Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by almost everyone who lives there, is Vietnam’s biggest and fastest-moving city. It is loud, hot and crowded, with millions of motorbikes, and it is also one of the best-value big cities in the world for a remote worker: fast fibre, dozens of coworking spaces, superb street food on every corner and a comfortable life for about $1,600 a month.
Most nomads split between District 1, the busy centre, and Thao Dien, a calmer expat village across the river. This guide covers what you need to set up for a month or more. For sights and food as a visitor, see the Ho Chi Minh City travel guide.
Ho Chi Minh City for Digital Nomads at a Glance#
Why Saigon Works for Remote Workers#
- Very low costs for a big city. A modern serviced apartment, eating out every day, a coworking desk and a social life cost about $1,600 a month, and much less if you live like a local.
- Fast internet. Home fibre of 300 Mbps or more is standard, and coworking spaces and cafes have reliable Wi-Fi. Vietnam’s undersea cables do sometimes break, slowing international traffic for days or weeks, so keep a mobile data backup.
- Food. Pho, banh mi, com tam, bun thit nuong and seafood for a few dollars, plus a big international restaurant scene in District 1 and Thao Dien.
- Coffee culture. Vietnamese cafes are everywhere, open early and welcome laptops, so you are never short of a place to work.
- Energy. Rooftop bars, live music, markets and a young population: Saigon never feels sleepy.
Who It Suits (and Who It Doesn't)#
Saigon suits people who like city energy, food and value, and who are happy to get around by Grab. It suits you less if you want quiet, green space or to walk everywhere: the pavements are full of parked motorbikes and food stalls, traffic is constant, and the air is often hazy. If you want a calmer Vietnamese base by the sea, Da Nang is an hour’s flight away.
US hours are hard: Saigon is 11 to 12 hours ahead of New York. Europe works well, with the European morning in your afternoon and evening.
Visas#
Vietnam has no nomad visa, but the 90-day e-visa is open to every nationality, with single or multiple entries, and you apply online in a few days. Citizens of the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Nordic countries, Japan, South Korea and several other countries also get 45 days visa-free.
Working remotely for clients abroad on an e-visa sits in a grey area: it is common and rarely questioned, but it is not formally allowed. Many long-stayers do a border run to Cambodia or a short flight to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur every 90 days and apply for a new e-visa. Your landlord or hotel must register your address with the local police; serviced apartments usually do it for you.
Vietnam: 90-day e-visa not a nomad visa
- Stay
- 90 days
- Valid for
- 90 days, single or multiple entry
- Renewal
- Not extendable in practice; leave and apply again
- Money required
- None
- Fee
- $25 single entry, $50 multiple entry
- Who qualifies
- All nationalities.
- Tax
- Not tax resident under 183 days
- How to apply
- Online at evisa.gov.vn. Official site
Vietnam has no nomad visa. Working remotely on the e-visa is a grey area, and most nomads in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City do quarterly visa runs.
Vietnam for digital nomads · Rules checked October 2026. Confirm with the official source before applying.
What It Costs#
These are monthly costs for one person living in a serviced apartment in a central area, in US dollars at about VND 26,000 to the dollar. Rent is the biggest lever: a local-style apartment in District 3, Phu Nhuan or Binh Thanh costs much less than a serviced flat in District 1 or Thao Dien.
| Monthly cost | Typical range (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Furnished 1-bed apartment, central | $450 - $900 | About VND 12-24 million a month in District 1, 3 or Thao Dien; serviced studios from about VND 9 million |
| Electricity, water, building fees | $30 - $90 | Electricity is charged per unit and air-con adds up fast |
| Home internet | Fibre from Viettel, VNPT or FPT, usually included in serviced apartments | |
| Coworking hot desk | $60 - $180 | About VND 1.5-4.5 million a month; international chains cost more |
| Food (eating out most meals) | $250 - $500 | Street food and com tam from VND 40,000-70,000; Western meals VND 200,000+ |
| Transport (Grab bikes and cars) | $30 - $80 | A Grab bike across the centre is about VND 20,000-40,000 |
| Phone plan with data | $5 - $12 | Viettel or Mobifone, large data packs |
| Gym | $25 - $70 | Local gyms are cheap; international clubs cost more |
| Social life, coffee, extras | $150 - $400 | Coffee VND 30,000-80,000; rooftop bars charge Western prices |
These are ballpark estimates, not quotes. Real costs vary hugely with your lifestyle, which neighbourhood you live in, how often you eat out or take taxis, the season and the exchange rate. Use them to compare places, then check current prices before you commit.
Things that push costs up: Western food and imported wine, international gyms, short-term Airbnb stays, and air-conditioning running all day. ATMs charge foreign cards about VND 20,000 to 110,000 per withdrawal, plus your own bank’s fee; TPBank and some others charge less. Card payments work in most cafes, malls and restaurants, but street food and markets are cash only.
Where to Live#
Ho Chi Minh City merged with two neighbouring provinces in 2025 and replaced its numbered districts with wards, but everyone, from landlords to Grab drivers, still uses the old district names. Most nomads live in a few of them:
| Neighbourhood | Vibe | 1-bed / month | Best for | Getting around |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 (Ben Thanh and Saigon) | The busy centre: offices, rooftop bars, street food and most coworking | $500-900 | First-timers and short stays | Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh; walk or Grab |
| District 3 | Leafy streets next to District 1, local cafes and food, fewer tourists | $400-800 | Longer stays close to the centre | Grab; 10 minutes to District 1 |
| Thao Dien (District 2) | The expat village: villas, cafes, international food and a slower pace | $500-1,000 | Calmer living, families, Western comforts | Metro Line 1 (Thao Dien and An Phu stations); Grab |
| Binh Thanh | Big modern condo towers like Vinhomes Central Park, next to the centre | $450-850 | Pool-and-gym condo life at good value | Metro Line 1 (Van Thanh and Tan Cang); Grab |
| District 4 | Across the canal from District 1: local, cheap and full of seafood stalls | $350-650 | Budget stays a short ride from the centre | Grab; 5-10 minutes to District 1 |
| District 7 (Phu My Hung) | A planned, quiet district with wide streets, malls and Korean and Japanese communities | $450-900 | Families and people who want order and space | Grab; 20-30 minutes to District 1 |
For a first month, book a serviced apartment for a week or two, then look around. Facebook groups for Saigon expats and housing, and agents in District 1 and Thao Dien, list monthly rentals. Check the air-conditioning, hot water, the internet speed and the street noise at night before you sign, and expect a deposit of one or two months.
