Vietnam
The energy pick: staggeringly low costs, incredible food, fast growth — but no retirement visa exists, so you're on perpetual visa runs.
No retirement or passive-income visa. 90-day e-visas renewed by border runs is the common (gray) pattern; long-term status requires work/investment/marriage.
Foreigners can't own land; 50-year leasehold condos in foreign quotas only.
Good private clinics in HCMC/Hanoi (Vinmec, FV); serious cases fly to Bangkok/Singapore.
Cheap, fast fiber in cities; occasional undersea-cable slowdowns.
Growing among the young; limited overall. Vietnamese is tonal and tough.
Possibly the best pure cost of living in this list — Da Nang beach life on $1,500/mo.
Very low violent crime; traffic and petty theft are the risks.
New expressways and metros arriving fast; power mostly fine; chaos is the aesthetic.
New metros in Hanoi/HCMC, sleeper trains, buses everywhere — but the motorbike is the real transit system.
The motorbike river has its own physics — most expats don't drive cars.
UTC+7: ~0h of a 9–5 Pacific workday falls in local waking hours.
Certs at entry; informal but workable.
One-party stability: predictable, unfree, low street risk.
Hanoi air, plastic waterways; awareness rising.
Strong craft/lacquer traditions; contemporary scene emerging in HCMC.
Vietnamese food is elite; international range exists in the two big cities.
Leasehold-only for foreigners caps the upside; Da Nang condos are affordable.
One stop minimum via Taipei/Seoul/Tokyo.
No path — even long-term residency is hard without work or marriage.
Younger nomad-heavy scene (Da Nang); smaller retiree presence than Thailand.
Not hostile but not affirming; no partnership recognition; conservative norms.
Central coast takes typhoons most autumns; serious flooding.
Strictly illegal with severe penalties. Non-negotiable.
183+ days = resident on worldwide income, but enforcement on foreign retirees' offshore income is historically light (that's not a plan, though).
Upsides
- +Unbeatable prices
- +Da Nang: beach + mountains + airport in one city
- +Food, coffee culture
- +Dynamic, optimistic energy
Downsides
- –No legal long-stay path for retirees — dealbreaker for many
- –Strict drug laws
- –Language barrier
- –Air quality in Hanoi
Before you go
- !Only choose Vietnam if you're OK with visa impermanence
- !Da Nang over HCMC/Hanoi for livability
- !Watch for a rumored long-stay visa — rules evolve fast
Plan your scouting trip
Check what Vietnam requires for a long stay and apply online.
Health cover that travels with you — scouting trips and after the move.
An eSIM with data in Vietnam the minute you land.
Book a month in Vietnam for the scouting trip before you commit.
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Making the move to Vietnam?
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