Moving to Vietnam: an expat relocation guide for 2026

Is Vietnam safe to live in?

The general picture

Vietnam ranks 41st of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index 2026. Violent crime is low, and most travellers and expats only ever deal with petty theft. As a foreigner you'll feel comfortable walking around at night in most neighbourhoods — the real risks here are on the road, not from people.

Common scams

The roads

This is the single biggest danger in Vietnam. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, nearly 2,600 people died in road accidents, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee. Traffic is chaotic, especially in Ho Chi Minh City.

• Helmets are mandatory, and fines apply for going without
• Since 2025, checks on foreigners' licences have tightened. Riding without a valid one costs 2–4 million VND (~$80–160) plus the bike impounded for 7 days
• You need an International Driving Permit (IDP) together with your national licence covering motorcycles, or a converted Vietnamese licence

…under Article 48 of Decree 168, traffic police may temporarily seize vehicles to immediately stop the violation. The standard seizure period must not exceed seven working days.VLLF, LuatVietnam, October 2025

Natural risks

Where to live — the best cities for expats

Da Nang

Who it's for: remote workers, freelancers, families and anyone who wants a balance of city and beach. It's the default landing spot for the English-speaking nomad crowd. See the full picture in our Da Nang city guide. School fees and admissions for families are in our international schools guide.

Pros:

• The largest and most active digital-nomad community
• The best coworking spaces in the country
• My Khe beach right in the city
• Cleaner air than HCMC or Hanoi

Cons:

• Smaller nightlife and fewer international restaurants than Saigon
• Typhoons in October–November

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Who it's for: entrepreneurs and anyone chasing big-city energy, the best hospitals and infrastructure. Details in the Ho Chi Minh City guide.

Pros:

• The country's biggest city (10+ million people)
• The best hospitals and clinics
• A metro (line 1 opened late 2024)
• Unmatched choice of restaurants, shops and nightlife
• The Thao Dien area (former District 2) is a ready-made expat bubble

Cons:

• 20–30% pricier than Da Nang or Nha Trang
• Air pollution
• Relentless, chaotic traffic

Hanoi

Who it's for: those drawn to culture, history and the business north, who don't mind a real cool season.

Pros:

• The capital, with the richest history and food scene
• An actual winter — cooler months from December to February
• Strong local business community

Cons:

• The worst air pollution of the major cities in winter
• No beach; the sea is a few hours away

Nha Trang & Phu Quoc

Who they're for: people who want beach-first living at a slower pace.

Pros:

• Beautiful beaches and a calm rhythm
• Nha Trang has a beach in the city centre and lower rents
• Phu Quoc is fast-developing, with an island feel

Cons:

• Fewer coworking spaces and less of an international scene
• On Phu Quoc, groceries cost more because of the island logistics
• Rainy season October–December in Nha Trang

Visas and staying long-term

This is the part that trips people up. What you get depends on your passport, and Vietnam still has no dedicated digital-nomad or freelancer visa in 2026. Here are the realistic routes.

For most new arrivals the move is simple: apply for the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa at evisa.gov.vn before you fly ($25 for single entry, $50 for multiple). It gives you breathing room. The catch in 2026: in practice an e-visa usually can't be extended from inside Vietnam, so once it runs out you have to physically cross a border to get a new one. If you plan to stay past three months without a work permit, that means either fresh e-visas or a "visa run" to a neighbouring country. To settle properly, aim for a residence card — more on that below and in our full Vietnam visa guide.

Cost of living

Vietnam is genuinely affordable. A single expat lives comfortably on ~$800–1,500 a month, and a couple can share costs and come out lower per head. Here's where the money goes.

The health insurance line hides more variation than any other: local plans start at $200 a year, international cover passes $1,500, and evacuation is a separate benefit most policies leave out. The full annual maths is in the guide to long-term healthcare in Vietnam. Moving with an animal adds its own timeline — see bringing pets to Vietnam.

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Banking and money

Money is the least intuitive part of moving here, because the cards you arrive with mostly don't work the way you expect. Plan for a cash-and-wallet setup.

