Can I work in Vietnam on a tourist visa without a work permit?

Working in Vietnam without the required work visa and authorization is described as a criminally punishable violation, not merely an immigration risk.

For visa-free entry you just need to fill out an arrival card online or at the airport, then you're free to go into the city.

The visa-free stay is 45 days. After that you can do a border run and re-enter, but there's no guarantee immigration won't flag repeated visa runs.

Working remotely or offline on a tourist visa is technically possible in practice, but if immigration checks catch you, it ends in deportation.

Some services help only with preparing the visa application itself (without organizing the whole trip), to avoid rejections or corrections if you're booking your own flights.

You can get hired without a proper work visa in practice, but if discovered, it means deportation with a lifetime entry ban to the country.

Working without a labor visa is a direct risk of deportation and an entry ban; if an employer is willing to sponsor a work visa, they'll quote the cost upfront.