Country guide

Vietnam, measured for your move.

Every figure on this page is a checkpoint in a real relocation plan. Start with the numbers that decide whether Vietnam works for you, then walk the corridor month by month.

Top visa route
DT1 Investor Visa (Major Investor)
Income floor
Varies
Duration
5 years
Renewable
Processing
~2 wks
Filing to approval
Visa routes
15
Live from the Nomad knowledge graph
Last verified
May 2026
Vietnam
Vietnam
15 legal routesLive from the Nomad knowledge graph
Section 01

How you can legally move to Vietnam

15 visa routes, ranked for a remote worker planning a stay of a year or longer. The numbers that decide the route: income floor, timeline, who comes with you, and what filing costs.

Vietnam visa routes compared on income, timeline, family, and costs
RouteIncome floorTimelineFamily & workCosts
VietnamDT1 Investor Visa (Major Investor)Top-ranked routeVariesRemote income qualifies5 years~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok, Family ok$155 fee$500 all-in
VietnamDT2 Investor Visa (Mid-Tier Investor)VariesRemote income qualifies5 years~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok, Family ok$155 fee$500 all-in
VietnamDT3 Investor Visa (Standard Mid-Range)VariesRemote income qualifies3 years~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok, Family ok$95 fee$400 all-in
VietnamTemporary Residence Card (TRC)VariesRemote income qualifies2 years~1 wk processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok, Family ok$145 fee$250 all-in
VietnamDT4 Investor Visa (Small Investor)VariesRemote income qualifies1 year~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok$50 fee$250 all-in
VietnamTT Family Visa (Dependent of Foreign Visa Holder)VariesRemote income qualifies1 year~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok$50 fee$300 all-in
Vietnam5-Year Visa Exemption Certificate (Vk)VariesRemote income qualifies5 years~1 wk processingRemote work ok, Family ok$20 fee$50 all-in
VietnamDH Student VisaVariesRemote income qualifies1 year~2 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok$50 fee$250 all-in
VietnamHN Marriage/Family Visit VisaVariesRemote income qualifies3 months~1 wk processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok$25 fee$100 all-in
VietnamLD Work Visa (LD1 Exempt / LD2 With Work Permit)Varies2 years~4 wks processing 路 RenewableFamily ok$100 fee$1,500 all-in
VietnamLV1 and LV2 Council/Government Working Partner VisaVaries1 year~2 wks processing 路 RenewableFamily ok$95 fee$200 all-in
VietnamPermanent Residence Card (PRC / Thuong Tru)VariesRemote income qualifies10 years~17 wks processing 路 RenewableRemote work ok, Family ok$100 fee$500 all-in
VietnamE-Visa (Electronic Visa)VariesRemote income qualifies3 months~1 wk processingRemote work ok$25 fee$50 all-in
VietnamVisa Exemption (Visa-Free Entry)VariesRemote income qualifies1 monthRemote work okVaries1 documents
VietnamVietnamese Naturalization (Citizenship by Residence)VariesRemote income qualifiesVaries~26 wks processingRemote work ok, Family ok$130 fee$1,500 all-in
Figures reflect the Nomad knowledge graph, verified May 2026. Your plan re-checks these before every step.
Section 02

United States to Vietnam: the money facts

Treaty coverage, double-tax exposure, and what setup actually costs, so you know the financial shape of the move before you commit.

Moving from
Tax treaty
No
Double taxation covered
Totalization
No
Social security agreement
Double-tax risk
High
Setup cost
$3,000 to $15,000
Filed and landed
Section 03 路 The spine of your plan

The corridor timeline

Six months out to landing day. Each marker below becomes a checklist of tasks in your Nomad plan, 53 in all, with the documents and fees for each one.

  1. 6+ mo out
    Pick the route
    Pick the destination and visa route, then start the slowest paperwork: passport renewal, apostilled background checks, civil documents, and the pet's rabies work.
  2. 3-6 mo out
    File the visa
    File the visa, line up insurance that meets the visa minimum, open a multi-currency account, and decide what you ship, sell, or store.
  3. 1-3 mo out
    Book and close out
    Give notice, book flights and first-month housing, schedule the movers, and start closing the accounts and registrations you will not need.
  4. Final month
    Documents in hand
    Confirm the entry documents, pack a carry-on document folder, close out utilities, and set up phone and money for day one.
  5. Landing
    Land in Vietnam
    Register with the local authorities, get the tax ID, open the bank account, and start the clocks that only start once you arrive.
Phases assume a straightforward file. Your plan re-dates every step when consulate wait times shift.
Section 04

What the move costs to file

The application fee is the number you budget. The filed total, documents and extras included, is the number you actually pay. Both, per route.

Live data 路 Vietnam filing costs 路 verified May 2026
DT1 Investor Visa (Major Investor)
Government fee vs everything filed
Application fee$155
All-in filed$500
Documents and extras add $345 on top of the fee.
DT2 Investor Visa (Mid-Tier Investor)
Government fee vs everything filed
Application fee$155
All-in filed$500
Documents and extras add $345 on top of the fee.
DT3 Investor Visa (Standard Mid-Range)
Government fee vs everything filed
Application fee$95
All-in filed$400
Documents and extras add $305 on top of the fee.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The move is 53 small certainties in the right order. The reward is one large one: you live in Vietnam now.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Your corridor, your dates

Turn this guide into your plan.

90 seconds of questions and you get your personal Vietnam corridor: your visa route, your document list, your timeline with real dates, and every fee totaled up front.

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Vietnam by the numbers

Authoritative figures for Vietnam, each linked to its source.

101.0M
Population
$4,717
GDP per capita
$15,850
GNI per capita (PPP)
74.6 yrs
Life expectancy

Deep dives by topic

The part of the move that is keeping you up at night, taken one piece at a time. Each one pulls the real Vietnam specifics, live from the Nomad knowledge graph.

Cover yourself the day you land

Coverage that crosses borders with you, so a hospital visit abroad never becomes the reason you go home.

SA

Get expat health insurance

via SafetyWing

SafetyWing covers you in 175+ countries for ~$45/mo.

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Book the flight out

Compare the real fares across airlines so the move out costs you less than the indecision did.

AV

Find the flight out

via Aviasales

Aviasales compares 1200+ airlines and agencies, so the one-way fare you book is the cheapest one going.

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KI

Book the one-way flight out

via Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com builds one-way and multi-leg routes across 750+ airlines, including the legs other engines skip.

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Land with data already on your phone

Activate before takeoff and step off the plane already online, no scrambling for a kiosk or a local SIM.

AI

Land with data already working

via Airalo

Install an Airalo eSIM before you fly. It covers 200+ countries and switches on the moment you land.

Get your eSIM
YE

Unlimited data for the landing weeks

via Yesim

Yesim runs unlimited plans in 150+ countries, so apartment hunting, maps, and bank calls never hit a cap.

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Other destinations to consider

Last verified: May 2026 路 Not tax or legal advice. Always confirm visa requirements with the official consulate.

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