China
Pink book / red book (ownership certificate)
The certificate of house ownership and land use rights. When a home is sold, the certificate is transferred into the buyer's name.
How it works in Vietnam
In Vietnam people call it sổ hồng (pink book) or sổ đỏ (red book) after the cover colour of older forms. Both names now mean the same certificate.
Transferring it brings the registration fee, the title appraisal fee and the certificate issuance fee. The home-buying costs calculator lists each one and who pays it.
Related terms
- Registration fee
A one-off charge the buyer pays to the state when the home is registered in their name, set as a percentage of the home's value.
- Title appraisal fee
The fee the land registration office charges to review the file before it issues or transfers the ownership certificate.
- Secondary market
Buying a home that already has an ownership certificate from its current owner.
Learn more
- Buying property in Vietnam as a foreigner: what the law says
Which homes a foreign individual may buy in Vietnam, where, how many, and for how long, under the Housing Law 2023.