‘Most liveable city’ in Vietnam has bright future in real estate

A new survey has ranked Singapore the most liveable city for expatriates due to its excellent infrastructure and amenities, low crime rate and a large expat community, which provides access to a social network.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

For the 15th year running, Singapore was crowned as the top liveable city for East Asian expatriates in the Asia-Pacific region, having been first every year since 2005, according to the latest survey results released by data company ECA International.

The city’s excellent infrastructure and amenities, low crime rate, and large expat community continues to impress.

“These aspects attribute to Singapore’s prime spot in the rankings, and the country will most likely continue to hold the top position in the considerable future,” said Lee Quane, regional director for Asia at ECA International.

Brisbane remained in second place while Sydney, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo tied for third.

In contrast, Hong Kong tumbled 52 spots in the rankings to end at the 93rd spot, its livability score tarnished by ongoing socio-political tensions in the city.

“Not only are the heightened political tensions worrying for expatriates living in the region, the protests that have regularly taken place since mid-2019 have had a negative effect on areas of everyday life, which are often taken for granted. This includes disruptions to Hong Kong’s transportation infrastructure and an increase in crime rates since the protests began,” noted Quane.

Thai and Vietnamese cities all saw significant improvements to their rankings this year.

Vietnam has been investing in better infrastructure, which improves living standards for both locals and expatriates in the country, Mr Quane said.

Thailand's recent peaceful democratic elections implies that cities there have seen an improvement in the political situation as well - something that inevitably improves liveability levels for expatriates, he added.

Outside of the Asia Pacific region, Copenhagen is the most liveable location for Asian expats, coming in ninth overall.

ECA’s Location Ratings system assesses the overall quality of living in over 490 locations globally. Factors assessed include climate; availability of health services; housing and utilities; natural phenomena; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal safety; political tensions; and air quality./.