Vietnam for digital nomads

The two 45-day lists are not the same

The first list comes from Resolution 44/NQ-CP of 7 March 2025: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland get 45 days from entry, any passport type, any purpose, valid 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028.

The second list comes from Resolution 229/NQ-CP of 8 August 2025: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland get 45 days for tourism only, passport valid at least six months, from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028. A Dutch remote worker technically enters as a tourist; a French one does not have that restriction. Our post on who gets 45 days visa-free walks through both lists.

The 90-day e-visa

Everyone else, and anyone who wants longer than 45 days, uses the e-visa. The Vietnam Immigration Department portal charges USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multiple entry, both up to 90 days, and states three working days of processing once the application and payment are complete. The portrait photo must be under 50 KB and the passport scan under 200 KB; the fee is not refunded if the application is refused. The National Authority of Tourism confirms the e-visa is open to all nationalities and that evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn is the only government site. Lookalike agents charge several times the official fee.

What you cannot do

The e-visa cannot be extended from inside Vietnam. When your 90 days end, you leave and apply again; many nomads fly from Da Nang to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, or cross to Cambodia at Moc Bai from Ho Chi Minh City. There is no published cap on how many times you can do this, but ExpatDen notes that repeat entries draw questions at the border and that no visa category authorises work for a foreign employer. Vietnam has no digital nomad visa: the UD1 visa needs a Vietnamese sponsor and the golden visa is still a proposal, as we explain in is there a Vietnam digital nomad visa yet?. What a year of exits costs is in Vietnam visa run from Da Nang.

Overstaying got expensive on 15 December 2025

Decree 282/2025 doubled the maximum overstay fine to VND 40 million. Under 16 days costs VND 500,000 to 2 million; 16 to under 30 days VND 5 to 10 million; a year or more up to VND 40 million, and deportation is possible from 16 days. The full band table is in Vietnam overstay fine, band by band. Decree 59/2026, in force since 1 April 2026, allows immediate deportation when a fine cannot be paid. Set a reminder on day 80.

The two tests

Acclime's PIT guide and PwC describe the same rules. Test one is days of presence: 183 or more in a calendar year, or in any 12 consecutive months counted from the day you first arrive. The days do not need to be consecutive, and the rolling window means a stay that straddles two calendar years can still make you resident. Test two is housing: a temporary or permanent residence card, or a lease with a term of 183 days or more. A six-month lease signed in Da Nang is a residency trigger on its own, whatever your visa runs look like.

What residents and non-residents owe

Under the Vietnam Briefing income tax guide, residents are taxed on worldwide employment income regardless of where it is paid; non-residents pay 20 percent flat on income arising in Vietnam. Article 21 of Law 109/2025/QH15 applies that rate to a non-resident's pay for work done in Vietnam, whoever pays it, so a salary from a foreign employer earned while sitting in a Da Nang cafe is in scope on the letter of the law. Staying under 183 days and without a long lease avoids resident status, not that rule. Enforcement against foreigners paid abroad is limited in practice, but the legal position is the one above, and we are not your adviser.

The new law from 1 July 2026

Law 109/2025 replaced the 2007 law on 1 July 2026. Vietnam Briefing lists five monthly brackets instead of seven: 5 percent up to VND 10 million, 10 percent to 30 million, 20 percent to 60 million, 30 percent to 100 million, 35 percent above. The personal deduction is VND 15.5 million a month plus VND 6.2 million per dependent, so a resident with no dependents pays nothing on the first VND 15.5 million of monthly taxable income. Our post on the 183-day rule sets out the four points people most often get wrong. From the same date, transfers of digital assets carry a 0.1 percent tax.

Deadlines and treaties

The tax year is the calendar year. Employers finalise by 31 March; individuals filing themselves have until 30 April, and a foreigner leaving Vietnam for good must finalise within 45 days of departure, per the Vietnam Briefing finalization Q&A. Vietnam has treaties with more than 80 countries; Acclime explains that the relief notification must reach the tax office 15 days before the payment deadline. There is no US treaty in force, and since 1 July 2026 Circular 95/2026 applies a substance test before treaty benefits are granted, according to W&A Consulting.

