- Digital nomad visa
- No
Overall5/10Harder visas than about 65% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Mui Ne itself has no international airport — most nomads fly into Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat) or the closer Cam Ranh Airport near Nha Trang and continue overland, so it's the immigration rules at those entry points that matter, not Mui Ne specifically.
- If your passport isn't on the 45-day or other exemption list (this includes the US, Canada, and Australia), don't assume you can just show up — you need an e-visa arranged in advance.
- Because visa-exempt stays can't be extended in-country, many longer-staying nomads deliberately plan a border run to Cambodia partway through their trip rather than trying to extend.
- There is no official Vietnam digital nomad visa — almost all remote workers use the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa and simply re-apply (or do a quick 'visa run' to a neighboring country) when it expires.
- Many Western nationalities (UK, EU, etc.) get 45 days visa-free, but that period can't be extended in-country, so most people staying longer switch to the paid e-visa instead.
- Working online for foreign clients on a tourist/e-visa is common and widely tolerated, but it isn't legally authorized employment — treat it as a manageable gray area rather than a fully legal work status.
- Overstaying a visa carries real financial risk: fines can run into the tens of millions of VND (roughly into four figures USD) for extended overstays, and enforcement has been tightening rather than loosening.
- If you stay 183 days or more in a 12-month period, Vietnam will treat you as a tax resident and tax your worldwide income at progressive rates — many nomads deliberately structure their travel to stay under that threshold.
- A 'Golden Visa' and other long-stay reforms have been proposed by Vietnam's government but have not launched — don't plan your stay around them yet.
45 Day Exemption
- Entry Type
- Multiple entry for most; regardless of passport type or purpose of entry per the 2023 policy
- Days Allowed
- 45
- Who Qualifies
- Citizens of 13 countries that received an extension from 15 to 45 days effective 15 August 2023, plus roughly 12 additional European countries added from 15 August 2025 (this second batch's exact country list could not be fully confirmed across sources and should be double-checked before travel).
- Note On Belarus
- One source states Belarus was dropped from the exemption list in a 2024 update, while Vietnam's official tourism site still lists Belarus as exempt — this discrepancy could not be resolved and should be verified directly before travel if relevant.
Confirmed 13 Countries
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Russia
- Japan
- South Korea
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Belarus
Other Exempt Nationalities
Bilateral ASEAN reciprocal arrangement
- Days Allowed
- 30
- Country Or Bloc
- Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (ASEAN)
Philippines
- Days Allowed
- 21
Brunei
- Days Allowed
- 14
Bilateral agreement, multiple entry
- Country
- Chile
- Days Allowed
- 90
Bilateral agreement, multiple entry
- Country
- Panama
- Days Allowed
- 90
Kazakhstan
- Days Allowed
- 30
Kyrgyzstan
- Days Allowed
- 30
Mongolia
- Days Allowed
- 30
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Vietnam has no dedicated digital nomad visa and remote work on its tourist e-visa remains a tolerated legal gray area requiring recurring exits roughly every 90 days, but the e-visa itself is cheap, open to nearly all nationalities with minimal documentation, and tax residency rules are mechanical and predictable (183-day trigger).
Tax Notes
- Departure Filing
- tax residents who leave Vietnam permanently must finalize their Personal Income Tax within 45 days of departure; non-residents generally have no finalization obligation
- Resident Taxation
- once classified as a tax resident, worldwide income becomes taxable under a progressive schedule from 5% up to 35%
- Special Nomad Regime
- none — there is no digital-nomad-specific tax regime; ordinary Personal Income Tax law applies to everyone based on residency status alone
- Non Resident Taxation
- non-residents (under 183 days, no permanent residence) pay a flat 20% tax only on Vietnam-sourced income; foreign-sourced remote income for a genuine non-resident is generally not taxed by Vietnam
- Tax Residency Trigger
- 183 days or more of physical presence in Vietnam within a calendar year OR any rolling 12-month period from arrival, OR maintaining a registered permanent residence / leased housing meeting statutory permanence criteria — either condition independently triggers residency
- US Specific Note
- there is currently no comprehensive US–Vietnam income tax treaty, so US citizens cannot rely on treaty relief and instead use the Foreign Tax Credit or Foreign Earned Income Exclusion against US tax
Closest Equivalents
90-day Multiple-entry E-visa (the Option Most Nomads Actually Use)
- Type
- tourist e-visa — does not legally authorize employment
- Duration
- up to 90 days, multiple entries allowed within validity
- Eligibility
- open to citizens of all countries and territories since the 2023 expansion
