Visa Options for Long-Term Stays
Vietnam‘s visa landscape shifted again in 2025, and many foreigners arriving in 2026 are still working with outdated information. The 90-day e-visa that caused so much excitement when it launched is now the baseline entry point — but it is a single-entry visa, and the rules around extending or converting it inside Vietnam have tightened. If you are planning to stay for three to six months, understanding your options before you land saves you from expensive border runs and bureaucratic headaches.
Here is how the main visa pathways stack up in 2026:
- E-Visa (EV): Valid for up to 90 days, single entry. Available to citizens of most countries at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Cost is 25 USD (approximately 630,000 VND). Cannot be extended inside Vietnam as of 2026. You must exit and re-apply. A second consecutive e-visa application is generally approved, but a third in a row is increasingly flagged.
- DL Visa (Tourist Visa — multiple entry): The DL visa is Vietnam’s multiple-entry tourist visa, valid for 90 days per stay with the ability to re-enter. It must be sponsored by a Vietnamese travel agency or hotel partner and applied for through an embassy or via a visa-on-arrival approval letter. It costs roughly 50–80 USD (1,260,000–2,020,000 VND) through a reputable agent. This is the most practical option for people staying 3–6 months with periodic regional travel.
- DN/DT Business Visa: The DN visa (issued to those invited by a Vietnamese company) allows stays up to 12 months and can be extended inside the country. If you work remotely for a foreign employer, you are not automatically eligible for this — you need a Vietnamese entity to sponsor the application. Some co-working operators and registered companies offer this service for a fee, typically 150–300 USD (3,780,000–7,560,000 VND) per application.
- LD Work Permit Visa: If you are employed by a company operating in Vietnam and earning income from a Vietnamese source, you need a work permit and an LD visa. The work permit process involves the Ministry of Labour and takes 4–8 weeks. Most remote workers do not fall into this category.
The honest answer for most remote workers in 2026 is this: the DL multiple-entry tourist visa combined with a short exit to Thailand, Cambodia, or Singapore every 90 days remains the most practical long-term strategy. Vietnam has not yet created a digital nomad visa, despite industry lobbying. Until it does, this is the workaround most foreigners use.
Getting Your Paperwork Right
The visa is only step one. Once you are inside Vietnam and staying longer than a few weeks, two administrative processes matter far more than most foreigners realise: temporary residence registration and the Temporary Residence Card (TRC).
Police Registration (Tạm Trú)
Every foreigner staying in Vietnam is legally required to register their temporary residence with the local police within 24 hours of arrival at a new address. Hotels do this automatically — it is why they take your passport. If you are renting an apartment, your landlord is technically responsible for registering you, but many do not bother. This creates a quiet legal grey zone that most short-term visitors never encounter trouble with, but which can become a problem if you are stopped for any reason, or when you apply for a TRC.
To register properly, your landlord submits a form (Tờ Khai Đăng Ký Tạm Trú) to the ward-level police station (phường). Some districts in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have online portals for this as of 2026. Ask your landlord specifically whether they will handle registration before you sign any lease. If they refuse, this is a red flag about how cooperative they will be with other administrative matters down the line.
Temporary Residence Card (TRC)
A TRC (Thẻ Tạm Trú) is available to foreigners who have a valid visa of at least 12 months remaining and meet specific eligibility criteria — typically those married to Vietnamese nationals, employed by a Vietnam-registered company, or holding a valid work permit. It is issued in 2-year or 5-year increments and allows you to stay without needing to leave and re-enter.
For most remote workers on tourist or business visitor visas, a TRC is not accessible in 2026. However, if you marry a Vietnamese citizen or establish a Vietnamese-registered business entity, the TRC pathway opens. The application goes through the Immigration Department (Phòng Quản Lý Xuất Nhập Cảnh) of the provincial or city police, and the processing time is typically 20–30 working days.
2026 Budget Reality
Vietnam remains genuinely affordable by global standards in 2026, though prices in central districts of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have climbed steadily since 2023. Below are realistic monthly cost-of-living figures for a single person living comfortably — not luxuriously, not backpacker-style.