Three cities, three price levels

Nomads.com lists Da Nang at USD 919 a month for a nomad, USD 995 for an expat and USD 2,179 for a family, with a studio in the centre at USD 522. Ho Chi Minh City comes in at USD 1,377 for a nomad and USD 2,313 for a family, with the deepest coworking scene in the country. Hanoi sits at USD 1,284 for a nomad but only USD 986 for an expat and USD 1,849 for a family, the cheapest of the three for households, at the price of an annual average air quality of about 95 US AQI.

Where the numbers disagree

Crowd-sourced sites differ because they measure different people. Numbeo (22 September 2026) gives Da Nang a one-bedroom in the centre at VND 13.6 million, outside the centre VND 8.8 million, an inexpensive meal at VND 55,000, broadband at VND 211,000 and a gym at VND 583,000 a month. Nomad Expenses frames the same city in tiers: lean USD 750 to 900, comfortable USD 1,000 to 1,300, upgraded USD 1,500 to 2,000, with a beachfront one-bedroom at USD 350 to 500 and a studio at USD 200 to 300.

A sample comfortable month in Da Nang

1. Rent, one-bedroom near My Khe: USD 400 to 550 (HitchHive).
2. Electricity billed by the landlord at 3,500 to 4,000 VND per kWh: about 1.2 to 1.4 million VND for 350 kWh with air conditioning, as our Da Nang electricity bill explainer models it.
3. Coworking desk: USD 70 to 160 (VietnamSpot).
4. Scooter rental: USD 60 to 80 plus petrol at about VND 22,700 a litre.
5. Mobile data: about USD 6 to 7 for 10 GB on Nomads.com.
6. Food, mostly local with a few Western meals: USD 250 to 350.

That lands between USD 850 and 1,200 before flights and insurance, which matches the crowd data.

What is cheap and what is not

Street food, coffee, Grab rides and local SIMs are cheap in all three cities. Imported groceries, wine, international school fees and private healthcare are not, and beachfront rent in Da Nang is where demand shows first, with accommodation in the city serving over 17.3 million visitors in 2025. Use the comparison tool to line Vietnam up against Lisbon or Koh Tao with the same categories.

Finding a place

Most foreigners find apartments through Facebook rental groups, agents who are free for tenants, or by walking the streets they like and photographing "cho thue" (for rent) signs. Furnished one-bedrooms in Da Nang run USD 170 to 400 inland and USD 400 to 550 near the beach; two to three bedrooms USD 300 to 700; whole houses USD 500 to 1,250, per Da Nang Visa Run's 2026 rental guide. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have larger stocks of serviced apartments, and the same rule applies everywhere: a longer commitment buys a lower monthly rate.

Lease, deposit and what the landlord adds

One to two months of rent as deposit is standard; three is uncommon and negotiable, according to The Jet Lag Chronicles. Six or twelve month contracts are the long-term norm. Some landlords pass through the utility tariff, many charge a fixed rate per kWh, typically 3,500 to 4,000 VND against EVN's 1,984 to 3,460 VND before VAT, as our electricity bill explainer shows. Water is often a flat USD 4, internet and cleaning may be bundled. Deposit returns are the most common complaint in expat forums, so photograph everything on move-in day, keep a written inventory, and pay by traceable bank transfer.

Your host must declare you

Every accommodation provider, from an Airbnb host to a twelve-month landlord, must file a temporary residence declaration for a foreign guest. Since Circular 87/2026 took effect on 24 July 2026 this is done online at the Ministry of Public Security portal immediately on check-in, as Nhi Gia's guide explains. Hosts who skip it face VND 3 to 5 million for one to three guests under Decree 282/2025, rising with the number of guests. Ask for confirmation: you will need the record for a bank account, a licence conversion or a residence card later.

Check the flood line

Central Vietnam's rainy season runs October to December. In late October 2025, riverside and low-lying wards of Da Nang went under 1 to 2.5 metres of water, per VietNamNet. Before signing anywhere near a river or in Hoi An, ask the landlord where the water reached in 2025 and prefer an upper floor.

