Given what @ricky73 is seeing and doing some research based on  @ColoradoMarmot 's recollections - I'm wondering if you may be hitting the situation that's described here: https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Discussions/Big-Sur-hosts-with-Fusion-Is-vmnet-dhcpd...

That thread is indicating to me that Apple is in control of DHCP on Big Sur and not VMware. (which matches @ColoradoMarmot 's thoughts).

Evidently something has changed between then and now since Fusion 13 on Ventura and Monterey (each of which is offering me the ability to disable DHCP in the UI). I don't know if Apple or VMware or both made changes so that VMware can support not enabling DHCP on that segment. I'll have to see if I can fire up something on a Big Sur VM that I have and see if there's any change.