District 2 is the established riverside belt directly east of downtown — the original home of Ho Chi Minh City’s expat community. Its most famous corner, Thao Dien, has its own dedicated guide; this page covers the rest of District 2 that renters actually shortlist: An Phu — the international-school cluster wrapped around Estella Place mall and the An Phu metro station — and Diamond Island, the resort-style towers on their own river island. If Thao Dien is the village charm, District 2’s An Phu is the everyday convenience, usually at lower rent.
This guide is the full picture: a four-building comparison matrix, deep-dives on Estella Heights, The Estella, Diamond Island and Lexington Residence, real 2026 prices per building (USD, converted at ~26,000 VND/$), the An Phu school advantage, the metro-and-tunnel commute, total move-in costs, negotiation tips, and decision frameworks by renter profile. Browse the verified District 2 apartments for rent below, or read on to choose the right building.
District 2 is where Ho Chi Minh City’s expat story began. Long before Thu Thiem’s towers or Binh Thanh’s Vinhomes, foreign families settled across the Saigon River in the leafy wards east of District 1 — drawn by international schools, riverside space and a calmer pace. Two decades on, it’s a mature, well-served residential belt rather than an up-and-coming one.
The district’s best-known corner, Thao Dien, is covered in its own guide. This page is about the other half of District 2 that renters actually compare: An Phu — the school-and-mall cluster around Estella Place and the An Phu metro station — and Diamond Island, the resort-style towers on a river island. The short way to think about it: Thao Dien sells village charm and café culture; An Phu sells everyday convenience and schools; Diamond Island sells resort seclusion. All three sit minutes apart.
A note on the 2025 administrative reform: on 1 July 2025 Vietnam abolished the district tier, and “Thu Duc City” (which had absorbed District 2 back in 2021) was dissolved. The old District 2 core — Thao Dien, An Phu, An Loi Dong and Thu Thiem — was reorganised largely into the new An Khanh Ward under Ho Chi Minh City, with neighbouring wards (Binh Trung, Cat Lai and others) covering the rest. “District 2” and “An Phu” remain the names everyone searches and uses; a 2025-onward lease may simply read “An Khanh Ward”.
As a rental market, District 2’s pitch versus its neighbours is clear: the school access and established expat services of Thao Dien next door, but with more new-build choice and generally lower rents than Thao Dien, Thu Thiem or District 1. The typical 2-bedroom averages about $1,080/month — among the best value in the eastern expat belt.
For apartment hunters, District 2 outside Thao Dien splits into two very different settings.
An Phu is the practical heart of expat District 2: the Estella Place mall, the An Phu Metro Line 1 station, the Mai Chi Tho expressway to the Thu Thiem Tunnel, and — crucially — the city’s densest cluster of international schools within a short ride. Estella Heights, The Estella and Lexington Residence all sit here. It’s less café-pretty than Thao Dien but more efficient for daily family life.
A few minutes east, Diamond Island (Đảo Kim Cương) occupies its own peninsula in a bend of the Saigon River. It’s a self-contained, resort-style enclave — vast pools, riverside lawns, and towers named for tropical islands — that trades walkable-neighbourhood access for seclusion, greenery and family amenities. A different proposition entirely from An Phu’s mall-and-metro convenience.
The choice between them is really a lifestyle choice: An Phu if you want schools, shops and the metro on your doorstep; Diamond Island if you want a quiet, amenity-rich riverside compound and don’t mind being a short drive from everything.
The major District 2 rental addresses (outside Thao Dien), side by side. The 2BR column shows indicative 2026 asking ranges in USD per month (converted from public VND listings at ~26,000 VND/$), furnished, mid-floor.
| Building | Developer | Delivered | Setting | 2BR asking (USD/mo) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estella Heights | Keppel Land + Tien Phuoc | 2018–19 | An Phu, above Estella Place | $1,190–1,630 | Premium + schools + metro + mall |
| The Estella | Keppel Land + Tien Phuoc | ~2013–14 | An Phu (Hanoi Highway) | $1,000–1,750 | Established community + value |
| Diamond Island | Kusto Home | 2017–19 | River island (resort) | $810–1,000 | Resort amenities, families, seclusion |
| Lexington Residence | Novaland | ~2016 | An Phu (Mai Chi Tho) | $540–670 | Best value entry in the belt |
The district-wide average 2-bedroom is about $1,080/month — comparable to Binh Thanh (~$1,050), below Thao Dien (~$1,250), Thu Thiem (~$1,540) and District 1 (~$2,060). For the same school access as Thao Dien, An Phu is the value play.
