How to get long-term residency in Vietnam as a foreigner?

You cannot obtain an e-visa while inside Vietnam. Visa agents offer an expedited service: you cross into a neighboring country like Laos, wait around 2 hours at the border while they process your e-visa, then re-enter Vietnam.

There is no dedicated digital nomad visa in Vietnam. A 10-year Golden Visa has been announced and a Talent Visa already exists for highly skilled professionals, but neither fits most remote workers, who typically rely on repeated 90-day e-visas with exits and re-entries.

Besides the 90-day visa run, if your nationality qualifies for visa-free entry, you can do a border run instead: cross the border and get a new visa-free stamp valid for 45 days.

A new 90-day visa application can only be submitted from outside Vietnam — this is a formal requirement. If doing a visa run to China, budget around 3 business days for approval, though processing times can vary.

Vietnam does not offer a standard long-term residence permit. The equivalent is the Temporary Residence Card (TRC), which requires a qualifying basis such as a work contract, business investment, or marriage to a Vietnamese national. The overwhelming majority of long-term foreign residents simply stay on tourist visas.

Outside of the standard 90-day tourist visa, legal pathways for extended stays in Vietnam include marrying a Vietnamese citizen, investing in a local business, obtaining a work permit, or enrolling as a student.

Processing time for a single-entry Vietnam e-visa is typically around 3 business days, though it can vary depending on the period and application volume.