Budget Tier — 15,000,000–22,000,000 VND/month (approximately 590–870 USD)
- Shared apartment or studio in a secondary district
- Eating primarily at local pho and cơm tấm spots
- Using motorbike taxis (Grab) for transport
- Basic health insurance covering emergencies only
- No regular alcohol, international restaurants, or air travel
Mid-Range Tier — 28,000,000–45,000,000 VND/month (approximately 1,100–1,780 USD)
- One-bedroom apartment in a good location with air conditioning
- Mix of local and international dining; occasional supermarket grocery runs
- Motorbike rental or ride-hailing; occasional taxi
- Comprehensive health insurance with outpatient cover
- Gym membership and social activities included
Comfortable Tier — 55,000,000–85,000,000 VND/month (approximately 2,175–3,360 USD)
- Modern serviced apartment or two-bedroom flat in a central location
- Regular international dining, wine, weekend travel within Vietnam
- Private motorbike or car rental
- International-standard health insurance with dental and evacuation cover
- Language lessons, gym, streaming services, and comfortable lifestyle costs
Utility bills (electricity, water, internet) in a standard apartment run between 800,000 and 2,500,000 VND/month (32–99 USD) depending on air conditioning usage. Electricity in Vietnam is metered at tiered rates — heavy AC use in the summer months of April to June will push your bill toward the higher end of that range.
Finding Long-Term Accommodation
The Vietnamese rental market for foreigners operates largely on personal trust, informal agreements, and a healthy dose of caveat emptor. Knowing how the process actually works prevents expensive mistakes.
Where to Search
In 2026, the primary platforms for apartment hunting are Batdongsan.com.vn (Vietnamese-language, most comprehensive listings), Facebook groups specific to each city’s expat community, and a handful of English-language property agencies who charge the landlord — not the tenant — a commission. Airbnb long-stay rates are significantly more expensive than direct rental agreements for the same properties, sometimes by 40–60%.
Contracts and Deposits
Standard rental contracts in Vietnam are written in Vietnamese. If your landlord produces a bilingual contract, the Vietnamese version is legally binding in the event of a dispute. Always have any contract reviewed by a Vietnamese-speaking friend or a local lawyer (fees for contract review typically run 500,000–1,500,000 VND, or about 20–60 USD).
Deposits are typically equivalent to one to two months’ rent. Ensure the return conditions are written explicitly into the contract — vague language about “normal wear and tear” is the most common source of deposit disputes. Utilities are almost always separate from rent and paid monthly based on actual meter readings.
Red Flags
- Landlord unwilling to provide a written contract
- No clear process for police registration of your residency
- Electricity billed at a flat “foreigner rate” rather than the state-meter rate
- Pressure to pay three or more months upfront before viewing the property
Health Insurance and Healthcare Access
Vietnam’s public healthcare system has improved markedly in major cities over the past decade, but public hospitals remain overcrowded, and English-language service is inconsistent outside of international hospital networks. For a foreigner planning a stay of one month or longer, health insurance is not optional — it is the single most important financial protection you can carry.
What Coverage You Actually Need
A basic policy covering hospitalisation and emergency evacuation is the minimum floor. In 2026, international health insurance premiums for Vietnam coverage typically run between 1,200,000 and 4,500,000 VND/month (48–178 USD) for a healthy adult under 45, depending on the deductible and whether outpatient visits are included. Policies from providers like Pacific Cross, Cigna, and Allianz Care are widely used by the expat community and accepted at major international hospitals including FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and Vinmec in Hanoi.
If you hold a work permit and are formally employed in Vietnam, your employer is legally required to enrol you in Vietnam’s state social insurance scheme, which includes a basic health insurance card (thẻ bảo hiểm y tế). This covers public hospital visits at a heavily subsidised rate but does not cover international hospitals.
The Reality of Healthcare Costs Without Insurance
A GP consultation at an international clinic runs 700,000–1,500,000 VND (28–60 USD). A night in a private hospital room: 3,000,000–8,000,000 VND (119–317 USD). Emergency air evacuation to Singapore or Bangkok, if your condition requires a higher level of care: easily 80,000,000–200,000,000 VND (3,170–7,920 USD). The math for insurance is obvious.
Banking, Money, and Getting Paid Abroad
Cash is still king in many parts of Vietnam’s daily economy in 2026 — the morning market, the street noodle vendor, the neighbourhood hardware store. But the digital payment infrastructure has expanded rapidly, and foreigners with the right setup can manage their finances efficiently.
Opening a Vietnamese Bank Account
Foreigners can open a Vietnamese dong (VND) account at most major banks — Vietcombank, Techcombank, BIDV, and MB Bank are the most foreigner-friendly. You will need your passport, a valid visa with at least 30 days remaining, and proof of address (a rental contract works). Some branches now accept applications in English; others require a Vietnamese-speaking companion or agent. Processing takes one to three working days.
Note: Vietnamese bank accounts for foreigners are typically set up as “non-resident” accounts, which limits certain transaction types and does not allow you to remit large sums abroad without documentation. If you need to receive regular international payments, keep your home country account active and use Wise or similar services to convert and transfer.
