High urbanization dynamics and major construction activities in its cities have highlighted the need for more sustainable building practices in Vietnam. While local innovation take place at the grassroots level, they are often struggling to break through as of today. Studies that analyse barriers to green or more sustainable building practices conventionally focus on the implementation of certified building projects. Here, we instead suggest to zoom into building material niches where bio-based, recycled or circular materials are developed that might or might not be part of certified building projects. This paper therefore studies material innovation processes in Vietnam and barriers for their main-streaming. Based on insights from the ongoing ReBuMat project, it suggests leverage points and strategies for the materialization of wider transformative change in the building and urban development system of Vietnam.