Living in Vietnam as a Digital Nomad

Most nomads rent a serviced or furnished apartment: a studio or one-bedroom with a kitchen, fibre, weekly cleaning and sometimes laundry included.

• Find it on the ground. Book a week or two, then look in person. Facebook groups for each city, local agents and walking the streets you like (look for “cho thuê” signs) turn up far better monthly prices than Airbnb.
• Deposit. Usually one or two months’ rent, with the first month or several months paid in advance. Get a written contract and photograph the apartment when you move in.
• Bills. Electricity is often charged by the landlord at ₫3,500 to ₫4,500 a unit, more than the official rate. Air-conditioning is the big cost in the hot months. Water and internet are usually included.
• Police registration. Your landlord must register you with the local police. Ask them to.
• Ownership. Foreigners can buy apartments in approved projects on a 50-year lease, but cannot own land. Nomads rent.

• SIM cards: Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone shops are everywhere. A prepaid SIM with a large data package costs about ₫100,000 to ₫300,000 a month. Bring your passport, because SIMs must be registered to you.
• Home internet: almost every apartment already has fibre. If yours doesn’t, Viettel and FPT install within days.
• When cables break: international speeds can drop for weeks. A coworking space with several providers is the best backup.
• Apps worth having: Grab, Be and Xanh SM (rides and food), Zalo (the messaging app Vietnamese people and landlords use), Google Translate with the Vietnamese offline pack, and IQAir for air quality.

Grab, Be and Xanh SM are cheap and everywhere, with motorbike taxis for a dollar or two and cars for a few more. Ho Chi Minh City has its first metro line, from Ben Thanh to Thu Duc, and Hanoi has two urban rail lines.

Scooters are how most long-stayers get around outside the big city centres, rented for about ₫1.2 to ₫2 million a month. Legally, you need a Vietnamese licence or an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 convention; many countries, including the US, issue 1949 permits, which are not valid in Vietnam. Foreigners on a long stay can convert a home licence at the Department of Transport. Traffic is chaotic, and riding without a licence leaves you uninsured. Wear a proper helmet, never drink and ride, and take Grab bikes in the big cities until you are confident.

Private international hospitals and clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang have English-speaking doctors and good standards: FV Hospital, Family Medical Practice, Vinmec, the Hanoi French Hospital and Raffles Medical. A consultation costs about $40 to $100. Public hospitals are cheap but crowded and rarely have English speakers. Pharmacies sell many medicines without a prescription.

For emergencies, call 115 for an ambulance, but in the cities a Grab car to a private hospital is often faster. Get nomad health insurance with evacuation cover, because complex cases sometimes go to Bangkok or Singapore.

Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi each have active nomad and expat communities, with Facebook groups, coworking events, language exchanges, run clubs and sports leagues. Learning a few phrases of Vietnamese, and how the tones work, goes a long way with neighbours and street vendors. Many nomads join a gym, a Muay Thai or BJJ class, or a running group to meet people outside the nomad bubble.

• Dress modestly at pagodas and temples, covering shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes where others do.
• Keep calm. Raising your voice causes loss of face and rarely helps.
• Bargain politely at markets, but not in shops with fixed prices.
• Tết, the Lunar New Year in January or February, is the biggest holiday of the year. Many businesses close for a week or more, transport is booked out and prices rise. Plan ahead or enjoy a quiet city.
• Photos: ask before photographing people, and don’t photograph military or police sites.

• Work: working for Vietnamese employers or clients needs a work permit.
• Drugs: penalties are extremely severe, including the death penalty for trafficking.
• E-cigarettes and heated tobacco have been banned since 2025.
• Politics: don’t criticise the government or the Communist Party, in person or online.
• Drones need a permit.
• Licences: police checkpoints fine riders without a valid licence or helmet.

Vietnam is safe by world standards, and violent crime against foreigners is rare. The main risks are traffic accidents, phone and bag snatching from passing motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City, rip currents at some beaches, and typhoons and floods in central Vietnam from September to December. Keep your phone away from the kerb, use Grab for set prices, and follow local warnings in storm season.

Emergency numbers: 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance.