Do More with Less: The New 2026 Office Playbook for Enterprises

From cost control to growth advantage – how Vietnam’s most forward-thinking enterprises are redefining “workspace efficiency.”

Bottom Line Up Front:

Across Vietnam’s boardrooms in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, a new reality is taking shape; the office conversation has changed. It’s no longer about finding the cheapest square meters or squeezing teams into startup-style hot desks.

The question is no longer “How do we cut office costs?” but “How do we make our space work harder for growth?”

Country Managers, CFOs, and business leaders across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are facing the same challenge: How do we build spaces that support agility, brand, and talent, while optimizing every square meter?

Dreamplex calls this shift the “Do More with Less” movement,  where space is no longer a static expense but a dynamic growth platform.

Why Your 2026 Office Budget Demands a New Office Playbook

The past few years have tested every assumption about how enterprises should use space.
Vietnam’s economy continues to surge — GDP growth in 2024 hit 7.09%, one of Asia’s highest. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows reached $2.4 billion in Q1 2025, up 46% year-on-year, with office and industrial sectors leading the trend.

But with growth comes volatility.

As leaders finalize their 2026 office budgets, they face a critical choice. Teams are scaling rapidly, hybrid work patterns remain unpredictable, and the cost of traditional leases continues to rise. Yet many companies are still trapped in outdated models that no longer match how modern business operates.

Let’s be clear:

• Traditional leases assume predictability. But today’s workforce expands, contracts, and reorganizes faster than ever.
• Coworking spaces promise flexibility. But growing enterprises quickly outgrow shared desks and noise-filled open plans.
• What’s missing is the middle ground — the agility of flexible space with the control and brand presence of a private HQ.

The companies winning in this new landscape are those that stop thinking of office space as “rent” and start treating it as a strategic lever for performance.

A C-Level Rethink: Office Efficiency vs. Office Cost Optimization

For decades, “doing more with less” meant cutting back — fewer desks, smaller floors, tighter budgets. But that thinking no longer works in 2026. Modern efficiency is about value creation per square meter, not cost per square meter.

Today’s Vietnamese enterprises are optimizing space across three key drivers:

Talent Magnetism – How HR can leverage office for talent retention

Vietnam’s workforce now exceeds 52 million, with 27.8% holding degrees or certificates (Manpower Vietnam, 2024). 99% of employees say purpose and belonging matter more than pay. A great office — human-centered, well-designed, flexible — is no longer a perk. It’s a recruitment engine.

CEO Strategy: Building Agility for Rapid Scaling

Series B tech companies are growing from 50 to 300 employees in under 18 months.
Professional services firms are doubling headcount and expanding into new markets.
When growth looks like that, a 3–5-year lease becomes a liability, not an asset.

Financial Flexibility – The Critical Shift from CAPEX to OPEX

A traditional lease is a massive CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) burden that locks up your capital. A flexible workspace converts your real estate into a 100% OPEX (Operational Expenditure) model, freeing up cash for growth to invest where it truly matters: people, technology, and expansion.

In other words, the smartest enterprises aren’t downsizing — they’re right-sizing.

From Cost Center to Growth Strategy

For years, the office sat in the “expense” column. But Vietnam’s most forward-thinking leaders are proving that the right office setup can drive measurable ROI.

According to Savills Vietnam, companies in premium serviced offices report:

• About 25% faster recruitment times
• 18% higher retention rates
• 30% savings in Total Cost of Occupancy (TCO) compared to traditional leases

Let’s look at how this transformation plays out in real life.

The 3 Big Shifts Driving the Future of Work in Vietnam

Shift #1: From Landlord to Partner

Traditional leases are transactional. You sign, you pay, you manage. But business growth today needs partnership, not paperwork. Forward-looking office providers like Dreamplex act as growth partners, offering:

• Scalability without penalty — expand or contract seamlessly
• Infrastructure that works — enterprise-grade internet, meeting rooms, utilities, IT support
• A human experience — on-site teams trained to deliver hospitality, not just facility management

That human layer is what turns flexibility into a competitive advantage.

