In 2022 the Ministry of Construction suggested that apartment ownership should end when the building reaches the end of its design lifespan. Under that draft, demolition would also terminate the owners’ legal title, and residents would have to join reconstruction or receive compensation.

The proposal was rejected by the National Assembly Standing Committee. Instead, the 2023 Housing Law only set an “operational lifespan” for apartments: after the design term, the building is inspected and may continue to be used if it is still safe.

Early 2026 the idea resurfaced. A July draft removed the term‑limited wording, but an August version introduced “term‑limited apartment buildings,” which many read as a new ownership limit. By early September the wording was again changed back to “operational lifespan of apartment buildings.”

Resolution 278, dated 18 September 2026, ordered the government to clarify three points: how the operational lifespan is defined, what land‑use rights residents keep, and what financial duties they have when a building must be rebuilt.

Resolution 21 confirms that owners do not lose their property rights when a building’s lifespan ends. However, they are required to meet the financial obligations for reconstruction, meaning they may have to pay additional money beyond the original purchase price.

The debate is already shaping buyers’ choices. Le Van Hung, who was about to spend VND3.5 billion on a downtown apartment, switched to a 35 m², five‑story landed house costing VND3.7 billion. Tran Minh Ha also chose a small 30 m² landed home so she could rebuild it herself and pass it to her children. Nguyen Mai Huyen, who financed a VND3.5 billion apartment with her parents, worries that a time‑limited rule could force her to sell at a loss and move to a landed property.

For Vietnamese families, an apartment is often a lifetime of savings and a legacy for the next generation. If future laws impose ownership limits, buyers may need to budget for extra reconstruction costs or consider landed houses instead, changing both financial planning and housing preferences.