Vietnam commercial real estate goes green: Knight Frank
Vietnam’s commercial realty sector is rapidly embracing environmental measures and certifications in the construction of new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings to meet multinational tenants’ demands, property consultancy Knight Frank said Wednesday.

Buildings in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of Knight Frank.
A new Knight Frank study, which drew upon green building databases from the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), showed that Vietnam has trailed its APAC neighbors in terms of Tier 1 and Tier 2 certifications for its office space, and all signs indicate rapid adoption of the green measures in the years to come.
The changes are in line with a series of governmental directives and growing corporate and public consciousness about sustainability, the global consultancy noted.
“This has been on the national agenda since the first Energy Efficiency Building Code was published in 2005,” said Knight Frank Vietnam CEO Alex Crane. “However, multinational tenants’ mandating environmental certifications have proven the key commercial driver for building owners to embrace the green wave.”
Vietnamese developers have tended to favor LEED and Green Mark certifications for their Grade A and B office buildings, according to the study. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are seven LEED-accredited buildings and two Green Mark-accredited buildings with varying degrees of rating, and Hanoi has three LEED-accredited buildings.
Both HCMC and Hanoi are still quite behind when compared to Bangkok, which has up to 25 LEED-accredited office buildings of various ratings.
“We expect to see this trend continuing in existing and future pipelines, from green fit-outs from multinationals to retrofitting a whole building to attain green accreditation like Me Linh Point’s recent Green Mark Platinum renovation in Ho Chi Minh City,” Crane said.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification program developed by the U.S. Meanwhile, the Green Mark certification scheme is a system by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority, shortly known as BCA.
The initial investment for green buildings is typically 2-5% higher than equivalent non-certified projects. Vietnamese green building consultancy GreenViet has found that within five years of operation, the buildings will have been repaid the additional construction costs.
This aligns with Knight Frank Vietnam’s findings, as the firm has been tracking rental premiums in central business districts for green buildings. The rentals were up to 16% maximally higher compared with non-green buildings in the third quarter of 2022.
The CEO of Knight Frank Vietnam stressed, “In the future, projects that want to be considered for Grade A will need green accreditation as occupiers are becoming more aware of rating scores to satisfy their sustainability initiatives and ultimately lower their carbon footprint.”
- Read More
Vietnam plans to spend over $2 bln on US agri imports
Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is expected to sign MoUs to purchase over $2 billion worth of U.S. agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.
Economy - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 10:01 pm GMT+7
New flight route to help Danang attract more wealthy tourists from Middle East
The new Dubai-Danang flight route has been launched, paving the way for an influx of high-spending travelers from the Middle East and Europe to the central Vietnam city, one of the country's top tourist attractions.
Companies - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 9:13 pm GMT+7
Food giant C.P. Vietnam’s 'diseased' pigs improperly quarantine-stamped: authorities
The widely circulated images of diseased pigs from C.P. Vietnam, a subsidiary of Thailand’s food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), date back to 2022, but the pigs were improperly stamped, Vietnamese authorities stated on Tuesday.
Companies - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 5:36 pm GMT+7
Son Hai Group proposes expanding 263km stretch of Vietnam's North-South Expressway
Vietnam’s Son Hai Group is seeking Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's approval to invest in the expansion of a 263-kilometer stretch of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway.
Infrastructure - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 3:53 pm GMT+7
FedEx establishes direct serve in Vietnam on surging demand
FedEx Express Corporation, one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, has transitioned to a direct-serve presence in Vietnam amid the Southeast Asian country’s growing international shipping demand.
Industries - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 2:55 pm GMT+7
Vietnam’s steel giant Hoa Phat to deliver thousands of containers to domestic shipping lines
Vietnam’s largest steelmaker, Hoa Phat Group, will supply thousands of containers to VIMC Container Transport JSC (VIMC Lines) and Vinafco Shipping JSC under recently signed contracts.
Companies - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 12:16 pm GMT+7
Shinhan Bank receives 'Fastest growing SME bank Vietnam 2025' award
South Korea’s Shinhan Bank Vietnam Limited has been named the “Fastest Growing SME Bank Vietnam 2025” by World Economic Magazine (UK).
Companies - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 10:19 am GMT+7
Vietnam’s ‘shrimp king' Minh Phu expects to return to profit in 2025
Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (UPCoM: MPC), Vietnam’s leading shrimp exporter, expects net profit to reach VND997 billion ($38.03 million) this year, reversing the loss in 2024.
Companies - Tue, June 3, 2025 | 8:38 am GMT+7
CMC Corporation breaks ground on $300 mln technology hub in Hanoi
Vietnam's leading technology firm CMC Corporation on Monday broke ground on its $300 million Hanoi CMC Creative Space (CCS Hanoi) project.
Industries - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 11:19 pm GMT+7
Thailand’s industrial output up after 9-month decline
Thailand’s industrial output has turned positive for the first time in nine months, with the automotive sector rebounding after a 21-month slump, said Thai Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul.
Southeast Asia - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 10:48 pm GMT+7
Singapore, France to expand cooperation in civil nuclear energy, defence technology, AI research
Singapore and France have upgraded their Strategic Partnership signed in 2012 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), marking Singapore's first CSP with a European country.
Southeast Asia - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 10:47 pm GMT+7
Masan MEATLife stock jumps on continued profit momentum
The ticker of Masan MEATLife (MML), a subsidiary of Vietnamese consumer retail giant Masan Group, jumped by 8.71% to VND31,200 ($1.2) per share on Monday, after it reported profit for the third consecutive quarter in Q1/2025.
Companies - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 10:34 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's VSIP Binh Dinh industrial park seeks to become 'golden destination' for Thai firms
The Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh service-urban-industrial complex in the central province of Binh Dinh is emerging as a promising destination for Thai enterprises, said its developer Becamex Binh Dinh JSC.
Industrial real estate - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 10:24 pm GMT+7
Termination of feed-in-tariff mechanism a major bottleneck in Vietnam’s electricity transition: expert
A major bottleneck in Vietnam’s electricity transition has been the termination of the feed-in-tariff (FIT) mechanism in 2021, with no suitable replacement mechanism in place, according to the director of Hanoi-based Institute of Energy Technology.
Economy - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 4:56 pm GMT+7
Vietnam Vaccine JSC launches high-quality healthcare shop chain
Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), well known for its vacciation services, on Saturday launched its VNVC Shop, a chain offering safe, high-quality healthcare products from globally recognized brands.
Companies - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 4:05 pm GMT+7
Vietnam heavyweight PV Gas plans $3 bln investment over next 5 years
PV Gas, a subsidiary of state-owned giant Petrovietnam, plans to make "strong investment" over the next five years in areas such as infrastructure and import-distribution of LNG.
Energy - Mon, June 2, 2025 | 2:01 pm GMT+7