- Renewal Path
- cannot be extended or renewed from inside Vietnam — must exit the country and apply for a fresh e-visa online
- Cost Single Entry
- ₫657,500
- Income Requirement
- none — no proof of income, employment, or health insurance required
- Cost Multiple Entry
- ₫1,315,000
- Work Legality Note
- working remotely for overseas clients while on this visa is widely tolerated in practice but is not officially authorized — a legal gray zone, not a sanctioned work status
Documents Required
- passport valid at least 6 months beyond entry with blank pages
- digital passport-style photo
- passport bio-page scan
- online application via the official portal evisa.gov.vn
Visa-free Entry (No Visa Purchased)
- Cost
- ₫0
- Type
- short-stay exemption, nationality-dependent
- Duration
- commonly 45 days for the UK, EU/Schengen countries and a handful of others; 30 days for most ASEAN nationals; 14 days for a few nationalities (e.g. Brunei)
- Renewal Path
- cannot be extended — must exit and re-enter to receive a fresh stamp, subject to current entry policy
- Note
- remote work is generally tolerated but no local employment is permitted
DN Business Visa (Multiple-entry, Up to 12 Months)
- Type
- business visa, typically requires a Vietnam-based sponsoring company or agent
- Duration
- up to 12 months, multiple entry, extendable in-country
- Renewal Path
- extendable within Vietnam through the sponsoring entity — the closest thing to a long-term legal stay for nomads willing to handle more paperwork
- Note
- more administrative overhead than the e-visa but avoids the mandatory 90-day exit cycle
Documents Required
- sponsoring company/agent invitation letter
- passport
- application form
- photos
5-Year Talent Visa / Special Visa Exemption Card (SVEC)
- Cost
- ₫1,315,000
- Type
- long-term visa exemption for a narrow professional category
- Duration
- valid up to 5 years but limited to no more than 90 days per single stay before re-entry is required
- Eligibility
- academics, scientists, professors, and invited guests of recognized research institutes/universities/large enterprises, nominated by a Vietnamese institution
- Note
- the bar is very high and it targets top professionals, not the typical freelance/remote-employee nomad
Dedicated Digital Nomad Visa
- Exists
- No
- Status Summary
- Vietnam has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa category as of mid-2026. A 10-year 'Golden Visa' and related long-stay categories have been proposed by the Tourism Advisory Board but remain unenacted, with no legislative timeline or application portal.
- Note
- A proposed Golden Visa program (10-year general visa, 10-year investor visa, 5-year talent visa) has been discussed since April 2025, but only the 5-year Talent Visa component has actually launched, and it is not designed for typical remote workers.
Vietnam does not have a single Schengen-style zone-wide visa waiver. Instead it grants unilateral visa exemptions nationality-by-nationality, with stay lengths ranging from 14 to 90 days depending on passport. This is the default entry route for exempt nationalities arriving anywhere in Vietnam, including via Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh airports, the usual gateways for onward travel to Mui Ne.
Not Exempt Note
Citizens of these countries are not on Vietnam's unilateral exemption list and must obtain the standard e-visa (typically up to 90 days, multiple entry) before or on arrival; e-visa process itself is out of scope for this entry.
Process At Border
No paperwork or pre-registration is needed for the exemption itself — the immigration officer checks the passport and stamps entry directly. A separate, newly mandated Digital Arrival Card (rolling out at major airports including Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City from April 2026) may need to be completed online before arrival, and a new health declaration requirement was introduced from 1 July 2026 for many international travelers.
Overstay Consequences
Overstaying is treated as an immigration violation with no grace period; official fines were reported to have increased substantially under a 2025 decree, and habitual overstayers can face fines, deportation, or future entry bans.
Requirements To Use Visa Free Entry
Requirements To Use Visa Free Entry
- Ordinary passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry
- At least 1-2 blank visa pages remaining
- Return or onward travel ticket
- Proof of accommodation (hotel booking or host/sponsor details)
- Entry purpose must be tourism, business, or short-term visit — not work or study
- Must enter through an official international checkpoint (airport, land border, or seaport)
Not Exempt Common Nomad Nationalities
Not Exempt Common Nomad Nationalities
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Austria
- Greece
Extending Or Exceeding The Free Period
Visa-exempt stays cannot be extended from inside Vietnam. To stay longer, travelers must either exit to a neighboring country (commonly Cambodia, Laos, or Thailand) and re-enter on a fresh exemption period (a 'visa run'), or apply for a paid e-visa before their exemption period runs out.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.