Living in Viet Nam: a practical guide for foreigners
What foreigners staying in Viet Nam for weeks, months or years need to sort out, in the order you will meet it: residence declaration, cards and permits, phone and bank, driving, emergency numbers, public holidays, and how to behave as a guest. Every rule here is checked against an official Vietnamese government source, listed at the bottom of each page.
Your first 30 days
- Residence declaration: your hotel or landlord must declare your stay to the police within 12 hours of your arrival (khai báo tạm trú). Ask them to confirm it was done.
- SIM card: foreigners must verify a new SIM in person at the carrier's own shop, with a passport and a face photo.
- VNeID: since 28 September 2026 foreigners who entered or live in Viet Nam legally can get an electronic ID account.
- Work permit: if you will work, your employer applies for it before you start.
- Residence card: if your visa category allows it, a temporary residence card (thẻ tạm trú) saves repeated visa renewals.
- Bank account: banks ask for your passport plus a valid visa or proof of visa exemption.
- Emergency numbers: save 113 (police), 114 (fire), 115 (ambulance) and 112.
Who to contact
- Immigration Department hotline: 024 3825 7941; email foreigners@xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn.
- Immigration Department offices: 69 Mac Thai To, Hanoi, and 333–337 Nguyen Trai, Ho Chi Minh City.
- English information: xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en.
Guides in this series
- Temporary residence in Viet Nam: declaration, residence card and extensions
Who must declare your stay and within 12 hours, the residence card, 2026 fees, and extending your stay.
- VNeID for foreigners: the electronic ID account from 28 September 2026
Decree 320/2026: who can get an account, what it stores, and registering at the immigration office.
- Work permits in Viet Nam: Decree 219/2025 for foreign workers
Who issues permits since August 2025, the online application, processing time, validity and social insurance.
- Driving in Viet Nam as a foreigner: international permits and licence conversion
Which international driving permits are valid, and how residents convert their national licence in 5 working days.
- SIM cards, bank accounts and emergency numbers for foreigners in Viet Nam
In-person SIM verification since April 2026, opening a bank account, and the free emergency numbers.
- Public holidays in Viet Nam 2026–2027
Official days off for 2026 and 2027, the new Culture Day on 24 November, and the days Vietnamese people give flowers.
- Vietnamese etiquette and gift-giving: a guide for foreigners
Visiting a home, weddings, funerals, Tet, business openings and what not to give.
- Opening a business in Viet Nam: grand opening customs for foreign companies
Lucky dates, the offering ceremony, flower stands from partners and the first sale.
Just arriving? Visa, e-visa and the five main airports are covered in Arriving in Viet Nam.
Sources
Facts checked on 2026-10-03 against the official sources below. Rules change: check the source before you act.
- Immigration Department (English)
- Immigration Department: official e-visa portal (contacts)
- Government of Viet Nam: Law 23/2023/QH15 amending the immigration law (full text)
- Government of Viet Nam: Decree 320/2026/ND-CP on electronic identification
- Government of Viet Nam: new SIM subscriber verification rules (Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN)
- Ministry of Public Security: stay extension procedure
Written by a florist in Ho Chi Minh City
This series is written by Flosa, a flower shop in Ho Chi Minh City that delivers to homes, offices and hotels across Viet Nam. For company orders see flowers for companies; for the holidays of your own community in Viet Nam see flower holidays in Viet Nam.