05/05/2026
May 2026. Ho Chi Minh City has officially confirmed plans to auction 7 prime land plots in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area this year. At the same time, nearly 3,800 long-vacant resettlement apartments in An Khanh Ward are heading to auction — for the fifth time, after four failed attempts.
The news spread quickly. But most coverage stops at listing the plot numbers and moving on. Nobody is asking the more important question: if you currently own a unit at Empire City, Metropole, Zeit River, or The River — how should you read this signal?
That is exactly what Achieve Realty VN wants to address here.
Looking for advice on Thu Thiem real estate? Contact Achieve Realty VN: 📞 (+84) 86 888 2539 | (+84) 96 669 2202 📧 sales@achievereal.com
What Is Actually Happening?
HCMC's People's Committee has instructed relevant departments to finalize auction plans for 7 land plots within the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, targeting completion within 2026. The plots are located across Functional Zones 1, 3, 4, and 7 — specifically lots 3-8, 3-9, 3-12, 7-1, 7-17, 1-12, and 4-21.
Three of these plots — 3-8, 3-9, and 3-12 — have history. They were successfully auctioned in late 2021 at record-breaking prices, only for all three winning bidders to forfeit their deposits. The city spent the following years tightening eligibility criteria and rebuilding confidence before being willing to try again.
Running in parallel: nearly 3,800 apartments in the Binh Khanh resettlement blocks (lots R1–R5, An Khanh Ward) are also going to auction. These units were built between 2013 and 2015, sat empty for over a decade, and were converted from social housing to commercial residential use in early 2025 to attract real buyers. Major developers have registered interest, including SonKim Land.
Two auctions. One peninsula. One year.
Why 2026 Is Different From 2021
The 2021 auctions happened at the peak of a market frenzy. Bidders chased prices beyond any rational return, won, then walked away from their deposits when the numbers stopped making sense. The fallout damaged market confidence in Thu Thiem for nearly three years.
The conditions today are structurally different. The speculative layer of the market has largely exited. Home loan rates have climbed — touching close to 14% per annum at some major commercial banks — which naturally filters out anyone relying on leverage for short-term plays. The developers circling these plots now are underwriting long-term projects, not flipping land.
What this means in practice: if the auctions succeed, the winning prices will reflect genuine development economics. That makes them a far more reliable benchmark than anything from 2021.
This is where most market commentary falls short. Here is the part that actually matters if you hold a unit in the area.
Land auction prices set the floor for the entire surrounding market.
When a plot adjacent to Empire City or Metropole Thủ Thiêm changes hands at a publicly verified price, every developer building nearby has to price their product above that cost of land. That creates a new reference floor for secondary market transactions across the whole peninsula — and it moves in one direction.
The current numbers put this in context. According to the Ministry of Construction's Q1 2026 report, secondary market asking prices in the area currently sit at:
|
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For reference, Grand Marina Saigon sits on the District 1 side of the river. The gap between Thu Thiem and central District 1 pricing is still meaningful. Each time Thu Thiem land gets repriced through a credible public auction, that gap narrows a little more.
Browse current listings at Empire City, Metropole Thu Thiem, and Zeit River
Còn 3.790 căn hộ tái định cư thì sao?
Should You Worry About the 3,800 Apartments?
Some owners have flagged this as a concern — nearly 3,800 units flooding the market simultaneously sounds disruptive on paper.
In practice, there is very little overlap between these two buyer pools.
The R1–R5 blocks were built to social housing standards over a decade ago. They are physically and commercially distinct from the branded residences at Empire City, Metropole, or Zeit River. A buyer evaluating a 2-bedroom unit at Tilia Residences or The Opera Residence is not cross-shopping against an aging resettlement block, regardless of what happens to the auction price.
More importantly: if a credible developer wins the auction and commits to redeveloping or repositioning that site, it becomes another piece of infrastructure filling out the Thu Thiem map — which is precisely what the area needs to shed its "perpetual construction site" reputation.
We are active in the Thu Thiem secondary market every day. Based on what we are seeing on the ground, three things are worth stating plainly.
For current owners: this is a positive signal, not a reason to sell.
Those holding units at Empire City, Metropole, or The River do not need to act on this news. The market is in an accumulation phase. Owners who are selling now are typically doing so because of personal financial pressure, not because they believe the market is peaking. If your cash flow is comfortable, hold your position.
For buyers on the fence: the entry window is better than it looks.
Market sentiment is cautious right now, and some owners are willing to negotiate — particularly those carrying higher loan costs. Meanwhile the structural signals are pointing in one direction: auctions resuming, infrastructure maturing, and Thu Thiem's long-term positioning as an international financial hub moving from aspiration to plan. This is not a short-term spike. This is foundation-laying.
For everyone: the empty plots around your building are getting answers.
A common question from residents at Linden and Tilia over the past few years has been: what is going up on that empty lot next door? The answer is becoming clearer. Successful auctions bring credible developers, credible developers build, and coordinated development is what finally turns Thu Thiem into a functioning urban district rather than a collection of premium towers surrounded by vacant land.
Bottom Line
The Thu Thiem land auction story in 2026 is not dramatic news. It is a quiet but significant structural development in the long-term trajectory of this market.
If you own here: this is further confirmation that your asset is positioned correctly. If you are considering buying: this is the moment to do your research before the market moves into its next phase.
If you want a specific view — which units are priced well right now, which projects have real liquidity, what the rental numbers actually look like — reach out to Achieve Realty VN directly. We will tell you what we are actually seeing, not what sounds good on paper.
Achieve Realty VN Floor 10, Miss Ao Dai Building, 21 Nguyen Trung Ngan Street, Sai Gon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 📞 (+84) 86 888 2539 | (+84) 96 669 2202 📧 sales@achievereal.com 🌐 achievereal.com
