Vietnam
Hanoi apartment prices rose a third in a year while villa prices dropped a fifth — both figures from the same report. Unpack how they are calculated and they tell one story. The number actually rewriting the market is the floating mortgage rate, now at 15% and climbing.
Vietnam
Most visitors to Ho Chi Minh City know its book street. Fewer know Hanoi has one too — built on a former mass grave, once home to the 'Hell Market.' One turned ten as a city icon selling fewer and fewer books; the other nearly died before a revival. What should a book street sell next?
Vietnam
Hanoi broke ground on five metro lines at once, more than 300km in total, due in four years. The number to watch isn't the budget — it's three changes in how it's being built.
Transportation
[Hanoi Is Banning Motorcycles From Its City Center Starting July 2026] If you've ever stood at a Hanoi intersection during rush hour, you know the scene. Thousands of motorcycles surge through the crossroads like a flood, horns blaring, exhaust hanging in the air. It's chaotic, visceral,
Vietnam
More than 30 empty storefronts on one stretch of Hanoi's Kim Mã street. Rents in some wards down 37% from 2025 peaks. And landlords still can't find tenants. The reason is structural, not seasonal.
Vietnam
Vietnam has climbed into Numbeo's global top ten for unaffordable housing. Buying a home now takes over 30 years of income, and homes are drifting away from wages.
Vietnam
Most people picture Vietnam's natural disasters as typhoons and floods, not earthquakes. But halfway through this month, Vietnam has already had two. 'Vietnam isn't in a seismic zone' is true — stretching that into 'no earthquakes' misses what's actually happening.
Vietnam Policy
Vietnam has 80 million motorbikes and Honda holds 80% of the market. A July 2025 prime ministerial directive ordered petrol motorbikes banned from Hanoi's inner ring by July 2026. Nine months later, the pilot covers just 11 streets — about 2% of the original scope.
Transportation
Hanoi bans gasoline motorcycles from central districts starting July 2026. Honda faces headwinds while VinFast sales surge fourfold.