Do I have to pay taxes in Vietnam if I'm living there on a tourist visa/e-visa and earning foreign income?

In late July 2026 the discussion produced an objection: tax residency is a real concept, and the fact that not every state has the resources for full oversight does not cancel the possibility provided for in law, and such enforcement does happen. In other words, weak oversight is not the same as having no obligation.

In the same discussion participants separated the cases. Someone who works in the country pays taxes without question — the open point was a tourist living on a tourist visa. Another participant noted that the picture changes if the income arrives in a Vietnamese bank account with a foreign employer named as the sender: such income is then visible inside the country. How local authorities treat such income is best checked with a specialist.

In July 2026 one participant shared this view: a person becomes a Vietnamese tax resident on getting a work visa and working in the country. As long as you live on visa-exempt stamps and tourist e-visas, in their words, you are a tourist and pay no taxes other than the VAT included in purchase prices.

Another participant described it more cautiously the same day. A tourist in Vietnam living on income from abroad has no employer withholding income tax, so in practice it is a gray zone. Formally, tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, but when the money comes from abroad and has no connection to Vietnam, oversight of such income is, in their assessment, quite limited.