Where expats actually go

In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi you have several international hospitals and clinics to choose from. In Da Nang the shortlist is short: Family Medical Practice for an English-first GP, Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital for a 24-hour private hospital, Hoan My as the mid-priced private option, and Da Nang Hospital for public emergency care. Based Da Nang quotes 2.2 to 2.8 million VND (USD 86 to 110) per consultation at Family Medical Practice and about 1.2 million VND (USD 47) at Vinmec. Vinmec Da Nang is JCI accredited, opened in 2017, runs 24 hours on 30 Thang 4 street in Hai Chau and lists services in English, Japanese, Korean, Russian and French, per Medical Tourism Co.

What it costs nationally

Vietnam Visa Online's healthcare guide gives national benchmarks for uninsured patients: USD 50 to 100 for a private GP, USD 100 to 200 for a specialist, USD 200 to 500 for an emergency room visit and USD 150 to 400 a night for a private room. Pharmacity and Guardian are the pharmacy chains it names; many medicines, including antibiotics, are sold without a prescription, which is convenient and a reason to check dosages twice.

The transfer is the expensive line

Serious cases in Da Nang go to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, and international insurers evacuate to Bangkok or Singapore for complex surgery or intensive care. The same guide puts a medical evacuation from Vietnam at USD 15,000 to 50,000, which is why a policy with evacuation cover matters more here than in Lisbon. It also advises calling an international hospital directly in an emergency, which is often faster than the 115 ambulance. Public hospitals are far cheaper and competent in emergencies, but crowded and rarely English speaking.

Insurance, dengue and air

Nothing in the e-visa rules obliges you to be insured, so the decision is yours. Dengue, carried by daytime mosquitoes, is one of the main traveller health risks, so use repellent and screens, especially in the rainy months. Air quality varies enormously: Da Nang averages 36 US AQI on Nomads.com against about 95 in Hanoi, where winter is the bad season for anyone with asthma. Emergency numbers are 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for ambulance.

The order that works

Get a local SIM first, because every bank needs a Vietnamese number for OTPs. Then confirm your landlord filed your temporary residence declaration, because the branch may ask for proof of address. Then bring your original passport, your visa or residence card, that phone number and a small opening deposit. ExpatDen explains that biometric verification has been mandatory for individual accounts since 1 January 2025, so passport holders must attend a branch; there is no remote opening.

Which bank says yes

Asia Long Stay reports that Vietcombank, BIDV and Techcombank typically require 12 or more months of visa or TRC validity for a full account with cards, while Timo by BVBank accepts any valid visa, including a tourist visa, with tiered access. Branches vary, so an e-visa holder may be refused in one and served in the next. Vietnam Law and Legal Forum confirms that Circular 45/2025, effective 5 January 2026, removed the old 12-month residency rule for cards but caps card validity at your remaining legal residency, so a card issued on a 90-day e-visa expires with it. Once you have an account, face verification is required on transfers over VND 10 million per transaction or VND 20 million per day, a State Bank rule in force since 1 July 2024.

Moving money

Inbound transfers via Wise or SWIFT are simple. Outbound is not: most banks require a branch visit with employment, payroll, tax and immigration documents, and transfers of USD 1,000 or more are reported to the State Bank under Circular 27/2025, in force since 1 November 2025. Statrys lists Vietcombank's overseas transfer fee at 0.2 percent, minimum USD 5 and maximum USD 300. For cash, Vietnam With Me reports VPBank ATMs with no withdrawal fee and a VND 10 million limit, against roughly VND 50,000 per withdrawal and VND 2 to 3 million limits at Vietcombank and BIDV. Always choose to be charged in VND. QR payment through VietQR is everywhere, and Wise lets eligible European, UK, Singapore and Malaysian customers scan VietQR codes through Alipay+.

Tax code

A personal tax code is issued by the tax office or through an employer and is required before you can file or finalise anything yourself; the Vietnam Briefing finalization Q&A covers deadlines. Most nomads under 183 days never need one; anyone on a work permit or investor card will.

School fees, city by city

Vietnam Teaching Jobs lists Da Nang international schools at VND 215 to 240 million (USD 8,200 to 9,230) a year for primary and VND 240 to 265 million (USD 9,230 to 10,192) for secondary. In Ho Chi Minh City the same levels cost VND 531.6 to 702.7 million for primary and VND 611 to 849.4 million for secondary, so Da Nang runs 60 to 70 percent cheaper. Da Nang classes hold 12 to 18 students against 20 to 25 in Ho Chi Minh City, but there are few IB Diploma options. That last point is why many families stay in Da Nang through primary and move to Ho Chi Minh City for the final school years. The schools families name in Da Nang are Singapore International School, APU American International School and Hoi An International School; ask each for its current fee sheet, because application, meals and buses come on top.

