Vietnam remains an attractive destination for real estate investors in 2011, said CBRE Vietnam General Director Marc Townsend in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 6.

Townsend quoted head of Franklin Templeton Fund’s market integration section Mark Mobisus as saying that Vietnam would witness the return of big investors to its private investment market.

He also cited the assessment of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE) as saying that Vietnam is one of the five leading integration markets – together with China, India, Brazil and Mexico – for real estate investors in 2011.

Townsend also predicted that the tendency of buying houses will sharply increase as the Vietnamese dong devalues and people shift their investment focus on real estate. The market for retail space will be the most attractive one as the retail space in the centre is limited and retailers will invest in small trading areas and suburban areas and rent front street houses.

He affirmed that real estate services like training, market survey, material sources and marketing will be improved and put online.-Enditem