ask you for 3 months deposit. 2 months is standard. With our new landlords, we negotiated the terms to give them 1 month’s deposit and the last month’s rent.

However, if you happen to do something horrible to the apartment, and they deserve another month’s deposit to repair the damage, hopefully you will do the honest thing and give it to them.

If you wake up one morning and your fridge is broken, you will be thankful you took the time to do so.

We have learned that you are new expats and struggling to find a . With our experience in the market and customer service, please do not hesitate to contact us to get supports without any fees.