The second file may reuse the first permit as proof

In plain termsAn expert dossier usually shows a degree plus years. A prior work permit (WP) or exemption confirmation can stand in for that year-count on a later file. The director-expert page is still the place for the year numbers themselves.

Start here — three checks

Substitution exists? yes
First expert file still needs years. 2 years
Priority-field years. 1 years

First dossier vs later dossier

What you hold	What you still prove	If you skip it
Never held a Vietnam permit	Degree plus the year threshold for that role.	You point at a friend’s old card.
Prior permit or exemption confirmation in your name	That record can substitute the experience bundle on the next file.	You rebuild five years of letters because HR likes paper.
Same employer, new title	New permit. Substitution may still help the experience limb — the title still changed.	You treat substitution as permission to skip the new-title file.
Only a scan of an expired card	Keep the issued record. A phone photo is weak if the issuer cannot match it.	You throw the original in a drawer and file a JPEG.

Common wrong movesYear thresholds stay on the director-expert page.

Using this limb to dodge the first expert year-count.
Confusing a reissue (same remaining term) with a second-file substitution.
Filing a different person’s permit as your experience.

If DOLISA still asks for the year lettersBring the prior permit record. Do not invent a waiver.

Show the prior permit or exemption confirmation in the same identity.
If this is truly a first file, go back to the year thresholds.

Evidence and sources3 dated facts for A prior Vietnam work permit can substitute experience proof

The readable briefing above uses these cells. Open a source only when you need to verify a number, date, or legal gate.

A prior work permit or exemption confirmation can substitute experience proof
NĐ 219/2025/NĐ-CP Điều 18–20
yeschecked Aug 2026
Min years experience for expert with university degree (general)
NĐ 219/2025/NĐ-CP Điều 3 khoản 3 điểm a
2 yearschecked Aug 2026
Min years experience for expert in priority fields with matching degree
NĐ 219/2025/NĐ-CP Điều 3 khoản 3 điểm b
1 yearschecked Aug 2026

Director and expert yearsThe thresholds this substitution sits on.Work-permit hubThe stack around a second file.New titleSubstitution is not a free promotion.

Common questions

Do I still collect five years of experience for a second permit?

A prior permit or exemption confirmation can substitute that experience proof. The substitution is for the second dossier. It does not erase the first-file year thresholds.

Does a lost card still count as ‘prior permit’?

A reissue replaces plastic. It does not by itself create a new experience story. Keep the issued record, not only the card in a wallet.

Can a first-time expert skip the year count because someone else held a permit?

No. The substitution follows the same person’s prior permit or exemption confirmation. A colleague’s card is not your evidence.