Buying Grand Marina as a Foreigner: Step-by-Step

Buying a branded residence like Grand Marina Saigon at Ba Son, District 1 is less complicated than many foreign buyers expect — but the steps need to happen in the right order, with the right documents. This article walks through the entire process chronologically, from the moment you reserve a unit to the day you collect your keys, with notes specific to Vietnam's first Marriott & JW Marriott branded residences.

1. Check your eligibility before you put down a deposit

First, confirm that you qualify to buy and that the building still has foreign-ownership "room", because this single point governs everything that follows.

Under current rules, foreigners may own an apartment in Vietnam on a 50-year tenure (renewable under Vietnamese law), and each building is capped so that no more than 30% of its units are foreign-owned. So before any money changes hands, step one is to verify two things: that you fall within the group permitted to buy, and that the unit you want still sits inside that building's 30% foreign quota.

• You have entered Vietnam legally (valid passport with an entry stamp).
• You are not entitled to diplomatic or consular privileges and immunities.
• The unit you want is still within the 30% foreign-ownership cap of the Lake, Lagoon, Cove or Sea tower.

This is the moment to read Foreigner Eligibility: Who Can Buy Property in Vietnam? carefully and have your agent check the remaining quota on the stock list. If your preferred unit's foreign quota is exhausted, the agent can suggest a comparable unit in another tower. It also helps to review Foreigners Buying Property in Vietnam: The A-Z Guide first for the big picture.

2. Choose your unit, get the price list and agree the terms

This step is about picking the right unit type and tower, then receiving the official price list and payment terms that will anchor your contract.

Grand Marina offers a range of layouts: 1BR (~50–60 m²), 2BR (~70–90 m²), 3BR (~110–140 m²), Dual-Key, Sky Villa/Duplex (~180–250 m²) and Penthouses. Lake carries the Marriott brand (Prime Collection), while Lagoon, Cove and Sea are JW Marriott (Legacy Collection). All towers have already been handed over and are occupied, so today most foreign transactions are resales on the secondary market.

The table below gives indicative prices and payment options to frame your thinking before you sit down to negotiate:

These figures are indicative only and change with each sales phase and with secondary-market deals; the official price for a specific unit should be requested directly. Common payment options include a ~25/75 or 30/70 progress schedule, a bank loan (interest grace / 0% until handover), or a fast 95–100% payment for an 8–12% discount. See the Pricing & Payment page for more.

If you are still weighing up towers and layouts, don't rely on guesswork from online rumours.

3. Place a reservation deposit (booking)

The reservation deposit "locks" your chosen unit with a holding payment before you sign the formal contract.

Once you have settled on a unit, you sign a deposit agreement and transfer the holding deposit. This confirms you as the priority buyer for that unit and is later credited toward your first payment instalment. At this stage you should review the following terms carefully:

• Unit details: unit code, tower, floor, net (carpet) area and orientation.
• Price, payment schedule, and the milestone for signing the sale-purchase agreement (SPA).
• Refund conditions and what happens if either party does not proceed.

As a foreigner, ask for every document to come in a bilingual Vietnamese–English version and read it carefully before signing. Your distribution agent will prepare the file and stay with you throughout this step; the deposit should be paid by bank transfer for a clear paper trail, not in cash.

4. Sign the sale-purchase agreement (SPA) and pay on schedule

This is the most important legal step: you sign the SPA with the developer (or a transfer contract for a resale) and then pay according to the agreed schedule.

The sale-purchase agreement is the document that establishes your rights to the unit. A foreign buyer's file typically includes a valid passport, the page with the entry stamp, and any documents required by the developer or seller. Every SPA at Grand Marina comes in a bilingual version, and your agent will help you cross-check each clause.

For payments, you follow the schedule agreed in step 2. If you choose a bank loan, this is when you work with partner banks such as Techcombank, VPBank, MB or BIDV (lending up to 70% of value, terms up to 25 years). Foreign buyers have specific lending conditions, so it is worth reading Can Foreigners Get a Mortgage in Vietnam? in advance to prepare your financial file. One key point: foreigners are generally required to pay through a Vietnamese bank account, so opening an account and documenting the legal source of funds should be arranged early.

5. Handover to Marriott standards

Once you have paid in full per the contract, you take handover of a fully fitted residence and begin using the Marriott-run services.

All of Grand Marina's towers have already been handed over (Lake from 03/2023; Lagoon, Cove and Sea from 12/2023), so for most units today you can take possession almost immediately after completing payment and the transfer formalities. Units are delivered fully fitted to Marriott standard: marble/engineered-wood floors, Poggenpohl/Boffi kitchens with Miele/Gaggenau appliances, Toto/Duravit/Hansgrohe bathrooms, Daikin VRV air-conditioning and app-based smart-home controls.

At handover you should inspect (accept) the unit against the handover record, check the appliances, settle the applicable fees and register for services. From here you have full access to the amenities: 24/7 concierge, the river-facing Sky Infinity Pool, a Technogym fitness centre, spa, Sky Lounge, cinema room and Marriott Bonvoy privileges. This level of service is the key differentiator of branded residences — you can learn more in What are branded residences?.

6. Costs and paperwork after handover

Beyond the unit price, budget for the taxes, fees and charges needed to complete ownership, plus the monthly running cost.

Obtaining your ownership certificate (a 50-year tenure for foreigners) and registering services will generate several charges. The following figures are indicative:

• VAT: 10% (usually included in the progress-based price).
• Maintenance fee: 2% of the unit value, paid once.
• Management fee: around USD 8–9 / m² / month (subsidized by the developer for the first 3 years).
• Registration fee: around 0.5%.

A higher management fee is normal for branded residences, because it covers the five-star hotel services running inside the building itself. All of the above figures can change and should be reconfirmed for your specific unit; you can also browse the FAQ for common questions on taxes, fees and procedures.

Paperwork is the part most foreign buyers worry about, yet it is also the easiest part to get help with.

7. Summary: the steps in order

The whole process fits into six steps: check eligibility, choose a unit, reserve, sign the SPA & pay, take handover, complete the paperwork.

Picture it as a flow: first confirm that you qualify and that foreign quota remains; then choose a unit and lock in the price; place a reservation deposit; sign the sale-purchase (or transfer) contract and pay on schedule; take handover of the fully fitted Marriott-standard residence; and finally complete the ownership certificate and the fees. Because all towers are already handed over, foreign buyers today mostly transact on the secondary market, which adds a step of checking the seller's legal documents and the transfer contract.

Every transaction has its own details, and the advice here is general only. Before you decide, review the legal documents and the specific price list for each unit carefully, and consult a professional where needed.