Freelancing from Vietnam — the visa reality and how to get paid

A lot of online writing assumes Vietnam has a Thailand-style 5-year "Digital Talent Visa" for remote workers. It doesn't. Read the digital nomad / 5-year visa reality check before assuming a route exists. This page is the practical "how do I actually get paid" answer for freelancers who choose to live in Vietnam anyway — typically on cycled e-visas, with the tax-residency line at 183 days.

The visa picture in one paragraph

Vietnam has no confirmed general-purpose long-stay visa for foreign-employed remote workers or independent freelancers. The 90-day e-visa is what almost everyone uses; remote work on it is a legal grey zone (the visa is technically a tourist / business-meetings class, not work authorisation). Vietnam has discussed special visa-exemption categories (UĐ1 / UĐ2) for invited specialists / recognised talent — these are narrow, not a general remote-worker route. If you want a clean long-stay basis, you need a route that fits you: work permit (Vietnamese employer), DT investor visa (Vietnamese company), TT marriage visa (Vietnamese spouse), or DH student visa (recognised institution).

How freelancers actually get paid

Whatever your visa class, the payment mechanics are the same:

Most freelancers route foreign-client invoices to a Wise account in their home currency, then move USD into a Vietnamese VND account at Vietcombank / Shinhan / HSBC when they need to spend.

Should you keep a foreign entity?

If you already have a US LLC, UK Ltd or Estonian e-residency company, keep it. Invoicing through it gives you:

• A professional invoicing identity clients prefer
• Stripe / merchant-processor access
• A clean separation between living costs and business books
• Ability to retain earnings outside Vietnam

The downside is dual-jurisdiction tax filings. For most non-US citizens this is fine because tax obligations follow residency, not company location. For US citizens it is unavoidable anyway (citizenship-based taxation).

Tax residency in Vietnam

You become a Vietnamese tax resident if you spend 183+ days in any 12-month period in Vietnam or have a registered permanent residence here. As a resident your worldwide income is potentially taxable at 5–35% PIT brackets. See the tax residency page and our PIT deep dive for what this looks like in practice.

If you stay under 183 days you are taxed only on Vietnamese-source income, at a flat 20%. Many freelancers deliberately split time across Vietnam and a second country to stay non-resident, but be careful: the second country may then claim you. Tax homelessness is rarely as clean as it looks on YouTube.

When to switch from freelancing to a Vietnamese LLC

Set up a Vietnamese LLC if any of these apply:

• You want to hire Vietnamese employees on real contracts
• You want to invoice Vietnamese B2B clients with VAT
• You want a TRC pathway tied to a Vietnamese company (DT investor route)
• You are starting a physical business (cafe, gym, studio)

Otherwise the compliance cost (accountant, e-invoice, monthly filings) likely exceeds the benefit. See starting a company.

Practical setup most foreign freelancers use

1. Keep a personal company in your home jurisdiction (or Wise Business sole-trader account)
2. Invoice foreign clients through it
3. Receive in Wise, hold USD
4. Move VND to Vietcombank monthly for living expenses
5. File home-country tax based on residency or citizenship rules
6. Keep a clean log of days in Vietnam in case the 183-day question ever comes up
7. Plan around your actual visa class — likely e-visa cycles unless you fit work permit / investor / marriage / student

Honest take

For freelancers, Vietnam is one of the most attractive places to live in Asia — cheap, fast internet, great food. The visa side is messier than online sources suggest. Operate on the actual rules (e-visa, with 183-day awareness), not the imagined ones (a DTV that doesn't exist).

Related

• Digital nomad / 5-year visa reality check
• Vietnam tax residency
• E-visa guide
• Money and banking
• Starting a company in Vietnam

Summary

Freelancers in Vietnam face a challenging dual reality: no official remote-worker visa (the e-visa is a tourist workaround) and a critical 183-day tax-residency threshold that determines worldwide income exposure. This page covers the mechanics of actually getting paid—from Wise to Stripe—and when to formalize into a Vietnamese LLC. It directly affects foreign knowledge workers, digital nomads, and expats earning international income.

Process at a glance

1. Choose your visa class. Typically the 90-day e-visa cycle; no long-stay remote-worker visa exists (yet).
2. Pick a payment route. Wise multi-currency is one of the more affordable and fastest for most; Payoneer/Stripe if you have a home-country company.
3. Track the 183-day line. If you hit 183 days in Vietnam, your worldwide income becomes taxable at 5–35% PIT. Stay below to pay 20% flat on Vietnam-only income.
4. Decide: keep a foreign entity or go sole-trader? If you already have a US LLC or UK Ltd, keep it for professional invoicing and tax control. Otherwise Wise Business is simpler.
5. File taxes in your home country. Your residency status (citizen, tax resident of Vietnam, or nomad) determines your filing obligation; confirm with your tax authority.

Cost breakdown

Freelancers typically use Wise (one of the most affordable), holding balances in USD and converting to VND monthly for living expenses. If you invoice Vietnamese B2B clients (VAT-liable), an LLC and accountant cost ~$600–1,800/year; for foreign clients only, the overhead is near-zero if you stay under the 183-day resident threshold.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming a DTV "Digital Talent" visa exists. Thailand has one; Vietnam discussed it but has not implemented it. Plan on e-visa cycles or a specific pathway (work permit, investor, marriage, student).
• Crossing the 183-day line without realizing. Even a 6-month tourist stay puts you at tax-resident, exposing all worldwide income. Track your calendar; split time across countries if needed.
• Holding only cryptocurrency or transferwise without local banking. You cannot easily convert crypto back to VND in Vietnam without legal friction. Wise to a Vietnamese bank account (Vietcombank, Shinhan, HSBC) is the standard workaround.
• Setting up a Vietnamese LLC too early. Registration, e-invoice, monthly filings, and accountancy cost $600–1,800/year. Only do it if you hire Vietnamese staff, invoice Vietnam B2B clients, or seek the DT investor TRC pathway.
• Ignoring your home country's tax obligation. Even as a non-resident of Vietnam, you owe tax on global income in your citizenship country (US, Australia, etc.). Vietnam non-residency does not erase that.

Official resources

• General Department of Taxation (Vietnam) — Vietnamese PIT brackets, tax-residency rules, treaty positions.
• Vietnam Immigration Department — Visa class definitions, TRC (Temporary Residence Certificate) conditions.
• Official E-Visa Portal — 90-day single-entry and multi-entry e-visa application and rules.

Verify before acting. Rules change. Confirm with a qualified Vietnamese adviser before relying on any specific detail.

Not legal or tax advice. Human review needed. Visa and tax rules change; confirm with the Vietnamese embassy in your country, the official e-visa portal, or a qualified adviser before acting.