The 12th PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards open to entries amid rising genuine housing demand

Awards introduce new categories as market enters period of adjustment in 2026

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The 12th edition of the PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards programme officially launched today with an exclusive preview for seasoned industry figures and award winners at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon.

Attendees heard a detailed assessment of Vietnam’s property market, with insights from the country’s leading proptech platform Batdongsan.com.vn. The briefing set the stage for the upcoming celebration, recognising excellence in development, design, sustainability, and more.

The 2026 edition of the PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards will celebrate the country’s finest real estate at a gala ceremony on Friday, 16 October at the Gem Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Top honourees will later represent Vietnam at the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final in Bangkok this December, where they will compete against the region’s finest developers.

Entries are now open. Key dates for the 2026 edition are:

• 31 July 2026 – Entries Close
• 24 August – 11 September 2026 – Site Inspections
• 16 October 2026 – Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• 11 December 2026 – Regional Grand Final Gala Dinner in Bangkok, Thailand

Stabilisation and selection

The PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards launched to a market that is entering a period of stabilisation and selection. In the first few months of 2026, the market navigated a phase of cooling prices and cautious buyer sentiment. However, end-user demand remains strong.

Data from Batdongsan.com.vn, the official portal partner of the PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards, shows that the market follows a familiar pattern. Demand for real estate decreases during the Lunar New Year holiday, then surges again immediately after the holiday ends. By the end of February 2026, the level of interest had approached that of mid-December 2025.

However, from the second week after the Lunar New Year, the recovery showed signs of slowing down. The main reason stemmed from the cautious sentiment of buyers in the face of macroeconomic fluctuations, especially the pressure from rising borrowing interest rates. This prolonged the decision-making process, particularly for cases involving significant financial leverage.

Batdongsan.com.vn’s big data shows a slight price adjustment in some types of real estate. In Hanoi, the average asking price for land plots in Q1 2026 decreased by 4% compared to the end of 2025. In Ho Chi Minh City, the price of detached houses decreased by 2%.

This trend indicates that speculative products or those heavily reliant on borrowed capital are under pressure. Conversely, segments serving genuine housing needs are less volatile and maintain stable interest. Despite the impact of capital costs and market sentiment, the demand for real estate remains, but has shifted to a more selective state.

New categories

To reflect the market’s resilience and progress, the 12th PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards introduces several new award categories, including Best Condo Developer and Best Housing Developer in the Developer Awards; Best First Home Development in the Residential Awards; and Best Wellness Hospitality Development and Best Factory / Warehouse Development in the Commercial Awards.

These additions join an expanded list of accolades that also includes Best Marina Development, Best Landmark Development, Best Sales Gallery Interior Design, and Best Landmark Design. Meanwhile, the ESG Developer Awards now include titles such as Sustainable Residential / Township Developer, Sustainable Commercial Developer, and Social Impact Champion.

Industry leaders

The launch of the PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards gathered industry leaders to examine the changing dynamics set to impact Vietnam’s property market in 2026.

Alongside the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards spokespersons and judges, the event also featured expert speakers including Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, head of marketing at platinum sponsor Kohler Vietnam; Gregory Chua, head of project development & design management at CapitaLand Development (Vietnam), the 2025 Best Developer award winner; and Nguyen Thi Van Khanh, general director of Gamuda Land Vietnam, 2025 Best Community Developer award winner.

Related: The 11th PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards celebrates developers creating places to live, work, and thrive

For more than 150 years, Kohler Co. has been a global leader in bold design and innovation, dedicated to helping people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives through its kitchen and bath products; luxury cabinetry, tile, and lighting; wellness products and services; and luxury hospitality experiences and major championship golf. David Kohler serves as chair and CEO, representing the fourth generation of Kohler family leadership.

Ishan Kala, general manager of Kohler Vietnam and Philippines, said: “We believes that real estate is more than the physical structures themselves—it is a platform that shapes quality of life, human experience, and long-term value for communities. This shared philosophy underpins Kohler’s collaboration with PropertyGuru, a platform that recognizes and celebrates outstanding projects, developers, and design excellence that are redefining living standards in Vietnam today and into the future.”

Jules Kay, general manager of PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards and Events, said: “For the 12th edition of the Awards in Vietnam, we aim to set the gold standard for real estate higher across the nation as it looks forward to encouraging economic prospects ahead. Whether in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, the Vietnamese property sector continues to surprise and change for the better. Amid ongoing discussions at the policy level to better the country’s housing and real estate framework, we see a clearer match between regulatory progress and the industry’s forward momentum, reinforcing our confidence in Vietnam’s long-term growth trajectory.”

Thien Duong, chairperson of the independent panel of judges and general director of GroupGSA Vietnam, said: “Our focus remains on upholding a standard of excellence that calls to mind the maturity and ambition of the nation’s real estate sector. This year’s programme spans a comprehensive range of categories across developer, development, design, and ESG achievements, a reflection of the industry’s diversifying strengths and shifting priorities. We encourage developers to improve the industry further and showcase what the future and gold standard of real estate look like.”

Organised by PropertyGuru Group, Southeast Asia’s leading PropTech company, the 12th PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards is supported by platinum sponsor Kohler; gold sponsor igloohome; official magazine Property Report by PropertyGuru; media partner Lao Dong newspaper; and official supervisor HLB.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit the official website: AsiaPropertyAwards.com.