Estella Heights is the flagship of An Phu. A Keppel Land and Tien Phuoc joint venture, it’s four towers (872 units, one to four bedrooms) rising directly above the Estella Place mall, within walking distance of the An Phu Metro Line 1 station and roughly 15 minutes from the District 1 CBD. The combination — mall downstairs, metro at the door, schools a short ride away, Singapore-developer build quality — is hard to match in the eastern belt.
Pricing reflects that premium positioning: 1-bedrooms $930–1,630, 2-bedrooms $1,190–1,630, and 3-bedrooms $2,000–4,100, the top of the 3BR band being the highest documented asking rent in District 2. The natural pick for a family that wants schools, shopping and the metro bundled into one address — and a strong alternative to pricier Thao Dien for the same school run.
Before Estella Heights came The Estella — the original Keppel Land / Tien Phuoc development on the same An Phu stretch, delivered around 2013–14. Lower-rise and a decade more settled, it has a mature, leafy community feel and the same prime An Phu location, just with older (still well-kept) finishes. For many renters that makes it the smarter buy.
Prices sit a notch below Estella Heights: 2-bedrooms $1,000–1,750, 3-bedrooms $1,530–3,430. Choose The Estella over Estella Heights when you want the same An Phu convenience and an established community, and you’d rather put the saving toward a larger unit than the newest fit-out.
Diamond Island (Đảo Kim Cương) is District 2’s most distinctive address — a Kusto Home development (Kusto Group, headquartered in Singapore) spread across its own peninsula in a bend of the Saigon River. Phase 1 is the Brilliant tower; Phase 2 adds five towers named for tropical islands — Hawaii, Bora Bora, Bahamas, Maldives and Canary — with Maldives the most premium, offering four-bedroom units and three-sided panoramas over the river, Thu Thiem and the Bitexco tower.
The appeal is the resort lifestyle: oversized riverside pools, lawns, sports courts and a genuine sense of escape from the city, which makes it a favourite with families. Pricing is gentle for what you get: 1-bedrooms $660–740, 2-bedrooms $810–1,000, 3-bedrooms around $2,700 (larger Maldives units higher). The honest trade-off is access — the island has limited road connections, so you’ll drive or ride for schools, shops and the metro rather than walk.
Lexington Residence is the budget-friendly way into the An Phu belt. A Novaland development of three 25-storey towers (1,310 units) on Mai Chi Tho, delivered around 2016, it offers compact, modern European-styled units with a pool, gym and ground-floor retail — popular with younger professionals and smaller families who want the An Phu location without a premium rent.
This is the district’s value floor: 1-bedrooms $370–540 — the lowest documented asking rent in District 2 — 2-bedrooms $540–670, 3-bedrooms $640–740. For a renter who needs to be near the An Phu schools and the metro on a tight budget, nothing else in the eastern belt comes close on price.
The full breakdown by bedroom. All figures are indicative 2026 asking rents in USD per month, converted from public VND listings at ~26,000 VND/$; furnished, before negotiation. Floor, view and furniture quality move the real number.
| Building | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | Larger / premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estella Heights | $930–1,630 | $1,190–1,630 | $2,000–4,100 | 4BR higher |
| The Estella | — | $1,000–1,750 | $1,530–3,430 | Duplex higher |
| Diamond Island | $660–740 | $810–1,000 | ~$2,700 | Maldives 4BR on request |
| Lexington Residence | $370–540 | $540–670 | $640–740 | — |
District summary: apartments run from about $370 (a Lexington 1-bedroom) to $4,100 (an Estella Heights 3-bedroom), with the typical 2-bedroom averaging around $1,080/month. By bedroom across the district: 1-bedrooms roughly $370–1,630, 2-bedrooms $540–1,750, 3-bedrooms $640–4,100. The spread is wide because Lexington’s value units and Estella Heights’ premium floors sit at opposite ends of the same neighbourhood.
This is the single biggest reason expats choose District 2: schools. The An Phu / Thao Dien corridor holds the densest cluster of international schools in Vietnam, and An Phu’s buildings sit right inside it.
