You may try very hard and still not be able to buy a house in Saigon

First of all, I sympathize with and understand that the dream of people who come to live, study and work in Saigon, Hanoi and any other big city anywhere in the world is to buy a house.

But we must admit the harsh truth: It has never been and will never be easy.

Even people who are considered Saigon natives who do not have to spend years of paying rent as migrant workers are trying to buy a house.

My colleague lives with his parents in an alley in the city center but wants to buy his own house. The family's current house is too small for several generations to live together, and everyone finds it cramped and inconvenient.

His family has lived in Saigon for generations.

The city has thousands of people like that. So even if buying a house in Saigon becomes a bit easier, emigrants may not get their turn.

There are some young couples who buy a house after just a few years of marriage. They are either super talented or relied on help from their wealthy families.

Why is it too difficult to buy a house in Saigon or Hanoi? Because these are the places that young people leaving high school always eye. They are the places with many jobs, amusement options and top healthcare facilities.

Imagine how many new people come to these cities every year.

If you say you have tried but still have not been able to buy a house in these places, again I deeply sympathize. But we also have to acknowledge the truth (which often hurts): you try hard, but thousands of others are trying many times harder than you. And a house is a worthy reward for them.

So for a normal person with a normal family, getting a job with an income that is to support themselves is already something to strive for.

Then other things, like a house or a car, can be obtained if you know how.

But you may have to accept that the house will be in the suburbs and not the center, and it is an average car to shelter you from rain and shine when on the road and not a Lexus.