• Foreign Visa/Mastercard: work at ATMs and bigger hotels, but many small places and stalls are cash-only. Withdrawal fees add up — take out larger amounts less often.
• Cash is king: keep enough Vietnamese đồng for daily life, and some USD as a backup you can change at a bank — skip gold shops: since February 2026 they may change currency only with a State Bank exchange-agent certificate.
• E-wallets: MoMo and ZaloPay register on a passport plus a local number and cover most everyday payments, QR codes and transfers. This is how locals pay.
• A local account (see the residence-card section) makes life far easier once you qualify — it's the gateway to salary, utilities and app payments.

Residence permit — the Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

If you plan to stay in Vietnam longer than 90 days, ordinary visas get tiring — every three months you have to leave and get a new one. The Temporary Residence Card (Thẻ tạm trú) solves that: with it you live in the country for 1 to 10 years with no visa runs.

Types of TRC

What a TRC gets you

• No more leaving the country every 90 days — one visa run costs $100–200, so you save $1,200–2,400 a year
• Far easier to open a bank account and get a Vietnamese SIM in your own name
• The legal right to work (with a work-type card)
• Simpler entry — no e-visa to apply for before every trip

Common mistakes when applying

1. Doing it all yourself — the process runs in Vietnamese, and it's easy to get the paperwork wrong without an agent
2. Expired certificates — the health check and police record are valid for 6 months, so watch the dates
3. The wrong sponsor — a work card needs a company licensed to hire foreigners
4. Leaving it late — the process takes 1–2 months, so start three months before your visa expires

Finding a home

Spend your first 2–4 weeks in a hotel or on Airbnb — get the lay of the land, walk the neighbourhoods, and only then sign a long lease. That way you won't land in the wrong district and you'll save yourself a lot of stress. This is the short version; for contracts, deposits and the channels that actually work, see our full guide to renting in Vietnam. Planning to buy rather than rent? Read what a foreigner can actually buy in Vietnam.

Where to look

• Facebook groups — the main source. Search "Da Nang expat housing," "Nha Trang rent apartment," "HCMC rooms for rent"
• Local agents — they charge 50–100% of one month's rent but save time and help with the contract
• Airbnb — great for the first weeks, then switch to a direct lease (2–3 times cheaper)
• Walk the block — many places advertise only with a paper sign in the window

Rent by city (one-bedroom, 2026)

Deposit and contract

The standard deposit is 1–2 months' rent. Contracts are signed in Vietnamese and English. The minimum term is usually 6 months, and if you leave early the deposit isn't returned.

Health and work

Healthcare

Public hospitals are cheap but crowded and mostly Vietnamese-speaking. For English-speaking care, expats use international clinics — FV Hospital and Family Medical Practice in the big cities. Budget about $17–70 for a visit and many times more for inpatient care, so get insurance before you arrive. Expat health cover runs about $500–1,000 a year and pays for itself the first time something goes wrong. On the bright side, dentistry is excellent value — 60–85% cheaper than back home.

Work and business

Legal employment needs a Work Permit sponsored by a licensed Vietnamese employer, which then unlocks a work-type TRC. To start a business you register a company — a 100% foreign-owned LLC is possible — and the investor route to a TRC needs an investment from about VND 3 billion (around $120,000). Many remote workers simply keep their income offshore and live on tourist or business e-visas, since there's no freelancer visa to formalise that yet. If that's you, our digital-nomad guide digs into coworking, getting paid and the 183-day tax question.

Moving to Vietnam, step by step

1. Check your passport's visa terms. See if you get visa-free days, then apply for the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa at evisa.gov.vn before you fly. Passport valid 6+ months.
2. Sort money before takeoff. Bring a working Visa/Mastercard, some USD cash, and be ready to set up MoMo or ZaloPay once you have a local SIM.
3. Get an International Driving Permit. Riding without one now risks $80–160 fines and a week-long impound — arrange the IDP at home and carry it with your national licence.
4. Buy health insurance for the whole stay. Inpatient care in an international clinic costs many times more than a visit; cover is far cheaper.
5. Pick your first city and book 1–2 weeks only. Land, look around, then find a long lease on the ground — photos lie, so always view in person.
6. Get a local SIM and e-wallet on arrival, join the city's English-speaking expat Facebook groups, and find your nearest hospital early.
7. Plan your long stay. If you're past 90 days, line up e-visa renewals, a visa run, or start the Work Permit → TRC process three months ahead.

FAQ

This guide is put together by the VietnamSpot team and updated regularly. Prices and visa rules change often — always confirm current requirements on official sources before you move.