In 2014, when a one-bedroom apartment was listed in what was then Binh Duong Province – before its merger with HCMC last year -- for around VND450 million ($17,100), he decided to buy it.
The price was far less than in HCMC and it was large enough for a young family. Hung recalls: "When I saw the show house, I really liked it. The setting was open, the price was right, and National Highway 13 was slated to be widened."
Though he worked in HCMC, he believed the daily travel would be manageable once the infrastructure improved.
He had also assumed he would find a job close to the new home. But until now, most of his family's life remains tied to the city center.
Each morning he heads downtown for work while his wife drops their child at school and then continues into the city herself.
