Arrival week in Vietnam: the seven-day checklist

The arrival week is finite. Most movers try to do too much on day 2 and crash by day 5. The right approach is to do one major task per day in a deliberate sequence, with a buffer day in the middle.

This page is the sequencing. Each task links to the deeper page for the substance.

Before you land

Confirm the following are done before you fly:

• Serviced apartment or hotel booked for 14–30 nights (don't sign a long-term lease yet)
• Vietnamese eSIM activated or local SIM purchase planned for the airport
• Cash USD ($100–300 in small notes) for first-day taxis and small purchases
• Two debit cards from two different banks
• Printed visa documents and apostilled paperwork in a folder
• Health insurance card and emergency-line phone number in your phone

Day 1 — land and rest

1. Get from the airport to your accommodation. Use the official taxi rank (HCMC: Vinasun, Mai Linh, Vinataxi) or Grab. Don't take an unmarked private offer at arrivals.
2. Eat one good meal nearby. Phở, com tam, bún bò — whatever's open close to your hotel.
3. Sleep. Do not try to "stay up to fix jetlag" by sightseeing on landing day. The next six days depend on you being rested.

What to not do day 1: open a bank account, sign a lease, buy a motorbike, register at the police, set up utilities. None of these are urgent on day 1, and trying to fit them in compounds the jetlag.

Day 2 — official residence registration (Form NA17)

The single legal thing you must do early. Every foreigner in Vietnam must register their residence at the local ward police. Hotels and serviced apartments do this automatically; private rentals require the landlord to file Form NA17.

This is essential for:

• The TRC application (it's a required document)
• Opening any Vietnamese bank account
• A clean record at immigration

If you're in a hotel, ask the front desk for the confirmation slip. If you're in an Airbnb / serviced apartment, confirm the landlord has filed.

Day 3 — money

1. Activate any international cards for use in Vietnam (some issuers flag the first non-home transaction).
2. Set up Wise for receiving foreign-currency transfers into VND if you don't already use it.
3. Get cash from a bank-branch ATM (Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank, HSBC, Standard Chartered) — never from an unattended standalone ATM in a dark passage. See ATM and card skimming.
4. Note the bank you'll target for opening a Vietnamese account once you have a TRC. Don't try to open today — most banks require 12+ months of remaining visa validity, which means the TRC for most movers.

Day 4 — health setup

Five tasks per healthcare setup arrival week:

1. Activate insurance
2. Visit your chosen private hospital network (familiarisation only)
3. Register with a GP / family doctor
4. Transfer prescriptions
5. Print and carry the emergency card

Half of these can be done in one morning.

Day 5 — connectivity

1. Vietnamese SIM with proper passport registration. A 30-day tourist eSIM works for landing but the long-term option is a Viettel or Vinaphone postpaid plan registered against your passport (~$8–15/mo). See SIM cards and mobile data.
2. Home internet — most serviced apartments include fibre. If you're moving to a long-term lease soon, plan for an FPT, Viettel, or VNPT install (typically 3–5 working days).
3. MoMo / ZaloPay / VietQR — set up at least one Vietnamese payment app. Many require a Vietnamese SIM and Vietnamese bank account, so this is a follow-up for week 2, but install the apps now.

Day 6 — buffer / orientation

Deliberately keep day 6 unscheduled. Use it for any task that ran over, or to walk the neighbourhood you might rent in, or to rest.

A walk in your target long-term-rental neighbourhood at three different times of day (morning, lunch, evening) tells you everything: noise, traffic, market density, café availability, motorbike volume. Better than any guidebook.

Day 7 — long-term housing decision

By now you should have walked a few neighbourhoods. Begin the long-term housing search:

• Use a single local agent familiar with foreigners. Facebook expat groups (HCMC Expats Real Estate, Hanoi Massive) have running threads.
• Expect to view 8–15 apartments before signing.
• Standard lease: 12 months with 1–2 months' deposit and 2 months' rent advance.
• Negotiate: include utilities, maintenance, who covers minor repairs, exit clause if your visa is rejected.

Do not sign on day 7. Schedule viewings for week 2.

What you have NOT done by day 7 — and that's fine

• ❌ Opened a Vietnamese bank account (needs TRC, comes in weeks 4–8)
• ❌ Bought a motorbike (do it after you've ridden in traffic for a week as a passenger)
• ❌ Applied for the TRC (work permit / investor visa / employment paperwork comes first)
• ❌ Signed a long-term lease
• ❌ Converted your driving licence
• ❌ Found long-term healthcare provider

These all belong in the first 90 days checklist.

Common arrival-week mistakes

• Signing a 12-month lease in week 1. Neighbourhoods always look different lived-in.
• Buying a motorbike before you can read Vietnamese traffic. Spend two weeks in Grab first.
• Skipping the police residence registration. Required by law, free, fast.
• Treating jetlag as optional. It isn't. Schedule less in week 1, more in week 3.
• Trying to handle TRC paperwork yourself in week 1. It's a weeks-long process; wait for the right moment in the visa cycle.

Related

• Healthcare setup arrival week
• First 90 days checklist
• Registering tax residency as a new arrival
• Moving to Vietnam — full checklist
• Finding a good immigration agent