Gateway Thao Dien 2026: Now on HCMC’s Foreign-Ownership List — 136 Units Already Sold to Foreigners. What Resale Buyers Should Check
Short answer: on 12 October 2026, Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Construction published a list of four housing projects that foreign individuals and organisations may own homes in — described by Dan Viet and CafeF as batch 16. One of them is SonKim Land’s commercial, office and apartment complex in An Khanh ward (formerly Thao Dien), better known as Gateway Thao Dien. The unusual part: according to the list itself, the project had already signed 136 apartments with foreign buyers before it appeared on it, and in September SonKim Land was fined for not reporting those sales to the Department.
All four projects share that trait — foreigners have already bought there, 354 units in total. This guide answers what expatriate buyers usually ask: which projects are in batch 16, why projects that sold to foreigners years ago are only now listed, whether 136 sales means Gateway Thao Dien is “full”, and what to check before buying a resale unit there.
Gateway Thao Dien & Batch 16 — As Published 12 October 2026
Table of Contents
Batch 16, 12 October 2026: Four Projects, 354 Units Already Signed With Foreigners
On 12 October 2026, the HCMC Department of Construction published four housing projects in which foreign organisations and individuals may own homes, under Decree 95/2024/ND-CP. Unlike earlier batches, this list also states how many units each project has already signed with foreign buyers. Compiled from Dan Viet, Bao Phap Luat, Vietstock and CafeF (all 12 October 2026):
| # | Project | Ward | Developer | Signed with foreigners | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial–office–apartment complex (Gateway Thao Dien) | An Khanh (formerly Thao Dien) | SonKim Land JSC | 136 apartments | Completed (2018) |
| 2 | High-rise residential, 30 Street No. 11 (The Nassim) | An Khanh | Nassim JV Co., Ltd. | 62 apartments | Completed |
| 3 | CC-III and CC-IV residential area | Long Binh | Ngan Thanh JSC | 5 homes | Under development |
| 4 | Habitat Binh Duong, phase 3 | Binh Hoa | VSIP – Sembcorp Gateway Development Co., Ltd. | 151 apartments | Completed |
The four rows add up to 354 units (a figure Dan Viet also gives; it mixes apartments and “homes”). On numbering and totals: Dan Viet and CafeF call this batch 16; Vietstock does not number it and says the city now has 164 projects open to foreign buyers. The previous announcement on 8 October was called batch 13 by Bao Xay Dung and CafeF and took the total to roughly 158–160. Sources do not yet agree, so Realtique uses roughly 162–164 projects until the Department posts the full list.
Graphic: Realtique · Data: HCMC Department of Construction batch 16 list (Dan Viet, Bao Phap Luat, Vietstock, 12 Oct 2026)
What Is Gateway Thao Dien?
The list uses the legal name commercial, office and apartment complex; the market knows it as Gateway Thao Dien, developed by SonKim Land. It sits in the heart of Thao Dien — now part of An Khanh ward — on a site of about 10,943.7 m² (Dan Viet), completed in 2018. CafeF puts it at 439 apartments; Vietstock breaks it down as 439 luxury apartments, 85 serviced apartments and 22 ultra-luxury units.
Thao Dien has the highest share of foreign residents in the city (see our Thao Dien expat buying guide), which is exactly why foreign slots in its towers are used up faster than anywhere else.
Illustrative photo: Cuong Tran · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Realtique image kit — not a photo of Gateway Thao Dien)
136 Units Sold to Foreigners Already — So Why Is It Only Listed Now?
Under the 2023 Housing Law (in force since 1 August 2024), foreigners may only own commercial housing in projects outside national-defence and security zones, and the provincial authority publishes which projects qualify. Yet every batch-16 project already had foreign buyers. The 12 October reports do not explain the timing; what the list itself shows is this:
- Gateway Thao Dien: on 7 September 2026 the HCMC People’s Committee issued penalty decision No. 5252/QD-XPHC against SonKim Land for selling 136 units to foreigners without sending the required email and written notice to the Department of Construction. The company paid the fine and said the breach was procedural only — not overselling the cap or selling to ineligible buyers.
