The seven shabby rooms that his family inhabits in the centre of Hanoi may not look like much, but Hoang Quoc Dinh is sitting on one of the most expensive slices of real estate in the world.
The combative 53-year-old businessman recently turned down an offer of 50bn Vietnam dong ($2.4m) for his family’s 53 square metre plot of land just south of Hone Kiem lake. He will only sell his home to developer T&T New Times if he gets 67bn dong ($3.2m).
At about $60,000 a square metre, Mr Dinh’s asking price is more than the average paid for luxury apartments in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, according to a recent survey by Knight Frank, an estate agency. His lofty demand has prompted allegations of greed in a country where income