JLL: "Vietnam Ranks Last in Southeast Asia for Real Estate Transparency, Behind Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia"

【HANOI, Vietnam—Kim Jun-seok, correspondent】Vietnam ranked 50th among the 88 countries and regions surveyed in a real estate market transparency assessment conducted by JLL, a global commercial real estate investment and services company, placing it at the lowest level. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranked last among the six countries evaluated, behind Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
According to local media reports on the 16th, JLL released its 2026 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI) report on the 14th. The index assessed 88 countries and regions across six criteria: investment performance, legal and regulatory frameworks, market fundamentals, transaction processes, the governance of listed real estate companies, and sustainability. A lower overall score indicates greater market transparency.
Vietnam received an overall score of 3.15 and was placed in the "Semi-Transparent" market group. It ranked 50th overall, one place lower than in 2024. Among the six Southeast Asian countries evaluated, Singapore ranked first, followed by Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, with Vietnam in last place.
According to JLL, real estate-related data remains fragmented and insufficient in "Semi-Transparent" markets such as Vietnam. As a result, appraisal accuracy remains at 60% to 70%, while the appraisal process takes 10 to 20 days.
The study also found that experts’ experience and judgment accounted for 40% of the information used, while market research accounted for another 40%; publicly available data made up only about 20%. Consequently, the cost of obtaining information is high, verification procedures are complex, and legal risks are greater than in other markets.
However, Vietnam’s score improved by 0.1 points from the previous survey, placing it among the top 10 markets with the largest score improvements during the 2024–2026 survey period, alongside South Korea, Poland, Thailand, Australia, Qatar, India and Dubai.
As economic and geopolitical uncertainty increases worldwide, JLL assessed that transparency in real estate markets is becoming an increasingly important factor for investors.
Trang Le, CEO of JLL Vietnam, proposed completing the digitization of land records, disclosing data on the commercial real estate credit market, and expanding green building certification linked to master plans as measures for Vietnam to enter the transparent market group. Trang added, "The adoption of international appraisal standards also plays an important role in improving transparency in the real estate market."
Another JLL Vietnam official stated, "Vietnam is gradually pursuing the digitization of land records and the establishment of a unified real estate registration system, while moving toward the adoption of international appraisal standards such as International Property Measurement Standards (IPMS)." These factors are expected to serve as key drivers in narrowing the transparency gap between markets, improving the reliability of appraisal results, and strengthening foreign investors’ confidence in the Vietnamese market.

[email protected] Kim Jun-seok Reporter