- Nassim JV: CafeF, citing An Ninh Tien Te, reports a penalty under decision No. 4053/QD-XPHC dated 2 July 2026 (amount not stated).
- Ngan Thanh: Vietstock and CafeF list it among the previously fined developers; details have not been published.
- Habitat Binh Duong phase 3: the only one not fined — its foreign sales were signed under approvals from the former Binh Duong Department of Construction, before the merger.
A cautious reading: batch 16 looks like a step to bring projects that already have foreign owners onto the public list, together with how many units they sold — after the reporting breaches were dealt with and after the city’s boundaries changed. That is Realtique’s inference from the published data, not an official explanation.
For buyers, the key detail is that the number 136 is now public. The duty to report each sale within 3 working days is effectively the ledger of how much of the quota has been used (explained in our 30% foreign ownership quota guide). If that ledger is incomplete, the next buyer cannot know how many slots a tower has left.
Does 136 Sales Make Gateway Thao Dien “Full”?
The Housing Law caps foreign ownership at 30% of the apartments in one tower, counted tower by tower, not across the whole project. Dividing across the project gives a feel, not an answer:
| Denominator (Realtique’s own calculation) | 136 units equals |
|---|---|
| 439 luxury apartments (CafeF) | ≈ 31% |
| 546 units = 439 + 85 serviced + 22 ultra-luxury (Vietstock) | ≈ 24.9% |
The two denominators land on either side of the 30% line — and neither is the real answer, because the list does not say which towers the 136 units are in, or whether serviced apartments count like ordinary apartments for quota purposes. What you can conclude: at Gateway Thao Dien, foreign slots have been used heavily, so some towers may be at or near the cap. The right question at a viewing is “how many foreign slots does this tower have left, and who will confirm it in writing?”
For comparison, in the same ward the Department confirmed that Sensation (CapitaLand Thanh Nien) has 81 foreign slots, 57 signed and 24 remaining (VnExpress, 7 October 2026).
Buying a Resale Unit at Gateway Thao Dien: Five Checks
The project was handed over in 2018, so most deals are resales from existing owners. The sequence Realtique uses with foreign clients:
- Confirm the tower’s remaining foreign slots in writing — through the developer or the housing authority — before paying any deposit.
- Check the seller’s certificate: owner name, area, mortgages, disputes. If the seller is a foreign individual, read the ownership term on the certificate — under current rules a buyer from a foreign owner only takes the remaining term; have the notary confirm how it applies to your case.
- Check your own eligibility: foreign individuals must have legally entered Vietnam. Overseas Vietnamese who still hold Vietnamese nationality buy as citizens and do not count toward the quota.
- Check any existing lease: many Gateway units are tenanted; the remaining term and who holds the tenant’s deposit should be written into the sale contract.
- Notarise, pay taxes and fees, register the transfer: typically 2% personal income tax paid by the seller and 0.5% registration fee paid by the buyer, unless agreed otherwise. A foreign individual’s new certificate carries an ownership term of up to 50 years, renewable.
Fees and processing times vary by period and locality. The full rules are in Can foreigners buy property in Vietnam?
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The Other Three: The Nassim, Habitat Binh Duong Phase 3 and CC-III/CC-IV
Nassim JV’s high-rise residential project (30 Street No. 11, An Khanh, 4,448.5 m² site) is what buyers know as The Nassim Thao Dien — a riverside luxury address with 62 units already sold to foreigners. The list does not give the total unit count, so the share used cannot be calculated. Realtique currently has an 84 m² two-bedroom in Tower A with an existing tenancy for sale.