Where families settle

Ho Chi Minh City has the most schools, hospitals and jobs, and Thao Dien in the east is the family district. Hanoi is the cheapest of the three for a household on Nomads.com (USD 1,849 a month) but has the worst winter air. Da Nang offers the beach, a calmer pace and cheaper help; families cluster in the quieter streets of Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son wards near the schools, and whole houses run USD 500 to 1,250 a month. The trade-offs are the October to December rainy season and hospital transfers for complex cases.

Visas for a family

There is no family route on a tourist e-visa: each family member with their own passport needs their own e-visa, and cycling every 90 days with children is exhausting. Long stays ride on one parent. A work permit sponsored by a Vietnamese employer (or an employer of record) gives that parent an LD visa and a two-year residence card; an investment of VND 3 billion or more gives a DT3 visa with a three-year card. Spouses and children then apply for TT dependent visas and cards of up to three years, per Tan Van Lang's TRC guide, which also notes the passport needs 13 months of validity and government fees of USD 145 to 155 per card. The UD1 technology visa in force since 1 July 2026 has a UD2 dependent category, but it requires an institutional sponsor, as ExpatDen explains.

Home fibre

VietnamSpot's 2026 internet guide prices a 300 Mbps fibre line from Viettel, FPT Telecom or VNPT at about VND 195,000 to 255,000 a month (USD 7.50 to 10), with an installation fee of about VND 300,000 and a technician within one to three days. It cites Ookla data from January 2026: home fibre averages about 285 Mbps and mobile about 90 Mbps nationally, and 5G reaches 91 percent of the population. Independent cafes run 10 to 30 Mbps and slow down in the evening peak, which is why a home line matters.

Cafes and upload speed

Cafe wifi is the variable. In An Thuong, Two Packs and a Pup measured Z! Coffee at 173 Mbps down but 9 up, Dng.coffee at 152 down and 53 up, and Cafe Dalky at 138 down and 1 up. For video calls the upload number is the one that matters, so test before you commit to a client meeting from a cafe, or keep a 5G SIM as backup.

Coworking

Nationally, VietnamSpot gives hot desks at USD 70 to 160 a month and day passes at USD 5 to 16, and Ho Chi Minh City has the deepest network of spaces. In Da Nang, The Digital Nomad Asia lists ACE Coworking at VND 3 million a month (open until 2 AM), Seaview Coworking at VND 2 million with 24/7 access, Coworking Da Nang at VND 3 million with 24/7 for members, Circo at VND 1.8 million in Hai Chau and HIVE at VND 4 to 4.5 million. Working European or US hours from Vietnam means late nights, so 24/7 access is worth paying for.

SIM cards and the biometric rules

Viettel has the best coverage outside cities; Vinaphone and MobiFone are fine in town. VietnameSIM prices Viettel tourist packs at VND 60,000 for 7 days to VND 150,000 for 30 days with 5 GB a day; residents budget VND 100,000 to 300,000 a month. Buy at an official store with your original passport, not at an airport kiosk that charges 20 to 30 percent more. VietnamPlus reports that under Circular 08/2026, in force since 15 April 2026, every new SIM requires facial biometric verification and swapping the SIM into a new phone suspends outbound calls and SMS within two hours until you re-verify, with 30 days to comply. An eSIM bought abroad is convenient for data but gives you no local number for bank OTPs.

Scooter rental and the licence

A basic automatic scooter rents for about USD 60 to 80 a month in Da Nang, or USD 4 to 5 a day, per HitchHive; fuel is about VND 22,700 a litre. Vietnam Law and Legal Forum sets out what counts as a valid licence for a foreigner: a national licence plus a 1968 Convention IDP, a converted Vietnamese licence, or one obtained by test. Easy Riders Vietnam spells out the consequence: citizens of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Iceland and India cannot obtain a valid permit at home, while ETHOS notes that ASEAN licences are accepted directly. Our post International driving permit in Vietnam: why a US, Australian or Canadian IDP is not valid covers the workarounds. Anything over 50cc needs a motorcycle category, and most rentals are 110 to 150cc.

