What changed for Vietnam visas on 1 July 2026?

Law 118/2025/QH15 amended the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners and added two visa symbols: UĐ1 for high-quality digital technology industry personnel and those entitled to preferential treatment under laws and National Assembly resolutions, and UĐ2 for the spouse and children under 18 of a UĐ1 holder. Both run up to five years.

How long can a digital nomad stay in Vietnam?

Up to 90 days on an e-visa, which is available to citizens of all countries and can be issued with multiple entry. Visa exemption gives 14 to 45 days depending on nationality. Many long-stayers cycle e-visas with a border exit in between, which works but is a pattern immigration officers recognise, so do not treat it as a guaranteed right of return.

Is it legal to work remotely in Vietnam on a tourist visa?

Vietnamese law does not treat a tourist entry as permission to carry out labour activities, and there is no carve-out for remote work performed for an overseas employer. Enforcement against remote workers has historically been light, which is a risk profile rather than a permission. If your stay, your family or a lease depends on it, take Vietnamese legal advice rather than relying on community consensus.

Vietnam or Thailand for digital nomads in 2026?

On paper Thailand is now clearly ahead for unsponsored remote workers, because the DTV was built for exactly that person. Vietnam wins on cost, on internet quality for the price, and increasingly on the tech route if you have a company behind you. Many people run both: a long Thai base and Vietnamese stints on the e-visa.

What is the Vietnam Golden Visa?

A proposal, not a programme. A ten-year Golden Visa, a ten-year investor visa and a five-year talent visa were all put forward as part of the wider reform conversation, and the talent strand is the part that has produced concrete results. As of August 2026 the Golden Visa itself has no decree number and no application channel.

Can I open a Vietnamese bank account as a digital nomad?

Generally not on a tourist entry. Banks want a longer-term visa and residence status, which is precisely what an e-visa does not give you. That is why most nomads in Vietnam run on cash, a foreign card and QR payments from an app rather than a local account.

Travel & Nomad

Vietnam Digital Nomad Visa 2026: What Just Launched, and What Nomads Actually Use

Q: Does Vietnam have a digital nomad visa in 2026?

Not an unsponsored one. There is no visa a freelancer with overseas clients can apply for alone. What Vietnam does have, as of 1 July 2026, is the UĐ1 visa for high-quality digital technology personnel and UĐ2 for their spouse and children under 18, both up to five years, which require an employer, institution or preferential-treatment decision behind the application. Most independent nomads use the 90-day e-visa.

Vietnam's visa system changed on 1 July 2026, and if you work in tech it changed in your favour. Here is what launched, who it is for, and the setup independent nomads still use.

Key takeaways

Vietnam's visa system changed on 1 July 2026: two new categories, UĐ1 for high-quality digital technology personnel and UĐ2 for their spouse and children under 18, both valid up to five years.
Alongside it, the Law on Digital Technology Industry gives five-year renewable temporary residence cards to high-quality foreign digital technology personnel, with matching cards for family and a five-year personal income tax exemption for digital technology experts.
If you work in tech and have an employer or institution in Vietnam, this is now one of the strongest long-stay packages in Southeast Asia, and the family provision is rarer than the five years.
If you are an unsponsored freelancer, the working setup is unchanged: the 90-day e-visa, open to every nationality and available with multiple entry, plus visa exemption of 14 to 45 days depending on your passport.

Vietnam's visa system changed on 1 July 2026, and if you work in tech it changed in your favour. Two new categories now exist: UĐ1 for high-quality digital technology personnel, and UĐ2 for their spouse and children under 18. Both run for up to five years.

What actually launched

The legal basis is Law 118/2025/QH15, which amends provisions across ten laws on security and order, including the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners. It took effect on 1 July 2026 (Thư viện pháp luật, Công an Nghệ An).