Habitat Binh Duong phase 3 (Binh Hoa ward, by the VSIP – Sembcorp Gateway joint venture) has 6 blocks of 16–18 floors and 793 apartments; the whole Habitat development is about 4 ha, 11 towers and 1,520 units (Vietstock). Phase 3 has signed 151 units with foreigners — the most in this batch — reflecting the engineers and managers working in VSIP industrial parks. A rough 151/793 ≈ 19% (Realtique’s calculation, not per tower).
CC-III and CC-IV by Ngan Thanh (Long Binh ward, about 16.5 ha) is the only project still under development, with 5 homes signed with foreigners. Note that the draft amended Housing Law proposes removing foreigners’ right to own landed houses — a proposal only, not yet passed by the National Assembly (see our quota guide).
Where Gateway Thao Dien Fits in the Bigger Picture
In two months the HCMC list has gone from 148 projects (10 August 2026) to roughly 158–160 (8 October, including Saigon Pearl) and now about 162–164. The last two batches point the same way: adding established, lived-in apartment complexes in the areas where foreigners have lived for years — Nguyen Huu Canh, Thao Dien, the VSIP belt — rather than only new launches.
For foreign buyers that means more legal resale stock in familiar neighbourhoods. But because these neighbourhoods are familiar, their towers’ quotas are also the most used. The list tells you a project is allowed; it does not tell you the tower you like still has room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreigners buy an apartment at Gateway Thao Dien?
Yes. On 12 October 2026 the HCMC Department of Construction added SonKim Land’s commercial, office and apartment complex in An Khanh ward (Gateway Thao Dien) to the list of projects foreigners may own homes in. Foreigners may still own no more than 30% of the apartments in each tower, so confirm the tower you want still has slots before paying a deposit.
Which projects are in HCMC’s batch 16 foreign-ownership list?
Four: Gateway Thao Dien (SonKim Land, An Khanh, 136 units signed with foreigners), Nassim JV’s high-rise project (An Khanh, 62 units), Ngan Thanh’s CC-III and CC-IV residential area (Long Binh, 5 homes) and Habitat Binh Duong phase 3 by VSIP – Sembcorp Gateway (Binh Hoa, 151 units).
How many Gateway Thao Dien apartments have been sold to foreigners?
According to the list published on 12 October 2026, 136 apartments are under signed sale contracts with foreign organisations and individuals. The list does not say which towers they are in, so it does not tell you which tower still has slots — the 30% cap applies tower by tower.
Does SonKim Land’s fine affect existing Gateway Thao Dien owners?
Penalty decision 5252/QD-XPHC of 7 September 2026 concerned the failure to report foreign sales to the Department of Construction. The developer paid the fine and says buyers’ ownership rights are unaffected; authorities did not find the cap was exceeded. Existing owners should keep their contracts and certificates; new buyers should get the tower’s slot count confirmed in writing.
Do overseas Vietnamese count toward the 30% quota at Gateway Thao Dien?
Overseas Vietnamese who still hold Vietnamese nationality buy and own as citizens, outside the 30% quota and without the 50-year limit. People of Vietnamese origin who hold only a foreign nationality are treated as foreigners.
⚠️ Note: Batch-16 details are compiled from Vietnamese press reports of 12 October 2026 (Dan Viet, Bao Phap Luat, Vietstock, CafeF); the Department of Construction will post the official list, which may differ. Batch numbering and project totals are not yet consistent across sources. Percentages in this article are Realtique’s own calculations, not published figures. The draft Housing Law amendment is a proposal and may change. This is not legal or investment advice — before paying a deposit, get written confirmation of the project’s listing and the foreign slots left in your tower.
Looking at a unit in Gateway Thao Dien or elsewhere in Thao Dien?
Send Realtique the tower and unit. We check how many foreign slots that tower has left, review the seller’s certificate and lease, and cost every tax and fee upfront — so you know whether you can own it in your name before you pay a deposit.
📞 Hotline: +84 866 810 689
Grace Le
Grace Le works with expatriate buyers and tenants in Thao Dien and An Phu — confirming how many foreign slots a tower still has, checking the seller’s certificate and lease, and staying with the buyer until the new certificate is issued in their name.