The fines

Motorbike Da Nang summarises Decree 168/2024 as amended by Decree 238/2026 from 15 August 2026: riding without a valid licence costs VND 2 to 4 million up to 125cc and VND 6 to 8 million above, the owner who handed you the bike VND 8 to 10 million (VND 16 to 20 million for a rental business), and the bike can be impounded. No helmet is VND 400,000 to 600,000 and running a red light VND 4 to 6 million (Barrso), and alcohol tolerance is zero. The quieter cost is insurance: many policies exclude accidents where the rider had no legally recognised licence. To convert your licence you need a residence card valid for more than three months, so tourists on e-visas cannot, as IR Touring notes.

Grab, Xanh SM and taxis

For everyone without a 1968 permit, ride-hailing is the honest answer. Day Trips Vietnam lists GrabBike at VND 12,000 to 14,000 base plus 4,000 to 5,500 per km and GrabCar at VND 27,000 to 32,000 plus 9,000 to 12,000 per km; airport to District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City is VND 180,000 to 280,000, Noi Bai to the Old Quarter VND 280,000 to 380,000. A cross-city ride in Da Nang is USD 1.20 to 2.40, and a monthly Grab habit VND 800,000 to 1.5 million. Tripadvisor users report a 4 percent surcharge on foreign cards, avoided by linking a local bank or paying cash. Xanh SM, the electric taxi fleet, is a clean alternative in all three cities.

Between cities

Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City are linked by some of the busiest air routes in the country: Wikipedia's Da Nang airport page counts 319 weekly flights to Hanoi and 250 to Ho Chi Minh City, with Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Bamboo all operating. The Reunification Express train and sleeper buses are slower and cheaper; Hoi An is 30 minutes from Da Nang by scooter or Grab.

Tet and the calendar

Wikipedia's Tet page gives the dates: 17 February 2026 (Year of the Horse) and 6 February 2027 (Year of the Goat). The official holiday is seven days, or nine when the first day falls on a Monday to Wednesday, and the 2026 break ran from Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 February, per Wikipedia's public holidays list. In practice cities empty out for two weeks: staff go home, restaurants and coworking spaces close, domestic flights sell out, prices rise and e-visa approvals slow down. Apply for a visa or open a bank account before Tet, not during it. Other holidays that stop the country are Hung Kings Day (tenth day of the third lunar month), 30 April and 1 May back to back, and National Day on 2 September.

Tones and the language

Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, which makes menus and street signs readable, but it is a tonal language. The modern orthography marks six tones, and Wikipedia's phonology article notes that in southern speech the hoi and nga tones merge, leaving five, which is one reason a phrase learned in Hanoi sounds slightly off in Saigon. English is common in An Thuong, Thao Dien and international hospitals, thin everywhere else. Numbers, "cam on" (thank you), "bao nhieu" (how much) and the words on a landlord's electricity bill repay ten minutes of practice each.

Cash, QR and cafes

Vietnam went from cash to QR fast. VietQR codes sit on every counter and Wise now lets eligible customers from Europe, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia scan them; with a local bank app you pay everything from coffee to rent by transfer. Keep cash for markets, xe om drivers and storms: the tourism authority's typhoon guide suggests around VND 3 million on hand because ATMs go offline in long power cuts. Cafe culture is the social fabric: a black coffee from VND 25,000, hours of sitting welcome.

The rhythm of the year, city by city

The three cities have three climates. Da Nang's long-term normals, from the Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology as tabled on Wikipedia, show a dry spell from February to April with under 40 mm of rain a month, highs of 33 to 34 C from May to August, then 351 mm of rain in September, 628 mm in October, 448 mm in November and 218 mm in December; typhoon season peaks mid September to mid November. Hanoi has a real winter and its worst air from November to February. Ho Chi Minh City is hot all year with a rainy season from May to October. Many nomads base in Da Nang from February to August and move south or to Thailand for the monsoon. One administrative note: since 1 July 2025 Da Nang and Quang Nam are one city of over 3 million people, per VietnamPlus, so Hoi An is now inside Da Nang and ward names on leases and bills have changed.