Top 10+ Experiences Renting a Room in Saigon to “Pocket” Right Away

The room-rental market in Saigon

The room-rental market in HCMC today is extremely diverse with many different price and quality segments. According to Phongtro123.com – a website specialising in rental rooms established in 2015 with 10 years of development, always holding a top position on Google in this field, there are up to 64,605 room-rental posts in HCMC (Source: https://phongtro123.com).

According to statistics from Phongtro123.com and Batdongsan.com, the rental price of rooms in HCMC ranges from 1.3 million to 9 million VND/month depending on the district, for reference such as:

• Central area (Old districts such as District 1, 3, 5, Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh): 4.5-8 million VND/month
• Developing area (Old districts such as District 7, Tan Binh, District 10): 3.8-4.5 million VND/month
• Suburban area (Old districts such as District 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Thu Duc): 2-3.7 million VND/month

In particular, according to a report from Nha Tot cited on VnExpress, the rental price of rooms in HCMC in October 2024 tended to increase strongly, with a city-wide average of 3.8 million VND/month. The South area has a price of 3.5-4 million VND/month, the West area ranges 3.8-4 million VND/month, Thu Duc City averages 3.8 million VND/month.

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Top 10+ experiences renting a room in Saigon

Based on real experience from thousands of students and workers, below are the most important notes that help you find a safe and suitable rental room.

Prioritise a rental room near the school or with convenient transport

This is the top important factor when choosing a rental room. According to Vietstock – Vietnam’s leading finance, securities and business information portal, prioritising renting a room near the school or workplace helps save travel time, fuel costs and ensure safety when travelling at night:

• Shorten about 1–2 hours of travel each day, helping you be more proactive about living and study time
• Reduce fuel costs by 500,000-1,000,000 VND/month
• Avoid traffic jams at rush hour
• Safer when coming home late after study/work
• Can come home for lunch, rest mid-session

For HUFLIT students, the school has campuses in District 10 (155 Su Van Hanh extended) and Hoc Mon. Students should find a rental room within a 2-3km radius from the school, concentrated in nearby districts such as Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh, District 11, District 6 (for the District 10 campus).

Clearly survey the surrounding area before deciding to rent

The living environment around the rental room greatly affects the quality of life. When surveying the rental room, pay attention to the following factors:

Security and order:

• The area has many families living, few abandoned houses
• Equipped with surveillance cameras and has a security force on regular duty, helping ensure safety for the tenant
• Street lights bright at night
• Avoid areas with a “gangster”, drug reputation

Surrounding amenities:

• Near markets, supermarkets, convenience stores (Circle K, Family Mart)
• Has cheap eateries, rice shops
• Near hospitals, clinics
• Has a photocopy shop, laundry near the school

Transport:

• Near bus stops, coach stations
• The road into the rental room is not too narrow, avoid dead-end alleys
• Not located on a road that is frequently congested

See the room directly before renting

In many cases the online images are edited to be nicer than reality or are photos of a sample room, not the room you will rent. Therefore, you need to see the room directly to evaluate the criteria:

• Whether the actual area matches the description
• The condition of the walls, ceiling, floor (mould, cracks, leaks, etc.)
• The electricity and water systems operate stably, are safe to use and do not have problems
• Windows, doors lock tightly, safe
• The smell in the room (mould, foul, burnt, etc.)
• The space has sufficient natural light, the room is airy and comfortable.
• Little affected by noise from outside or adjacent rooms

Regarding the time to see the room, you should see it at many different times – morning, noon, evening to accurately evaluate the light and noise.

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Clarify the arising costs related to the rental fee

The rental price is not only the room rent but also includes many other fees. The tenant needs to clearly ask the landlord about all the following: The costs to clarify can be referred to such as:

Note: Ask the landlord to clearly record all these fees in the contract. Check whether the electricity and water meters are transparent.

Ensure a transparent, clear rental contract

The rental contract is a legal document that protects the rights of both parties. The mandatory content to draft in the contract:

• Temporary residence registration for the tenant (can be clearly stated in the contract to ensure rights and avoid legal trouble later)
• Full information of the landlord and tenant (Citizen ID)
• The specific rental-room address
• The rental term (months, years)
• The rental price and additional fees
• The payment method (early or end of month)
• The deposit (usually 1-2 months’ room rent)
• Regulations on price increase, contract liquidation
• Regulations on repair, maintenance
• The responsibilities of each party

Consider your financial ability before choosing a suitable room

According to personal-finance principles, the rental fee should not exceed 30-40% of the total monthly living cost.

Calculation example: If you are a student with an income from family or part-time work of 6 million VND/month, then:

• Maximum rental fee: 6 million x 40% = 2.4 million VND
• Remaining costs (3.6 million): food, travel, study, entertainment

How to save:

• Rent a room a bit far from the centre for a cheaper price
• Choose a small, sufficient room instead of too spacious
• Share with a friend to split the money
• Cook yourself instead of eating out

Do not deposit or transfer money before seeing the room

Currently, there are many people taking advantage of the room-rental demand to require a deposit before seeing the room, then cut off contact or provide false information to appropriate the tenant’s money.

