Which door are you walking through?
Verified 2026-08MethodSourcesA few answers light the gates — not a filing and not advice.
A few answers. Then the gates that open, fail, or need a check — with the exact page to read next.
Relocation checklist — open doors in order
Same order every time. Who pays you, then stay, then labour, then tax, then life. Tools above and below only light the gates — they are not a filing.
1. Name the money
Vietnam employer, offshore remote, capital, or family labour exemption? Start at earn in Vietnam (40 field clusters) or pick a purpose on home.
2. Stay symbol
Purpose → entry symbol → TRC if eligible. Read visa & stay and temporary residence.
3. Labour paper
Work permit or filed exemption — not the visa alone. Work permit. Teaching, FDI, and other jobs deepen on earn clusters.
4. Tax residence
Days and abode decide worldwide vs Vietnam-source. Run the calculator, then tax residency and your passport overlay.
5. Life layers
After stay is lawful: housing · banking · health · schools. Pick HCMC or Hanoi on those pages when place matters.
Common questions
How can I earn money legally while in Vietnam?
Map the five doors on /vietnam/earn — forty field clusters from teaching to fashion, plus own enterprise. Remote pay and family marriage exemption are real doors too. Not a job board.
Can I teach English or work on a tourist visa?
No as a product path. Paid work for a Vietnam entity needs a work permit (or a narrow filed exemption) and an LĐ path. This site does not coach tourist-visa teaching or work.
I work for a Vietnam employer — what visa path applies?
Labour usually needs a work permit (or a statutory exemption) and often lands on LĐ1 or LĐ2. Those symbols can lead to a temporary residence card. Tax days still follow Vietnam residence tests, not the job title.
What is the difference between ĐT3 and ĐT4?
Both are investment symbols. ĐT3 sits on the TRC-eligible list when capital clears the filed band. ĐT4 is below the 3 billion VND line — a real investment stamp that does not open temporary residence on the closed eligible list.
Can I live in Vietnam while working remotely for a foreign employer?
There is no dedicated remote-work visa symbol in Luật Nhập cảnh Điều 8. That gap is published. Days on the ground still feed Vietnam tax residence; tourist-visa workarounds are not coached here.
Can a foreigner earn from Airbnb hosting in Vietnam?
Hosting as a business sits on the invest / enterprise door — foreigners cannot register hộ kinh doanh. Stay registration for guests is a separate police/landlord practice layer. See /vietnam/earn/own-business and /vietnam/housing.
Is there a Vietnam retirement visa?
No. Long stay without local work uses other published paths — often family or investment TRC doors — or it is not available as a productised retiree visa.
Does a short tourist stay avoid Vietnam tax?
Not automatically. Under 183 days is not safety if habitual abode applies, and repeated visits in one year can still trip the day count. Entry rules are separate from tax residence.
Prefer to read first? Start from earn in Vietnam, a purpose on the home page, Vietnam visa & stay, tax across borders, or tax residency.