From Estella Heights, The Estella or Lexington, most of these are a 5–15 minute drive (many run buses), and Estella Place mall covers groceries, dining, a cinema and kids’ activities in one stop. For a family whose priority is the school run, An Phu delivers Thao Dien-level access at a lower rent — which is exactly the trade-off our Thao Dien vs An Phu comparison digs into. Diamond Island families typically use the same schools, accepting a slightly longer drive for the resort setting.
District 2’s An Phu cluster is well connected — and got a major upgrade when Metro Line 1 opened in December 2024.
The honest caveat: An Phu sits at the junction of Mai Chi Tho and the Hanoi Highway, which jam at peak hours, and Diamond Island’s single access road can bottleneck. The metro sidesteps the worst of it for An Phu residents; Diamond Island living leans more on a car or Grab.
District 2’s lifestyle is more mall-and-compound than Thao Dien’s walkable café strip — convenient rather than charming, which suits the family demographic.
If you want to stroll between independent cafés, that’s Thao Dien next door; District 2’s An Phu and Diamond Island are built around hubs you drive or ride to — efficient for families, less so for café-hoppers.
The realistic upfront cost for a $1,080/month 2-bedroom (the district average) in District 2:
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Security deposit | $2,160 (2 months) | Standard; sometimes negotiable to 1.5 months |
| First month’s rent | $1,080 | Paid before move-in |
| Brokerage fee | $0 | Landlord pays — VietnamRenty never charges the tenant |
| Internet setup (FPT/Viettel) | $30–50 | One-off + first month |
| Cleaning / lock change | $40–100 | Recommended for a new tenant |
| Total upfront | ~$3,310–3,390 | For a $1,080 baseline rent |
Realistic all-in monthly housing cost for a $1,080 2BR: roughly $1,250–1,450 including fees, utilities and parking.
Best fit: Lexington Residence — modern units in An Phu at the belt’s lowest rents, near the metro and the school cluster.
Best fit: Estella Heights — Estella Place downstairs, An Phu station walkable, premium Keppel build.
Best fit: The Estella — the settled, leafy original on the same An Phu stretch, usually better value than Estella Heights.
Best fit: Diamond Island — river-island living with vast amenities, if you don’t mind driving to schools and shops.
Best fit: see District 2 serviced apartments for furnished, all-inclusive, flexible-lease options across An Phu.
Consider instead: neighbouring Thao Dien, the village half of old District 2.
District 2 is a renter-friendly market: a deep stock of investor-owned units across four large developments means landlords compete, and an empty unit earns nothing. Use it.
“I’m comparing this with a similar 2-bedroom in the next tower and a Thao Dien unit at a higher price. I can sign 12 months and transfer the deposit within 24 hours at [your target] — can we close today?”
Still weighing the two halves of old District 2? Our Thao Dien vs An Phu comparison sets out who each suits.
| Factor | District 2 (An Phu) | Thao Dien | Thu Thiem | Binh Thanh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe | Schools, mall, convenience | Expat village, cafés | New-build future CBD | Riverside + metro |
| Avg 2BR rent | ~$1,080 | ~$1,250 | ~$1,540 | ~$1,050 |
| Int’l schools | Cluster a short drive | Several walkable | Sala options; rest a drive | Vinschool; int’l a drive |
| D1 commute | 12–18 min (tunnel/metro) | 15–25 min | 2–3 min (bridge) | 5–15 min |
| Metro Line 1 | ✓ An Phu | ✓ Thao Dien, An Phu | None on peninsula | ✓ Tan Cang, Van Thanh |
| Best for | Value + schools + metro | Community & walkability | Newest stock | Value + metro |
The short version: District 2’s An Phu is the value-and-convenience choice within the established eastern expat belt — the same schools and services as Thao Dien next door, usually at a lower rent, with the metro and the tunnel for fast downtown access. Choose Thao Dien for charm and walkability; choose An Phu (or Diamond Island) for everyday efficiency and value.
7:00 AM — breakfast, then the school bus or a 10-minute drive to BIS/ISHCMC. 8:30 AM — a parent walks to An Phu station and rides into District 1. Afternoon — homework, then the pool. 5:30 PM — groceries and dinner downstairs at Estella Place without leaving the building. Weekend: cinema at the mall, or a metro hop to Thao Dien’s cafés.
