Relocation intelligence

🇻🇳 Moving to Vietnam: tax, residency and cost of living

Progressive personal income tax on worldwide income for tax residents, from 2026 restructured into five bands (5 to 35 percent) with a raised personal allowance

Thinking of moving to Vietnam? Here is the tax, residency, property and quality-of-life picture in plain numbers, with sources.

Key facts

Top income tax
35%
Corporate tax
20%
Capital gains
20%
Wealth tax
No
Inheritance tax
Yes
Cost of living index
36
Safety
7/10
Internet quality
7/10
Visa-free destinations
49
Foreigners can own property
Yes
Residency in
6 months
Citizenship in
5 years

Taxes

Tax residents (183+ days) are taxed progressively on worldwide income across five bands of 5 to 35 percent after deducting compulsory insurance (10.5 percent) and the personal allowance of 15.5 million VND/month. Non-residents pay a flat 20 percent on Vietnam employment income. There is no wealth tax; inheritances and gifts above 10 million VND are taxed at 10 percent.

Residency and visas

Residency runs through a work permit and temporary residence card (usually arranged within a few months). Permanent residence typically requires three years of continuous residence and naturalisation about five years; there is no golden visa or citizenship by investment.

Property ownership

Foreigners can buy apartments on a renewable 50-year ownership right, capped at 30 percent of units per building. Land remains state-owned and cannot be owned outright.

Cost of living and quality of life

Very low cost of living, fast and cheap internet, and a lively expat community in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Watch points are urban air pollution and variable public healthcare quality, making private insurance advisable.

Passport and mobility

The Vietnamese passport gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 49 destinations in 2026 (Henley Passport Index, rank 86). The dong is subject to foreign exchange controls.

Why people move to Vietnam

  • Low cost of living

    Vietnam is among Asia's cheapest countries to live in; rent, food and services sit far below Western European levels, so net income stretches a long way.

  • Generous allowance and low entry rate

    With the personal deduction raised to 15.5 million VND per month in 2026, anyone earning under roughly 17 million VND per month pays no income tax, and middle incomes are taxed lightly at 5 to 10 percent.

Honest trade-offs

  • Fiscaal inwoners (183 dagen of meer per jaar) worden belast op hun wereldwijde inkomen en het toptarief van 35 procent geldt al vanaf een belastbaar maandinkomen boven 100 miljoen VND.
  • Buitenlanders mogen in Vietnam geen grond bezitten en kunnen alleen appartementen kopen met een eigendomsrecht van 50 jaar, terwijl per gebouw een quotum geldt van maximaal 30 procent buitenlandse eigenaren.
  • Er is geen eenvoudige route naar permanent verblijf en geen golden visa; een werkvergunning is verplicht en naturalisatie vereist doorgaans vijf jaar onafgebroken verblijf.
  • De luchtkwaliteit in Hanoi en Ho Chi Minhstad is regelmatig ongezond met hoge fijnstofwaarden, vooral in het droge seizoen.
  • Vietnam kent deviezencontroles: de dong is niet vrij inwisselbaar en het overmaken van kapitaal naar het buitenland is aan restricties en documentatie-eisen onderworpen.

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Sources

Other destinations

AndorraUnited Arab EmiratesAfghanistanAntigua & BarbudaAnguillaAlbaniaArmeniaAngolaArgentinaAmerican SamoaAustriaAustralia