Dublin’s new Vietnamese embassy likely doesn’t have planning permission to operate, council says
The Vietnamese embassy in Dublin has likely been operating without planning permission since its opening earlier this year, the city council has found.
A Dublin City Council (DCC) planning report found that there “appears to be no planning permission for the use of the existing building, which is a protected structure, as an embassy”.
The embassy was launched on March 26 by junior foreign affairs minister, Neale Richmond and Vietnam’s deputy foreign minister, Le Thi Thu Hang, in Dublin’s “embassy quarter”.
Following the launch, Mr Richmond said it was “a special time for Ireland-Vietnam relations”, noting that this year marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two states.
At the start of March, the embassy made a planning application, seeking to install two seven-metre fibreglass flagpoles and a Vietnamese national emblem above the front door of the property.
However, in its response from April 29, the council said any change of use from the site’s existing “office” use to that of “embassy office”, would likely require planning permission, which hadn’t been sought as yet.
“This proposal is for flagpoles and signage only and not for change of use,” the planning report said.
DCC asked for further clarification from the embassy on the planning status of the building.
The principal land use encouraged [in Z2 areas] is housing, but a limited range of other uses can be considered
The council’s planning officer said the building is in a Z2-zoned area, meaning that it is primarily a residential conservation zone.
“The principal land use encouraged [in Z2 areas] is housing, but a limited range of other uses can be considered, with the guiding principle being to enhance the architectural quality of the street-scape and the area and protect their residential character,” the report reads.
Limited other uses, such as office use and embassy office use, would be considered for a Z2 area, but they need to be approved by the planning authority in advance.
Embassy residential use, where the country’s ambassador lives in the premises, is considered permissible for Z2 areas. But embassy office use, such as in this case, needs prior permission from the planning authority.
If an application for change of use is approved, the council said it would consider the flagpoles and emblem at that point.
The embassy did not respond to requests for comment, and when the Irish Independent visited the building, a staff member said the person responsible for communications was absent.
Neale Richmond pictured with Vietnam’s deputy foreign minister, Le Thi Thu Hang at the opening of the Vietnamese embassy in Dublin
The premises, a Victorian building on Northumberland Road, are owned by Gerard Gannon Properties, headed up by Celtic Tiger developer Gerry Gannon.
As part of the planning application, Gerard Gannon Properties said they gave permission to their tenant, the embassy of Vietnam, to install the flagpoles on the premises.
Gerard Gannon Properties was contacted for comment.
Vietnam opened a residential embassy in Dublin in May 2025, following a state visit from then-president To Lam in 2024.
Ireland opened a resident embassy in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, in 2005, which is also accredited to Laos and Cambodia.