diff --git a/goldens/size-tracking/integration-payloads.json b/goldens/size-tracking/integration-payloads.json
index 7e65ea3e75..0caded8a40 100644
--- a/goldens/size-tracking/integration-payloads.json
+++ b/goldens/size-tracking/integration-payloads.json
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
         "bundle": "TODO(i): we should define ngDevMode to false in Closure, but --define only works in the global scope.",
         "bundle": "TODO(i): (FW-2164) TS 3.9 new class shape seems to have broken Closure in big ways. The size went from 169991 to 252338",
         "bundle": "TODO(i): after removal of tsickle from ngc-wrapped / ng_package, we had to switch to SIMPLE optimizations which increased the size from 252338 to 1197869, see PR#37221 and PR#37317 for more info",
-        "bundle": 1197869
+        "bundle": 1198831
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
index 535e89fc77..1ca8a714d7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import {isProceduralRenderer, RComment, RElement, Renderer3, RendererFactory3, R
 import {SanitizerFn} from '../interfaces/sanitization';
 import {isComponentDef, isComponentHost, isContentQueryHost, isLContainer, isRootView} from '../interfaces/type_checks';
 import {CHILD_HEAD, CHILD_TAIL, CLEANUP, CONTEXT, DECLARATION_COMPONENT_VIEW, DECLARATION_VIEW, FLAGS, HEADER_OFFSET, HOST, InitPhaseState, INJECTOR, LView, LViewFlags, NEXT, PARENT, RENDERER, RENDERER_FACTORY, RootContext, RootContextFlags, SANITIZER, T_HOST, TData, TRANSPLANTED_VIEWS_TO_REFRESH, TVIEW, TView, TViewType} from '../interfaces/view';
-import {assertNodeOfPossibleTypes} from '../node_assert';
+import {assertNodeNotOfTypes, assertNodeOfPossibleTypes} from '../node_assert';
 import {isInlineTemplate, isNodeMatchingSelectorList} from '../node_selector_matcher';
 import {enterView, getBindingsEnabled, getCheckNoChangesMode, getCurrentDirectiveIndex, getIsParent, getPreviousOrParentTNode, getSelectedIndex, leaveView, setBindingIndex, setBindingRootForHostBindings, setCheckNoChangesMode, setCurrentDirectiveIndex, setCurrentQueryIndex, setPreviousOrParentTNode, setSelectedIndex} from '../state';
 import {NO_CHANGE} from '../tokens';
@@ -1484,8 +1484,14 @@ function addComponentLogic<T>(lView: LView, hostTNode: TElementNode, def: Compon
 export function elementAttributeInternal(
     tNode: TNode, lView: LView, name: string, value: any, sanitizer: SanitizerFn|null|undefined,
     namespace: string|null|undefined) {
-  ngDevMode && assertNotSame(value, NO_CHANGE as any, 'Incoming value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
-  ngDevMode && validateAgainstEventAttributes(name);
+  if (ngDevMode) {
+    assertNotSame(value, NO_CHANGE as any, 'Incoming value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
+    validateAgainstEventAttributes(name);
+    assertNodeNotOfTypes(
+        tNode, [TNodeType.Container, TNodeType.ElementContainer],
+        `Attempted to set attribute \`${name}\` on a container node. ` +
+            `Host bindings are not valid on ng-container or ng-template.`);
+  }
   const element = getNativeByTNode(tNode, lView) as RElement;
   const renderer = lView[RENDERER];
   if (value == null) {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/node_assert.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/node_assert.ts
index 0b801ba62b..895c52397d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/node_assert.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/node_assert.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,15 @@ export function assertNodeOfPossibleTypes(tNode: TNode|null, ...types: TNodeType
       `Should be one of ${types.map(typeName).join(', ')} but got ${typeName(tNode.type)}`);
 }
 
+export function assertNodeNotOfTypes(tNode: TNode, types: TNodeType[], message?: string): void {
+  assertDefined(tNode, 'should be called with a TNode');
+  const found = types.some(type => tNode.type === type);
+  assertEqual(
+      found, false,
+      message ??
+          `Should not be one of ${types.map(typeName).join(', ')} but got ${typeName(tNode.type)}`);
+}
+
 function typeName(type: TNodeType): string {
   if (type == TNodeType.Projection) return 'Projection';
   if (type == TNodeType.Container) return 'Container';
diff --git a/packages/core/test/acceptance/host_binding_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/acceptance/host_binding_spec.ts
index e030432a21..27726e66bf 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/acceptance/host_binding_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/acceptance/host_binding_spec.ts
@@ -1427,4 +1427,53 @@ describe('host bindings', () => {
         '<img src="unsafe:javascript:alert(3)">', bypassSanitizationTrustHtml,
         /* isAttribute */ false);
   });
+
+  onlyInIvy('VE would silently ignore this').describe('host binding on containers', () => {
+    @Directive({selector: '[staticHostAtt]', host: {'static': 'attr'}})
+    class StaticHostAttr {
+      constructor() {}
+    }
+
+    @Directive({selector: '[dynamicHostAtt]', host: {'[attr.dynamic]': '"dynamic"'}})
+    class DynamicHostAttr {
+      constructor() {}
+    }
+
+    it('should fail with expected error with ng-container', () => {
+      @Component({
+        selector: 'my-app',
+        template: `
+          <ng-template #ref></ng-template>
+          <ng-container [ngTemplateOutlet]="ref" staticHostAtt dynamicHostAtt></ng-container>
+        `
+      })
+      class App {
+      }
+
+      const comp =
+          TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [App, StaticHostAttr, DynamicHostAttr]})
+              .createComponent(App);
+      // TODO(FW-2202): binding static attrs won't throw an error. We should be more consistent.
+      expect(() => comp.detectChanges())
+          .toThrowError(
+              /Attempted to set attribute `dynamic` on a container node. Host bindings are not valid on ng-container or ng-template./);
+    });
+
+    it('should fail with expected error with ng-template', () => {
+      @Component({
+        selector: 'my-app',
+        template: ` <ng-template staticHostAtt dynamicHostAtt></ng-template> `
+      })
+      class App {
+      }
+
+      const comp =
+          TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [App, StaticHostAttr, DynamicHostAttr]})
+              .createComponent(App);
+      // TODO(FW-2202): binding static attrs won't throw an error. We should be more consistent.
+      expect(() => comp.detectChanges())
+          .toThrowError(
+              /Attempted to set attribute `dynamic` on a container node. Host bindings are not valid on ng-container or ng-template./);
+    });
+  });
 });