Hanoi
VND
Vietnamese
UTC+7
Daily life
- Climate: Varies from north to south: Hanoi has a cool winter and hot, humid summer; Ho Chi Minh City is hot all year with a rainy season (May to November); Da Nang and the centre get typhoons and heavy rain from September to December.
- Safety: Violent crime against foreigners is rare, but bag- and phone-snatching from motorbikes is common, more so around Christmas and Tet. Traffic is the biggest everyday risk.
- English: common in cities and among younger people
- Expat community: medium
Sources: UK travel advice: Vietnam, safety and security (checked 2026-10-22) · EF EPI 2025 rankings in Asia (Human Resources Online) (checked 2026-10-22) · National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (checked 2026-10-22)
Cost of living
| Monthly, USD | Ho Chi Minh City | Da Nang | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | Couple | Single | Couple | |
| Rent | 299 | 513 | 347 | 574 |
| Food | 208 | 374 | 199 | 358 |
| Utilities | 115 | 128 | 86 | 96 |
| Transport | 71 | 121 | 54 | 92 |
| Health cover | 500 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Leisure | 80 | 136 | 80 | 136 |
| Total | 1,273 | 2,272 | 1,266 | 2,256 |
Amounts in US dollars. Rent and utilities from Numbeo (Oct 2026); food, transport and leisure from LivingCost (June 2026), both crowdsourced. Rent: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre for one person, between one and three bedrooms for a couple. Health: private insurance at 65–74 (see healthcare). Utilities include internet. Health is an international policy, the usual choice for foreigners.
Sources: Numbeo: cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City (rent and utilities, updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22) · Numbeo: cost of living in Da Nang (rent and utilities, updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22) · LivingCost: cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City (food, transport, leisure; updated June 2026) (checked 2026-10-22) · LivingCost: cost of living in Da Nang (food, transport, leisure; updated June 2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Visas and residence
E-visa (90 days, no retirement visa)
Vietnam has no retirement or passive-income visa. Most retirees use the e-visa, which allows stays of up to 90 days with multiple entries, then leave and apply again ("visa runs"). Longer stays need another basis (a Vietnamese spouse, investment or work) and a temporary residence card; a long-stay visa for retirees has been discussed but not adopted.
- Valid 3 months, renewable
- Rolling e-visas depend on the officers' discretion and on future policy: plan for the rules to change.
- Official page
Trying it first: United Kingdom passport: 45 days without a visa.
Sources: UK travel advice: Vietnam, entry requirements (checked 2026-10-22) · Where Next: Vietnam retirement visa in 2026 (checked 2026-10-22) · Vietnam National E-Visa portal (checked 2026-10-22)
Healthcare
Public hospitals are cheap but crowded, with little English. Foreigners use private international hospitals (FV, Vinmec, Raffles and others in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang), which are much cheaper than in the US; serious cases are sometimes sent to Bangkok or Singapore. Insurance is not required for visitors but is essential; international policies cost several hundred dollars a month after 60.
- Public system: No public scheme for retirees on visitor visas; public hospitals can be used by paying.
- Private insurance, monthly (USD): age 55-64: 350 · age 65-74: 500 · age 75+: 800
- Pre-existing conditions: varies by insurer
Sources: Expat Focus: healthcare in Vietnam (checked 2026-10-22) · Santexpat: healthcare and insurance costs in Vietnam (checked 2026-10-22)
Taxes
Residents are taxed on worldwide income: employment income at 5–35%, other income at flat rates (for example 5% on dividends and interest other than bank interest, 10% on inheritances and gifts above a threshold). How foreign pensions are treated is not clearly set out in the sources we read. There is no wealth tax.
- When you become tax resident: Resident if you spend 183 days or more in Vietnam in a calendar year or in 12 months from arrival, or have a registered residence or a rented home with a lease.
Coming from United States
Many retirees on short visas never become tax residents, but staying 183 days changes that: check before you settle.
- Tax treaty: no
- Public pension: There is no US–Vietnam income tax treaty in force. A resident could in principle owe Vietnamese tax on worldwide income; get local advice on US Social Security.
- Private pension: No treaty relief; the US taxes its citizens and Vietnam may tax residents on worldwide income.
Sources: IRS: US income tax treaties A to Z (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from United Kingdom
How Vietnam taxes foreign pensions is unclear in our sources: get local advice if you become tax resident. Your UK State Pension is paid but frozen: it does not rise each year while you live there (it goes back to the current rate if you return to the UK).
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Taxable only in Vietnam (other income article).
- Private pension: Taxable only in Vietnam, annuities included (Article 18). Most UK government pensions (such as civil service pensions) are taxed only in the UK.
Sources: GOV.UK: Vietnam tax treaties (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: countries where the State Pension is increased each year (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: tax on your UK income if you live abroad (State Pension, Personal Allowance, government pensions) (checked 2026-10-22) · HMRC International Manual INTM343190: pensions and annuities (State Pension under tax treaties) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from France
How Vietnam taxes foreign pensions is unclear in our sources: get local advice if you become tax resident.
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Basic state pension: Taxable only in Vietnam, as your country of residence (pensions for past employment). (Article 17). Civil-service and military pensions are taxed only in France, unless you are Vietnamese and not French. (Article 18)
- Private pension: Taxable only in Vietnam, as your country of residence (pensions for past employment). (Article 17).
Sources: UN Treaty Series vol. 1858, no. 31608: Vietnam–France tax treaty (1993), Articles 17 and 18 (checked 2026-10-22) · economie.gouv.fr: income tax for residents abroad (minimum rates, non-resident withholding on pensions) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from somewhere else? The general rules above apply; check your home country's tax treaty with Vietnam or ask a licensed advisor.
Sources: PwC tax summaries: Vietnam, taxes on personal income (checked 2026-10-22) · PwC tax summaries: Vietnam, residence (checked 2026-10-22)
Housing
Buying is possible under the 2023 Housing Law and Decree 95/2024, but ownership is time-limited and resale to other foreigners depends on the quota; most retirees rent.
- Can foreigners buy? With restrictions: Foreigners allowed to enter Vietnam can own apartments and houses in commercial housing projects, for 50 years (extendable once by 50 years), within quotas: 30% of the apartments in each building and 250 houses per area. They never own the land.
- Renting: Renting is the norm for foreign retirees: furnished flats are easy to find in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Sources: Ministry of Construction: Ho Chi Minh City approves housing projects open to foreign buyers (checked 2026-10-22) · Decree 95/2024/ND-CP (full text): 30% per building, 250 houses per ward-sized area (checked 2026-10-22) · VnEconomy: foreign ownership limits (Decree 95/2024) (checked 2026-10-22) · Vietnam Law Magazine: can foreigners buy real estate (checked 2026-10-22)
Settling in
Once you choose Vietnam, the settling plan takes you through 5 steps, from a year before the move to your first year there. The first ones:
- Apply for an e-visa: Apply on the official portal (multiple entry, up to 90 days); entry and exit points are fixed by the e-visa.
- Take out international health insurance: With evacuation cover to Bangkok or Singapore.
- Register your stay: Your landlord or hotel must declare your temporary residence to the local police.
- Plan the next entry: Before the 90 days end, leave Vietnam and apply for a new e-visa.
The full plan, with costs, delays and official links, is in your personal space (coming soon).
Rules and figures change and we can make mistakes: confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor before acting.