• Posting at an extremely cheap price, with glittering beautiful images. When contacted, requiring a deposit to “hold the room” because many people are asking. After receiving the money, the landlord disappears.
• Saying the room currently has someone living in it, cannot be seen yet, but requiring money transfer in advance to secure it. In reality there is no room at all.
• Impersonating the landlord, giving a rental price lower than the market, requiring a transfer in advance. When you come to see the room, the real landlord knows nothing.

Note the golden rule that you only deposit after having: seen the room directly + met the landlord + checked the landlord’s Citizen ID + having a clear receipt/contract.

Consider the shared-living form to save costs

Shared living is a solution chosen by many students and workers when renting a room in Saigon, helping considerably reduce living costs while still ensuring comfort and safety during shared living.

• Considerable cost savings: Shared living helps split the room rent, electricity, water, internet evenly, thereby reducing about 30–50% of the total monthly living cost.
• Safer and more convenient: Having a roommate helps support each other in daily life, limiting risks when living alone, especially for students new to the city.
• Easy to maintain a tidy life: Dividing housework, cooking and agreeing on conventions about time and receiving guests helps limit conflicts and create a comfortable living environment.

Learn the rules and regulations of the rental area in advance to avoid trouble

Each rental area has its own rules, so the tenant needs to carefully learn before deciding to avoid unnecessary trouble during long-term living.

• Living hours: Whether there is a regulation on gate closing/opening time, a late-night limit (11pm, 12am), whether free entry/exit is allowed or there is a back door for those coming home late.
• Cooking and activities in the room: Whether cooking in the room is allowed, a separate cooking area, the type of stove and utensils allowed to use.
• Guests, pets and common rules: Regulations on bringing friends and relatives to the room, staying overnight, keeping pets, controlling noise, as well as the laundry and clothes-drying area.

Find a rental room through reputable channels

Reputable channels:

• Student community: The school’s and faculty’s Facebook groups. This is the most reliable channel because there is verification from the community.
• Introduction from friends, seniors: A reliable source of information, usually with incentives.
• Reputable classifieds websites: Phongtro123.com, Mogi.vn, Batdongsan.com, Muaban.net – sites that moderate posts.
• Professional brokers: If you don’t have time to search yourself, you can ask a broker (the fee is usually 0.5-1 month’s room rent).

In particular, you need to note that you should avoid posts in groups of unclear origin, rental rooms with an unusually cheap price or posters who don’t provide transparent information. These places very easily harbour a scam risk.

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Important notes when renting a room in Saigon

Besides the sharing above, when finding a room you still need to remember some more important notes so that the rental process happens safely and smoothly. Clearly grasping the experience of renting a room in Saigon will help you proactively check information, limit risks and avoid arising unwanted costs

• Hygiene: Evaluate the level of cleanliness and dryness of the bathroom and toilet; check whether the drainage works smoothly, does not cause stagnation or an unpleasant smell
• Electricity and water: Check whether the electricity and water meters are clear and transparent. Is there a separate meter for each room or a shared one?
• Documents: Ask to take a photo of the landlord’s Citizen ID to compare with the household registration book. Ensure the lessor is the rightful owner or is authorised.
• Personal safety: When going to see a rental room, you should not go alone, especially women and in deserted areas. It is best to go with a relative or friend (especially the person planning to live together) to evaluate, discuss and agree together before deciding to rent.

Questions about the experience of renting a room in Saigon

Should you rent a room sharing with the landlord?

Room sharing with the landlord:

• Advantages: 10-20% cheaper price, better security (the landlord controls it), being able to use some common amenities (kitchen, washing machine, drying yard), easy to ask for help when needed.
• Disadvantages: Less freedom, may be supervised, must obey strict rules, may have the landlord interfere in personal life.

Room not sharing with the landlord:

• Advantages: More freedom about time, activities, receiving guests, not being disturbed, having a separate gate.
• Disadvantages: Higher price, poorer security, less support when there is an incident.

First-year students renting a room for the first time should choose a room sharing with the landlord for safety and to have someone to support. Older students, working or wanting more freedom should choose not sharing with the landlord.

Should I deposit too much when renting a room?

A reasonable deposit level is 1-2 months’ room rent. If the landlord requires too high a deposit (3-6 months), be cautious because:

• The landlord may be having financial difficulty
• It’s hard to get the deposit back when moving out
• The risk of losing money if the landlord scams

The principle is to only deposit after having a clear contract and always ask for a deposit receipt with the landlord’s signature.

When is the most suitable time to rent a room?

The time of renting a room also greatly affects the price and the ability to choose a suitable room. Usually, around June–July is considered a suitable time to find a room in Saigon for the following reasons:

• Many old-cohort students have moved out after graduation
• Many empty rooms, easy to choose
• Stable price, not “feverish” like August-September
• The landlord is willing to negotiate the price

You should avoid renting a room in August–September, because this is the peak admission season making the number of students flocking to HCMC increase strongly, leading to a shortage of rental rooms, rental prices being pushed up and easily generating unreasonable costs. To be more proactive, you should follow Facebook groups and classifieds websites right from early summer, around May–June, to grasp many suitable room choices and have the opportunity to rent at a good price.

The experience of renting a room in Saigon is important baggage that helps you find a place to live that is safe, suitable to your budget and living needs. With the 10+ tips shared in the article, you can completely confidently search for a rental room without worrying about being scammed or running into trouble. Make use of the HUFLIT student community to find a reputable, safe rental room near the school area in District 10 and Hoc Mon.

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