Vietnam · long-stay visa routes and official sources
3 routes tracked · last reviewed · every route links to its official government source
Long-term visa difficulty for Vietnam: Hard (64/100, lower is easier). Most practical route: Employer-sponsored work residence.
Common questions
What is the most practical long-term visa route to Vietnam?
Based on our July 2026 review, the most practical route is usually: Employer-sponsored work residence. Overall difficulty is rated "Hard" (64/100, lower is easier).
Can I move to Vietnam without a local job offer?
Yes — 1 of the 3 tracked routes do not require a local employer: Student visa. Each has its own income, funds, or admission requirements.
Work permit for foreign employee plus appropriate visa/temporary residence card
Employer-sponsored work authorisation and appropriate immigration status must both be in place before work; the September sanctions decree is not a new permit route.
Typical timeline / duration: Work permit duration is generally tied to contract/assignment and may be renewable subject to current rules. Some short assignments/exemptions exist and should be listed separately.
The employer must match the worker to the applicable manager, executive, expert or technical-worker category and submit the current provincial procedure's evidence.
Decree 219/2025 has applied since 7 August 2025. The ordinary decision clock is 10 working days from a complete file, not a guaranteed end-to-end start-work date.
Passport, role/qualification/experience, health and criminal-record evidence as required; authenticate qualifying foreign public documents and arrange Vietnamese translations.
Exemptions are category-specific: establish whether an exemption certificate or notification is required before work. Do not assume every exempt case has the same three-day notification rule.
Obtain the appropriate work visa/residence permission independently of the labour approval, and maintain both through any employer, role or location change.
Investment-based immigration with a matching sponsor/category; Chinese document authentication changed in September, not the investment eligibility itself.
Typical timeline / duration: 2-6 months
Make or hold a qualifying investment, capital contribution, or ownership interest in a Vietnamese company or investment project and provide the corporate and capital evidence.
Provide a valid passport, visa application, photograph, investment or enterprise-registration documents, and temporary-residence-card documents only where the investor category permits a card.
Register temporary residence at the Vietnamese accommodation and keep the actual investment and sponsored purpose consistent with the visa and residence documents.
Sponsored DH study/training route; Chinese document authentication changed in September, while admission and immigration approval remain separate.
Typical timeline / duration: 2-5 months
Be accepted by a Vietnamese school, university, language centre, or other eligible educational institution for the approved study programme.
Have the educational institution or another eligible Vietnamese sponsor provide the invitation or guarantee and support the correct DH student visa procedure.
Submit a valid passport, visa application, photograph, admission or enrolment evidence, and any health, financial, or accommodation documents requested for the case.
Register temporary residence after entry and renew or change the visa or temporary-residence document through the sponsoring institution before it expires.
Visa rules change frequently. Figures and requirements above were reviewed on the dates shown; always confirm against the linked official source before applying.