As you can see, the lease in HCMC  can fluctuate wildly, which seems odd considering you can drive thru from D7 to D1 (7km only)  in an hour.

There are some reasons that can increase the rent considerably.

Location: Despite the small size of Ho Chi Minh, location is everything when choosing a home. Picking the right location can be the difference between a 15-minute and a 1.5 hour commute to work. Although the government’s efforts decentralise the city to the South or The new area Thu Thiem, the vast majority of the action however takes place in the city core. As a result, proximity to the city core is the biggest reason influencing rents.

Transport options: Rental prices are very sensitive to proximity to main road, in small alley the rent is always cheaper and more quiet.

Proximity to business or entertainment hubs: While proximity to the city core has a far stronger influence on rents, a location close to business or entertainment hubs within a suburb can also raise your rent a little.

New or old building– flats in old building (older and more local neighbourhoods) tend to command cheaper rents although they are usually located closer to the city core, still done have luxury amenities, local noise (karaoke, construction noise) and generally smaller units. New estates (ie. newer neighbourhoods) are more expensive and tend to be in far areas, can have construction going on (watch out for this in preference to signing a lease as drilling can go on almost round the clock) and provide plenty of facilities (gym, swimming pool, tennis court, parks…).