What you get	Detail	Source
UĐ1 visa	High-quality digital technology personnel, up to 5 years	Law 118/2025/QH15, from 1 July 2026
UĐ2 visa	Spouse and children under 18, up to 5 years	Law 118/2025/QH15, from 1 July 2026
Temporary residence card	Up to 5 years, renewable	Law 71/2025/QH15
Family residence cards	Matching validity	Law 71/2025/QH15
Income tax exemption	5 years for digital technology experts	Law 71/2025/QH15

Từ 01/7/2026, bổ sung thêm 2 loại thị thực cho người nước ngoài

Thị thực ký hiệu UĐ1 cấp cho người nước ngoài là nhân lực công nghiệp công nghệ số chất lượng cao; UĐ2 cấp cho vợ, chồng, con dưới 18 tuổi của người được cấp UĐ1. Thời hạn không quá 5 năm.

Thư viện pháp luật

If you are a nomad, which half applies to you

You have a company behind you

Then this is genuinely the best news Vietnam has produced for tech workers, and the family clause is the part to notice. Five-year visas for skilled workers exist in plenty of countries. Five-year visas that bring a spouse and children on matching terms are rare, and they are the difference between a posting and a life. Combined with the tax exemption, Vietnam has just become a serious competitor to Singapore and Malaysia for anyone deciding where to base a technical team.

Practically: this route runs through your employer or sponsoring institution, so the conversation to have is with them, not with a visa agency.

You are independent, with clients abroad

Then nothing has changed yet, and the honest playbook is the one nomads have used in Vietnam for years.

The 90-day e-visa is the workhorse. Available to citizens of every country, applied for online, and issuable with multiple entry, which is what makes short trips out of the country practical.
Visa exemption gives 14 to 45 days depending on your passport, useful for a first look rather than a base.
The cycle, meaning an e-visa, a border exit and a fresh application, is what most long-stayers actually do. It works. It is also a pattern immigration officers can see in your passport, so treat re-entry as a decision someone makes rather than a right you hold.

Vietnam against the rest of Southeast Asia

For an unsponsored nomad choosing a base in 2026, this is the comparison that matters. We have written each of these up separately, so the table links rather than repeats.

Country	The route	Built for unsponsored remote workers?
Thailand	DTV, five years, multiple entry	Yes, explicitly
Malaysia	DE Rantau Nomad Pass	Yes
Indonesia	Remote worker visa, Bali in practice	Yes
Japan	Six-month nomad visa, high income bar	Yes, with conditions
Vietnam	90-day e-visa, or UĐ1 with a sponsor	Not yet

Terms and conditions

Not legal advice. This article summarises Vietnamese legislation as published and as of 26 August 2026. Immigration and tax law changes, is applied differently by different offices, and depends on your nationality, employer and circumstances. Nothing here is legal, immigration or tax advice. Verify on evisa.gov.vn and take qualified Vietnamese advice before acting.
For readers in the United States. This article provides information only. It is not an offer, solicitation or sale of any product or service, and it is not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Fizen is not offered to US Persons.
Sources. Primary references are Law 118/2025/QH15 (entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners, effective 1 July 2026) and Law 71/2025/QH15 (digital technology industry, in force 1 January 2026), with explanatory notes from the Ministry of Public Security and the Government Gazette linked above.
Implementation. Several provisions depend on implementing decrees and circulars. Where this article describes benefits such as the tax exemption or residence card duration, confirm the current implementing position before relying on it.
Availability. Fizen is not offered to US Persons. Product availability varies by country and can change without notice. QR Pay is built for foreigners and travellers spending in the supported markets.
Self-custody. You hold your own keys. No one, Fizen included, can restore your wallet if you lose your recovery phrase.
eSIM. Your phone must be eSIM capable and carrier unlocked. eSIM is data only, so keep your normal SIM for calls and bank one-time passcodes. Plan details, validity and hotspot support vary; check Package details before buying.
Full terms. Master Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.

Position as of 26 August 2026. Official source: evisa.gov.vn. Legislation: Công báo Chính phủ and Thư viện pháp luật.

Vietnam Digital Nomad Visa 2026: What Just Launched, and What Nomads Actually Use

What actually launched