Should you book a Hanoi apartment from home, or find it when you land?

It is tempting to lock in a home before you fly so you have one less thing to worry about. For most people, that is a mistake, with one exception.

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The risk of signing unseen

Photos hide noise, smell, light, the state of the building and the reality of the street. Committing to a lease for its full term from abroad is how people end up trapped in the wrong home for as long as the lease runs.

What photos cannot show

Before you rely on a listing, think about what a picture leaves out:

• Noise: the street at night, the neighbours, building work and any bars nearby
• Light and heat: which way the windows face and how hot the home gets in the afternoon
• Damp and smell: marks on walls and ceilings, and how the bathroom smells
• The building: the lift, the stairs, the corridors, the security and the state of the shared areas
• The walk: how far the nearest shop, café and transport really are
• The owner: whether the person offering the home is the person who owns it

The workflow we recommend

Book a serviced apartment for your first month from abroad, where flexibility is the point and a mistake costs weeks not a year. Then view long-term homes in person, or by live video with your Nest advisor, and sign only once you have seen the real thing.

A short stay first gives you time to walk the streets, try your commute and choose an area, and it keeps the long-term decision for when you are standing in the home. Our guide to short-term rentals in Hanoi covers the options, and serviced apartment or long-term lease helps you decide when to move on.

The exception

If you genuinely cannot view and must commit early, do it on a verified listing with a live video walkthrough and an English contract, never on photos and a deposit request alone.

What a live video walkthrough should show

A good walkthrough is led by you, not by a script. Ask to see:

• The street outside, and the walk from the street to the front door
• Every room, with the lights on and off and the windows open
• A tap running, the toilet flushing and the air-conditioning working
• The electricity meter, so you can see whose name it is in
• The ownership document, with the name on it matching the name on the lease
• The lift, the corridor and the entrance to the building

Stay on the call while you ask questions. A call that is cut short, or a person who will not show you a room, has told you something useful.

Before you send any money

Almost every scam ends with money moving too early or to the wrong person, and that risk is highest when you are overseas.

• Pay nothing until you have seen the home, in person or on a live video call
• Check that the person offering the home is the owner, or holds the owner’s written authority
• Read the whole lease in a language you understand before you pay anything under it
• Pay by bank transfer to the person or company named on the lease, never in cash to a go-between
• Get a receipt for every payment, and keep it with the lease

Our guides to apartment scams and to checking a lease written in Vietnamese go through each of these in more detail.