Living in Vietnam: planning your move beyond the first visit

Write down your relocation plan

Specify who is moving, for how long and with what work arrangements. Keep an alternative if the timetable changes: temporary accommodation, a later school start or continuing to work from your current country. This preparation helps you avoid a chain of commitments that all depend on an authorisation you are still waiting for.

For entry and stay requirements, start with the official Vietnamese immigration portal. Check the information for your nationality, the purpose of your trip and the document you need. Save the link and the date you checked it in your records.

Clarify your right to carry out the planned work

The Vietnamese government has published Decree 219/2025 on work permits for foreign workers. The procedure and exemptions depend on the circumstances. If an employer is supporting your move, ask which steps they will handle and which documents you must provide.

If you run a business or work remotely, explain your exact activities to a qualified professional. Ask them to clarify the authorisations required, any exemptions and the formalities attached to them. Do not infer your right to work simply from your ability to enter the country.

Choose a city around your needs

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang may be on your shortlist. To compare them, create your own criteria: an employer or clients nearby, a suitable school, an acceptable commute, housing type and leisure options. Check these factors neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

During your scouting visit, try journeys at the times you will actually make them. Visit the property at different times if possible. For remote work, test your working environment and your usual calls. Holiday impressions do not always answer the questions that matter during an ordinary week.

Prepare a file for each person

Make a list of documents to request, information to confirm and appointments you are waiting for. When contacting schools, provide your children’s ages, school levels and intended arrival date. For healthcare, clarify the cover your circumstances require and the conditions for receiving care before you leave.

• Every procedure has an owner and a next action.
• Every document retains its expiry date and original version.
• Every important answer keeps its source and date.
• Every expense you commit to states what must be confirmed beforehand.

Keep a Roadmap that can change

Start with the issues that determine everything else: your stay, work and, where relevant, schooling. Then plan long-term housing and the remaining settling-in steps. If an answer is delayed, update the tasks that depend on it instead of keeping a departure date that has become unrealistic.

RelocDesk brings together your steps, research, places to visit and options to compare. The Vietnam journey is a starting point to personalise with the confirmations you obtain for your household and your work.