7:15 AM — drive the kids to school off the island. Mid-morning — work from home with a river view. Afternoon — the resort pools and riverside lawns. Evening — a quiet dinner at the island clubhouse, far from city traffic. Weekend: the island is the destination — pools, sports courts, riverside walks.
8:00 AM — one rides the An Phu metro into District 1; the other works from home. Lunch and errands at Estella Place or An Phu Supermarket. 6:00 PM — gym in the building, dinner in Thao Dien a few minutes west. The trade: a compact, modern flat near the schools and metro for the lowest rent in the belt.
No. District 2 was merged into Thu Duc City in 2021, and on 1 July 2025 the district/city tier was abolished. The old District 2 core (Thao Dien, An Phu, An Loi Dong, Thu Thiem) is now largely the new An Khanh Ward under Ho Chi Minh City, with Binh Trung, Cat Lai and others covering the rest. “District 2” and “An Phu” remain the everyday names and search terms.
Thao Dien is the most famous part of old District 2 and has its own dedicated guide — see Thao Dien apartments for rent. This page focuses on the rest of District 2: An Phu (Estella, Lexington) and Diamond Island.
A typical 2-bedroom averages about $1,080/month. Across the district, prices run from roughly $370 (a Lexington 1-bedroom) to $4,100 (an Estella Heights 3-bedroom). It’s among the better-value expat areas, below Thao Dien, Thu Thiem and District 1.
Yes — it’s one of the best. The An Phu / Thao Dien corridor has the densest international-school cluster in Vietnam (BIS, ISHCMC, EIS and more), and An Phu’s buildings are a short ride or bus from all of them, with Estella Place mall for everyday needs.
Same developer (Keppel Land / Tien Phuoc), same An Phu area, different projects. The Estella is the older (2013–14), lower-rise, established community; Estella Heights (2018–19) is the newer four-tower premium development above Estella Place mall. Heights is newer and pricier; The Estella often better value.
For the right renter, yes. You get resort-scale pools, riverside space and a quiet, secure island compound — excellent for families — at modest rents ($810–1,000 for a 2BR). The cost is access: limited roads on and off the island, so you’ll drive or ride for schools, shops and the metro.
Yes — the An Phu Metro Line 1 station (opened December 2024) sits on the Thao Dien / An Phu border, walkable from Estella Heights and one stop from Thao Dien, with a ~15-minute no-traffic ride to District 1.
About 12–18 minutes by car via the Mai Chi Tho expressway and the Thu Thiem Tunnel, or ~15 minutes by metro from An Phu station. The tunnel route is the fastest road option from the eastern belt.
Yes — no restrictions on foreigners renting in District 2, and most landlords prefer foreign tenants. USD quoting and payment are common; VND by local transfer is also normal.
Most District 2 units come furnished, though quality varies by landlord — inspect the specific unit. For stays under two years, furnished is simpler; serviced options bundle everything for flexibility.
Thao Dien for walkable café culture, the biggest expat community and walk-to-school options; An Phu for the same school access at a lower rent, plus the mall and metro on your doorstep. Our Thao Dien vs An Phu comparison breaks it down.
Quick reference: match your top priority to a building.
| If your priority is… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Schools + mall + metro in one premium address | Estella Heights |
| Established community & better value | The Estella |
| Resort amenities & river-island seclusion | Diamond Island |
| Lowest rent near the schools & metro | Lexington Residence |
| Walkable café culture & community | Thao Dien (next door) |
| Furnished & flexible short stay | District 2 serviced apartments |
VietnamRenty works directly with verified landlords across Estella Heights, The Estella, Diamond Island and Lexington Residence. Tell us your budget, bedroom count, school and move-in date, and we’ll send a curated shortlist within 24 hours — with WhatsApp confirmation, a full price breakdown, and ownership verified. No tenant fees, no agent markups, no surprises.
📲 Message us on WhatsApp to start your District 2 apartment search, or browse the verified listings above.
"We moved from Thao Dien to An Phu after looking for a newer building. The shift was barely noticeable — same shops, similar communities, but a brand-new tower with better insulation and quieter living.
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"An Phu is the next Thao Dien — it has the same expat feel but with newer building stock and faster D1 access via Mai Chi Tho. Watch this area: by 2027 it will have caught up entirely.
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"An Phu is excellent but commute via Mai Chi Tho can still bottleneck at peak hours. Worth doing a test drive at 8am before committing.
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