Receiving International Income
Wise (formerly TransferWise) remains the most cost-effective tool for moving money into Vietnam in 2026. The Vietnamese government allows foreigners to receive international transfers into their VND accounts, but transactions above 10,000 USD equivalent may require documentation showing the source of funds — particularly for transfers from cryptocurrency exchanges, which Vietnamese banks increasingly scrutinise.
ATM withdrawal fees from foreign cards run 50,000–88,000 VND (2–3.50 USD) per transaction at most machines, plus your home bank’s foreign transaction fee. Keeping a Wise or Revolut card as your primary spending instrument and using ATMs only when necessary keeps these costs manageable.
Cultural and Legal Realities
Vietnam is a welcoming country, and most foreigners find daily life here genuinely enjoyable. But there are legal and cultural realities that are routinely underestimated — sometimes with serious consequences.
Property Ownership
Foreigners cannot own land in Vietnam. Period. The 2014 Housing Law allows foreigners to purchase apartment units (condominiums) on a 50-year renewable leasehold basis, and this was reaffirmed under the 2023 revised Housing Law. However, purchasing through a Vietnamese spouse’s name — a common workaround — carries significant legal risk if the relationship breaks down. The property belongs to the Vietnamese citizen in Vietnamese law. Several well-publicised cases since 2020 have reinforced how unprotected foreign buyers are in this scenario. Always engage a licensed Vietnamese lawyer (not just a real estate agent) before any property transaction.
Drug Laws
Vietnam enforces some of the strictest drug laws in Southeast Asia. Possession of narcotics — including cannabis, which is legal in some travellers’ home countries — can result in imprisonment and, in cases of trafficking, the death penalty. This is not an exaggeration and not a risk worth taking.
Motorbike Licensing
Riding a motorbike (under 50cc engine) does not require a Vietnamese licence for foreigners. Anything above 50cc — including the popular Honda Wave and Yamaha Exciter — legally requires either a Vietnamese motorbike licence or an International Driving Permit (IDP) endorsed for Category A. Police enforcement of this varies significantly by city and district, but if you are involved in an accident without the correct licence, your insurance is voided and civil liability falls entirely on you.
Social Media and Political Commentary
Vietnam’s Cybersecurity Law, in force since 2019 and further refined in 2022, prohibits sharing content that the government deems threatening to national unity, social order, or the Communist Party of Vietnam. Foreign nationals have been detained and deported for social media posts. This is not the place for online political commentary about Vietnam’s government, domestic politics, or territorial disputes. Most foreigners living here for extended periods quickly develop a clear sense of where that line sits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Vietnam on a tourist visa?
In practice, thousands of foreigners do this in 2026. Vietnamese law does not explicitly address remote work for foreign employers, but working for a Vietnamese company or earning Vietnamese-sourced income without a work permit is illegal. Working remotely for a foreign employer while on a tourist visa exists in a grey area that the government has not formally moved to close, but it carries no official legal protection.
How long can I stay in Vietnam continuously?
On a standard 90-day e-visa, you can stay up to 90 consecutive days. On a DL multiple-entry tourist visa, your stay is also capped at 90 days per entry, but you can re-enter after a border exit. Those with a valid work permit and DN business visa can stay up to 12 months per issued period, with extensions possible inside Vietnam through the immigration department.
Is Vietnam expensive compared to other countries in Southeast Asia?
Vietnam sits in the mid-range for Southeast Asia in 2026. It is cheaper than Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok), and Bali for equivalent quality of life, but more expensive than Cambodia or Laos. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are noticeably pricier than secondary cities like Da Nang, Hoi An, or Nha Trang, particularly for accommodation and international goods.
Do I need to speak Vietnamese to live here long-term?
You can function in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi almost entirely in English, particularly in the areas where most expats live. However, basic Vietnamese — numbers, greetings, food vocabulary — makes daily life noticeably smoother and cheaper, and landlords, market vendors, and government officials respond warmly to any effort at the language. Most expats who stay beyond six months pick up survival-level Vietnamese naturally.
What happens if I overstay my visa in Vietnam?
Overstaying a visa in Vietnam results in a fine of 500,000–2,000,000 VND (20–79 USD) per day of overstay, a potential deportation order, and a re-entry ban of varying length. As of 2026, Immigration has become significantly more systematic about enforcing overstay penalties, particularly at major airports. An overstay of more than 30 days typically triggers a minimum 1-year re-entry ban. There is no grace period.
📷 Featured image by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash.
