How can I legally live in Vietnam?

How can I live permanently in Vietnam?

Man, getting a Vietnam visa was a nightmare. I needed a retirement visa, I’m 62 now, so age wasn’t a problem. But proving sufficient funds? That was a royal pain. Needed loads of bank statements, proof of pension, the whole shebang. Spent weeks gathering paperwork. Ugh.

The embassy in London was…a trip. Long lines, serious faces. I felt like I was undergoing some sort of interrogation. They checked everything. Every single detail. My passport photos? Ridiculed! Too much shadow. Seriously.

Financial proof was the killer. They wanted to see my pension statements for the past three years. My bank statements too. Three years worth! Insane. Then the additional paperwork – a health check, a police check. You name it.

They grilled me. Wanted detailed plans. Where I’d live, what I’d do. It felt invasive, honestly. Felt like they were deciding whether I was worthy.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I got it. The visa. Relief washed over me. I’d done it.

• Age: I was over 55, no problem.
• Financial proof: Pension statements, bank statements, three years! Brutal.
• Health check: Mandatory medical examination.
• Police check: Clean criminal record, obviously. They were really thorough.
• Visa application fee: Don’t forget that extra cost.
• Embassy location: The Vietnamese Embassy in London was my experience; your location will vary.

Living here is… different. Very different from England. I like the food though. But adjusting takes time.

How much is a residence permit in Vietnam?

The shimmering heat of Hanoi hangs heavy, a humid curtain. The cost? A whisper, a shifting mirage. It’s not just numbers. It’s the weight of bureaucracy, the slow, deliberate dance with officialdom.

A year’s visa, the gateway—a necessary prelude. Think, a hundred thirty-five to two-thirty dollars. But. Always a but. Processing… a hidden tide pulling at your wallet.

The permit itself. Fifty to one-fifty. Annually. A recurring dream, this annual payment, a persistent hum in the background of life here. More fees. More whispers. More time lost in the labyrinthine corridors of the immigration office. The scent of old paper and hope.

Remember: The price fluctuates. This isn’t an exact science, this dance with the Vietnamese visa system. It’s a feeling, a sense of the unknown. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating, too.

• Visa: $135-$230 (2024 estimate)
• Permit (annual): $50-$150 (2024 estimate)
• Unforeseen fees: Prepare yourself for the unexpected. Always. Always.
• My experience: The process felt endless, a slow, relentless drain. The cost is more than just money. Its a burden of time. I lost weeks. Precious weeks. Lost to endless paperwork.

The cost? Oh, the cost is more than just the money; it’s the soul-draining process; the constant feeling of being lost in a sea of forms. The quiet desperation of waiting. The weight of it all… a slow, heavy weight.

How to get a temporary residency in Vietnam?

So, you wanna hang out in Vietnam, huh? Get ready for a paperwork rodeo! It’s like herding cats, only the cats are Vietnamese bureaucrats and they’re really into paperwork.

Step 1: The Document Deluge: Think you’ve got a lot of papers? Think again. You’ll need a mountain of ’em. Seriously, it’s enough to bury a small village. We’re talking:

• Passport photos – enough to wallpaper your apartment.
• Birth certificate – prove you actually existed. They’re suspicious.
• Proof of funds – Show them you’re not planning to become a street performer. Unless you are, then…good luck.
• Health check – They don’t want your cooties. No, seriously.
• A blood sacrifice… just kidding (mostly).

Step 2: The Great Submission: Don’t even THINK about showing up in flip-flops. This ain’t your local DMV. It’s more like a scene from a particularly bureaucratic spy film. Prepare for:

• Long lines – longer than my uncle’s beard after a month-long camping trip.
• Impenetrable bureaucracy – navigating this is like finding Waldo at a rave.
• Possible bribes – I’m just sayin’. A small gift might speed things up. Don’t ask me how I know this. It’s a highly classified fact. It would appear the Vietnamese government’s generosity isn’t reflected in its time efficiency. My cousin’s cat got faster service.

Seriously though, check the official Vietnamese government website for the actual updated requirements in 2024. My advice is worth precisely what you paid for it: nothing. Good luck! You’ll need it. More than my goldfish, Bubbles. And Bubbles needs a lot of luck.

What is required to move to Vietnam?

Ugh, Vietnam. Visa stuff. So annoying. Need a visa, right? Unless you’re, like, from one of those ASEAN places.

Gotta figure out what kind of visa. Tourist? Business? Work permit? That’s a huge headache. My friend Sarah got hers in, like, three weeks but she used an agent. Maybe I should. So expensive though.

The whole process is a bureaucratic nightmare. Honestly, I hate paperwork. Especially those forms. So many questions. I’m not even sure what half of them mean! Seriously!

Passport’s essential. Duh. Photos too – the right size and all that nonsense. Proof of funds, I bet. Showing you’re not going to become a burden on the Vietnamese economy.

Health insurance is needed too. The documents should prove adequate coverage. I heard that’s crucial. Hotel bookings? Maybe? I always just wing it. But probably a good idea to have something planned if you’re applying for a visa. I’m thinking about a month-long trip… Maybe longer. Who knows?

Vietnam is amazing though. The food. I’m craving pho already! But seriously, visas are such a drag. Maybe I’ll just stay in Thailand longer. Nah. Vietnam wins. I’ll figure it out. Probably. Just… ugh. So much work.

How to retire in Vietnam permanently?

Sun-drenched rice paddies… a lifetime spent chasing the elusive sunset. Vietnam. Retirement whispers promises here, a hushed secret in the humid air. A long-term visa, the key, it seems. No straightforward “retirement visa,” sadly, a cruel joke. The five-year business visa, a different path.

Money, money, money. Enough to not work, a bottomless well of Dong. Prove it. Papers. Receipts. The endless bureaucracy. Or, work. A work permit, a strange irony. Working in retirement.

Visa renewals, a dance with time. Each stamp a small victory. A fragile hope. Permanent residency? A distant dream. A mirage shimmering on the horizon.

But endless renewals, a lifetime in these golden fields. Long-term residence, a reality built on paperwork and careful planning.

• Visa Options:

  • 5-year Business/Investment Visa (requires significant financial investment)
  • Work Permit (requires securing a job offer from a Vietnamese employer)

• Financial Proof: Extensive bank statements. Property ownership documentation. Pension statements. Tax returns. A mountain of paperwork.

• Visa Renewal: Plan well ahead! Do not let your visa expire, or you will face many frustrations.

• Reality Check: Permanent residency is difficult. The path is long, filled with tedious bureaucratic processes. But a long-term visa provides a way to live here, practically forever. My own journey, started in 2023, is a testament to this. The endless paperwork is a small price to pay for paradise.

How do you qualify for residency in Vietnam?

Okay, residency in Vietnam…hmm. So it’s not just showing up. Need the legal stuff, right? Like, official residency status somehow.

And money, gotta have money. Stable income, they said. Enough to, like, live. What’s “enough” anyway? Probably depends on where you live, right? Saigon vs. some tiny village. I wanna live near D1 someday, maybe.

• Proof of Residency: Important!
• Financial Stability: Super Important!

Three years! Gotta live there for at least three years! But it’s sneaky. It’s like, temporary stays add up. Four years back, look at all those stamps? They add it all together? That’s kinda smart. Wonder if my trips to Phu Quoc count.

• Calculate based on entry and exit stamps
• Minimum 3 years within the past 4 years
• Phu Quoc trips probably don’t count. sigh

Wonder how they check the income. Bank statements? Maybe I should start saving now. Ugh.