Unlocking Pink Book Obstacles for Numerous Condominiums

Residents of Saigon Gateway apartment building in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, have sent a petition to the authorities and city leaders, requesting a resolution to a series of lingering issues. The most important concern is the issuance of land use right certificates and ownership of assets attached to the land (“pink book”).

Waiting for the Pink Book

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the standing agency of Task Force 5013 of Ho Chi Minh City, held a meeting to address obstacles in issuing pink books for housing projects, including Saigon Gateway apartments.

Saigon Gateway apartments, developed by Hiép Phú Real Estate Joint Stock Company, comprise two blocks with over 900 apartments and nearly 30 shophouses. According to the developer, the project has fulfilled its financial obligations and social housing responsibilities.

Mr. Nguyen Toan Thang, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, instructed the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office to review the fulfillment of social housing obligations for this project. If there are no issues, the office should proceed with the pink book issuance for residents.

Another complication at Saigon Gateway is the residents’ lawsuit against the authorities for separating the pink book of the apartment land (14,300 sq. m) into two pink books – one for the residential area of over 8,300 sq. m and another for the 5,000 sq. m commercial and service area, after the apartments were sold. This affects the rights and legal interests of the residents. They lose their right to use the common passage and have to rely on others’ land for access. The residents filed a lawsuit, requesting the revocation of the new pink books and the restoration of the old one for the apartment complex.

Regarding the lawsuit, Mr. Nguyen Toan Thang stated that once the court announces its decision, the concerned agencies will implement it accordingly, without causing further delays in issuing pink books to the residents.

Ms. Duong Thi Quynh Luu, a resident of Saigon Gateway, expressed the residents’ desire to obtain their pink books but raised concerns about the area of common-use land. Previously, the authorities had granted the developer private use of 5,000 sq. m of commercial and service land, depriving residents of more than 4,000 sq. m of common-use land.

“The authorities need to resolve and definitively determine the boundaries of the land for the residents’ common use and that of the developer’s private use,” said Luu. “If the developer continues to be granted private use of 5,000 sq. m of commercial and service land, the residents will disagree, leading to prolonged complaints and disputes.”

Meanwhile, at 4S Linh Dong Apartments in Thu Duc City, with 1,100 units, residents have been living there since 2014, but several issues remain unresolved, from maintenance funds to pink book issuance. Similarly, at Topaz Home 2 – Block B, residents who moved in back in 2021 are still awaiting their pink books…

As numerous apartment buildings are discussed in these problem-solving meetings, the residents of these places anxiously await positive signals. The Management Board representative of the apartment building shared that they had contacted the authorities, but the paperwork remained stagnant as the developer did not initiate the pink book issuance process.

Hope After the Wait

Centum Wealth Apartments, comprising three blocks with 544 units, held a meeting in April 2025 to address the obstacles in obtaining pink books. The developer sent a notice to the residents, informing them of the preparation of necessary procedures, such as apartment measurement documents and applications for land-use certificates, before submitting the paperwork for pink book issuance. The process is expected to commence in June.

Ms. Tran Thi Nhung, Head of the Centum Wealth Apartment Management Board, mentioned that they had requested the developer to promptly inform residents about the apartments eligible for pink book application. For those with issues, guidance would be provided for resolution. They also requested a progress update and the separation of the remaining 5% payment in the sales contract. 2% would be for the common property maintenance fund, transferred to the management board as per regulations, and 3% would be the subsequent payment for the apartment purchase value.

“We hope that residents will soon obtain their pink books, but we also acknowledge the challenges ahead,” commented Nhung. “Only when the pink books are in the residents’ hands will they truly be at ease.”

Joy also came to the residents of M-One Nam Sai Gon Apartments in District 7, as obstacles were cleared for their pink book issuance. Ms. Thanh Hien, a resident, shared that she had purchased the apartment from a previous owner years ago. Although anxious, her family now hopes for a swift pink book issuance as the apartment complex has fulfilled its supplementary financial obligations.

Previously, some apartments in this complex had received their pink books, but the process was temporarily halted. “Recently, the developer called to inform me that the pink book issue would be resolved. I promptly went to the ward to complete the necessary procedures and provide the required documents to the developer for submission to the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office,” Hien happily shared.

Processing Thousands of Applications

From the effective date of the 2013 Land Law to April 2023, Ho Chi Minh City had 335 commercial housing projects with 191,101 apartments and separate houses eligible for pink book issuance. Of these, 110,016 units had received their pink books, while 81,085 were pending.

In May 2023, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) implemented plans to address and expedite the pink book issuance for the remaining 81,000 apartments/houses, categorizing them into six groups and achieving notable results.

In November 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision 5013, establishing the Task Force 5013 to address matters related to pink book issuance for organizations and individuals in commercial housing development projects in the city.

In just six months, Task Force 5013 held nearly 30 meetings to resolve obstacles for nearly 150 housing development projects in the city. As a result, over 71,000 apartments/houses/land lots/officetels/shophouses, along with nearly 900 other real estate products, were cleared for pink book issuance.

Regarding the pink book issuance progress in the city, the Department of Agriculture and Environment reported that in the first five months of 2025 alone, the department received 10,125 pink book applications. The Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office issued tax payment notices for 2025 to 11,860 cases (including 6,306 applications received in 2025 and 5,554 from the previous year). Among these, 5,353 have paid the land use tax, while 6,507 buyers have yet to provide proof of tax payment.

To ensure pink book issuance for homebuyers, the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment instructed the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office to take corrective measures and improve the system’s performance in handling applications. Additionally, the office should urgently review and develop a concrete plan to resolve the backlog of applications, with a completion target of June 30. Ho Chi Minh City aims to process 38,000 applications for homebuyers according to the plan announced by the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office in February 2025.