Coworking Spaces and Laptop Cafes#
Saigon has one of the biggest coworking scenes in Asia, run mostly by local brands with day passes from about VND 150,000 (about $6). Prices below are as published or recently reported.
Dreamplex
A Vietnamese operator with buildings in District 1, District 3 and Thao Dien. Polished, business-like spaces with meeting rooms and events, popular with start-ups and regional teams.
Best for: A professional desk in the centre
Toong
A Vietnamese coworking brand with several branches in the centre. Bright, design-led spaces with flexible day passes and desks you can book at any branch.
Best for: Day passes and moving between branches
cirCO
A long-running local chain with several branches, known for its start-up community, good-value day passes and longer opening hours than most.
Best for: Value and a start-up crowd
The Hive Thao Dien
A three-floor space in the quiet lanes of Thao Dien with a courtyard, pool, cafe and rooftop terrace. Part of The Hive’s Asia-Pacific network, with regular social events.
Best for: Living and working in Thao Dien
Saigon Coworking Thao Dien
A small, relaxed space in Thao Dien with a garden and round-the-clock access for members, a good fit if you work US hours late at night.
Best for: Night owls working US hours
WeWork
The international chain, in office towers. The most expensive option here, worth it if you already hold a WeWork All Access membership.
Best for: WeWork members
Cafes are the other office. Vietnamese chains like Highlands Coffee, The Coffee House, Phuc Long and Cong Caphe have Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and plenty of space, and Saigon’s specialty coffee bars are often busy with laptops on weekdays.
The Workshop Coffee
One of Saigon’s first specialty coffee bars, in a light-filled heritage loft up a staircase off Dong Khoi, with long shared tables that fill with laptops on weekdays.
Best for: Great coffee and a few hours' work
Internet and SIM Cards#
Fibre from Viettel, VNPT or FPT is fast and cheap, often 300 Mbps to 1 Gbps. For mobile data, Viettel has the best coverage, and large data packs cost a few dollars a month. You must register a SIM with your passport; buy it at an official store or the airport. Because international connections can slow down when an undersea cable is damaged, a VPN and a mobile hotspot backup are worth having for calls.
Getting Around#
Grab (bikes and cars), Be and Xanh SM are the main ride-hailing apps; a Grab bike across the centre costs about VND 20,000 to 40,000. Metro Line 1, opened in December 2024, links Ben Thanh in District 1 with Thao Dien, An Phu and the east of the city. Renting a scooter is common, but you legally need a licence valid in Vietnam, most travel insurance won’t cover you without one, and the traffic is intense. Walking short distances in District 1 is fine; crossing big roads takes nerve (walk slowly and steadily).
Weather and When to Go#
Saigon is hot all year, with daytime highs of 31 to 35°C. The dry season from December to April is the best time, with December to February the most pleasant; March and April are the hottest. The rainy season runs from May to November, usually as heavy afternoon storms that pass in an hour or two, with some street flooding. Air quality is moderate most of the year and worst in the dry season.
Community and Meeting People#
The nomad and expat community is big but spread out. Coworking events, language exchanges, run clubs, Facebook groups for Saigon expats and digital nomads, and meetups on Meetup and Internations are the easiest ways in. Thao Dien has a strong expat social life; District 1 has the bars and the nightlife.
Health and Safety#
Saigon is safe for violent crime, but bag and phone snatching from passing motorbikes is common. Carry your phone on the side away from the road, wear bags across your body, and don’t hold your phone at the kerb while waiting for a Grab. International hospitals like FV Hospital and Family Medical Practice are good; carry health insurance. Dengue is common in the rainy season, so use repellent.
Ho Chi Minh City Digital Nomad FAQs#
Is Ho Chi Minh City good for digital nomads?
Yes, if you like big cities. It has fast internet, many coworking spaces, a large community, excellent food and very low costs, with a comfortable month for about $1,600. The trade-offs are traffic, heat, noise and limited green space.
How much does it cost to live in Ho Chi Minh City as a nomad?
About $1,600 a month for a comfortable life, $1,000 on a tight budget and $2,500 or more for a large apartment and Western food. These are ballpark figures that vary with where you live and how you eat.
Which area of Ho Chi Minh City is best for digital nomads?
District 1 for first-timers who want to be in the middle of everything, and Thao Dien in District 2 for a calmer, greener expat village with good coworking. District 3 and Binh Thanh are good-value alternatives close to the centre.
Does Vietnam have a digital nomad visa?
No. Most nomads use the 90-day e-visa, which any nationality can apply for online, and some passports get 45 days visa-free. Working remotely on an e-visa is common, but not formally allowed.
Is Saigon or Hanoi better for digital nomads?
Saigon is bigger, more international and hot all year, with more coworking and nightlife. Hanoi is more traditional and cultured, with a real winter and worse air in the cold months. Many nomads try both.
Last reviewed October 2026. Prices and venues change: check before you commit to a month.