How do foreigners stay in Vietnam long-term without a long-stay visa, and what happens after 183 days (tax residency)?

From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 61 days ago

TL;DR

Most expats stay in Vietnam long-term by doing regular border runs, since visas are issued easily to almost everyone. Those actually employed get a work visa, and after 183 days in-country you technically become a tax resident required to declare worldwide income — though enforcement is loose in practice.

What the community said

Since last year Vietnam has started auditing entrepreneurs (beauty, food, etc.) and fining illegal earners, and is now beginning to check remote workers earning income from abroad. This is seen as a 1-2 year transition period after which either work visas (hard to obtain), digital nomad visas (likely paid, with income/residency requirements), or tourist visas capping the number of border runs (like Thailand) — e.g. max 2 consecutive border runs — are expected.

Enforcement crackdown, 1-2 year transition period

By law, after 183 days in Vietnam a foreigner is required to declare worldwide income locally, though in practice this rule isn't strictly enforced.

183 days = tax residency threshold

Almost everyone who gets a Vietnamese work visa is actually employed there — it's not just a formality to enable a long stay.

Work visa

Vietnam currently grants visas to almost anyone without strict checks on the purpose of the trip, so many expats live there for years by regularly doing border runs (exiting and re-entering).

Border run

Unlike Thailand, Vietnam still doesn't have a wide range of special long-term residency visas — the country benefits from tourist spending, so visa policy stays relaxed.