Shift #2: From Individual Productivity to Team Performance

The modern workplace is an ecosystem — balancing deep focus with collaboration.
Research by Cushman & Wakefield found that companies offering a variety of work settings (private, collaborative, social) see up to 17% higher team productivity.

Dreamplex designs for this very principle: Private suites for confidentiality, lounges for creative collaboration, cafés for spontaneous connection, and event spaces for culture-building.

Because when people feel cared for, they perform better — and stay longer.

Shift #3: From Cost Reduction to Value Creation

The true ROI of space lies in brand, culture, and agility. A well-designed office communicates who you are before your team says a word.

Vietnam’s enterprises are moving fast toward this model. In 2024, 68% of all new office transactions in Ho Chi Minh City were relocations — companies searching for better alignment between business needs and space design.

Analyzing the 2026 Vietnam Office Market (HCMC & Hanoi)

Here’s what we’ve learned after a decade of supporting enterprises: there’s a significant gap between what growing companies need and what the market traditionally offers.

Traditional premium offices provide the environment and services, but require 3-5 year commitments with significant upfront investment.

Startup coworking spaces offer flexibility but lack the privacy, branding, and professional infrastructure that serious businesses require.

The optimal solution combines premium service levels with accessible pricing and flexible terms. With Vietnam’s commercial real estate market ranking second in the Asia-Pacific region for investor intentions (behind only India) and HCMC commanding 48% of the market share, this isn’t compromise—it’s purposeful design for how ambitious Vietnamese companies actually operate.

The current landscape is uniquely favorable for flexible, high-performance offices with:

• Grade A projects in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are now offering competitive rates with Grade B buildings due to high supply.
• Hybrid leasing models allow enterprises to secure premium addresses with no long-term capital lock-in.
• Investor confidence is strong: Vietnam ranks #2 in the Asia-Pacific region for commercial real estate investment interest in 2025.

The opportunity is clear: Vietnamese enterprises can now access world-class work environments at local cost structures.

Dreamplex’s model represents that “sweet spot” — combining the sophistication of traditional offices with the flexibility of modern coworking.

The ROI of Employee Experience: How to “Do More with Less”

For Dreamplex, “Do More with Less” isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about building smarter systems — where hospitality, design, and operations work together to power growth.

Every Dreamplex location is designed to maximize experience while minimizing TCO:

• Private, brandable suites tailored for each enterprise
• Shared lounges, cafés, and event areas to foster collaboration
• Enterprise-level infrastructure with 24/7 accessibility
• A dedicated Member Experience Team delivering what Dreamplex calls “10x hospitality” — care that compounds productivity

The result: teams that feel at home stay longer and perform better.

Dreamplex’s model represents that “sweet spot” — combining the sophistication of traditional offices with the flexibility of modern coworking. Dreamplex’s philosophy is simple: every square meter should multiply business outcomes.

When companies optimize these five dimensions, “less” space can deliver exponentially more impact.

Here is the practical framework for evaluating the office strategy for 2026. Before signing your next lease, ask these five questions:

• Scalability: Can your space grow or shrink with your business?
• Financial agility: Are you freeing up capital for growth initiatives?
• Brand alignment: Does your space reflect your positioning and values?
• Team performance: Is the environment designed for deep work and connection?
• Strategic value: Does the office attract talent and strengthen culture?

If the answer to any of these is “no,” you’re not doing more with less — you’re simply doing less.

Partnering for the Next Decade

As Vietnam moves toward its next growth horizon, the enterprises that thrive will be those that design for adaptability, efficiency, and human experience.

Dreamplex’s mission is to make that future tangible — through spaces that perform as hard as the people inside them. Whether it’s a private enterprise HQ or a multi-floor custom buildout, each Dreamplex partnership begins with one principle:

Care is not a service. It’s infrastructure.

Because when care is built into every wall, every lounge, every interaction — your office stops being a cost center. It becomes a growth engine.

Ready to Reimagine Your 2026 Office Strategy?

Dreamplex – Creating workspace that grows with your business