The Challenging Entry of Ultra-Lightweight Building Materials into the Market

Aug 28, 2025

Ultra-lightweight building materials offer many outstanding advantages but still face challenges entering the Vietnamese market. Learn more in detail here.

The construction investment sector accounts for approximately 70% of social investment value, with building materials making up 30–50% of total investment in projects. The demand for ultra-lightweight materials and 3D materials is becoming a new trend in Vietnam due to their superior economic efficiency: reduced costs, faster construction, and environmental protection. However, the path to bringing these products into the market still faces many challenges.

Lightweight materials demonstrate many outstanding advantages

Advantages of Ultra-Lightweight Materials

In the context of increasingly depleted natural resources, ultra-lightweight materials have become a new solution to minimize negative environmental impacts. These materials include wall structures, insulation, roofing panels, doors, gypsum partitions, floors, ceilings, and products made from lightweight cement and stone.

Energy savings in production and transportation
Fast construction, easy storage
Variety of colors and patterns according to customer needs

Current Situation in the Vietnamese Market

Many companies have introduced ultra-lightweight products to the market, such as:

Viglacera: autoclaved aerated concrete panels
Đạt Phú Thịnh: vinyl bricks
Vĩnh Cửu: lightweight bricks
Thanh Phúc Group: ultra-lightweight stone

Ultra-lightweight materials are applied widely in interior and exterior construction

Lightweight materials help reduce foundation costs, shorten construction time, while maintaining aesthetics and durability. However, currently, the usage rate of lightweight bricks in Vietnam is only 8–9% compared to the 20% target.

Major Barriers

Experts point out the main reasons hindering the development of ultra-lightweight materials in Vietnam:

Customers’ reluctance to change
Economic interests of traditional material manufacturers
Incomplete legal framework and technical standards

The ultra-lightweight building materials market in Vietnam remains limited

Proposed Solutions

To promote development, experts recommend:

The Ministry of Construction should issue legal documents, guiding standards, and economic-technical norms
Mandatory use of new materials in publicly funded projects
Strengthen communication to raise community awareness