Vietnam is a lower-middle-income economy that continues to attract foreign professionals in fields such as construction, technology, science, education, tourism, and languages. You’ll find opportunities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and nearby provinces, where employers may hire foreign workers for roles that require specialized qualifications and experience.
Working in Vietnam is also an opportunity to travel and experience a unique culture. Vietnam currently has nine UNESCO World Heritage properties and 17 UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage elements, giving it a rich cultural heritage that visitors and residents can experience across the country.
Foreign nationals who plan to work in Vietnam generally need the appropriate immigration status, such as an LD1 or LD2 work visa, together with either a work permit or proof that they are exempt from the work permit requirement. Short-term work may qualify for an exemption in certain cases, but longer-term work should be arranged with a Vietnam-based employer or sponsor before you begin working.
So, if you’re set on building a career in Vietnam soon, you can start reviewing the requirements to get a Vietnamese work visa.
Steps to Apply for a Vietnamese Work Visa
When applying for a Vietnamese work visa, start preparing your documents early, especially if foreign-issued documents need consular legalization, notarization, or certified Vietnamese translation. Under current rules, the employer generally submits the work permit or work permit exemption application between 10 and 60 days before your expected start date. You must also have an employer or inviting entity in Vietnam that will sponsor the application.
You can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Obtain a Pre-Approval Letter
Foreign labor is regulated in Vietnam. Under the current Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, the employer’s explanation of the need to employ a foreign worker is generally included in the work permit application instead of being handled as a separate pre-approval letter in the same way as under older procedures.
Vietnamese law allows employers to recruit foreign workers for manager, executive, expert, or technical worker positions when Vietnamese workers cannot meet the job requirements. The competent authority is the provincial-level People’s Committee or an agency delegated by it.
If the request is accepted, the competent authority will approve the demand for foreign labor and issue the work permit or work permit exemption certificate, depending on your case.
Step 2. Prepare and Submit Your Documents
With guidance from your employer, prepare the required documents depending on whether you need an LD1 visa, which is for foreign workers who are exempt from a work permit, or an LD2 visa, which is for foreign workers who must obtain a work permit.
For a work permit, the employer’s dossier generally includes the official application explaining the need to employ a foreign worker, a health certificate, a valid passport, a criminal record certificate or equivalent document, passport-size photos, documents proving the form of employment, and documents proving that you qualify as a manager, executive, expert, or technical worker. For a work permit exemption certificate, the dossier is different and focuses on proving that you fall under an exemption category.
Documents issued by foreign authorities generally need to be consularly legalized unless an exemption applies. They must also be translated into Vietnamese and certified according to Vietnamese law.
Your employer will submit or coordinate the submission of the dossier through the local Public Administration Service Center or the National Public Service Portal, depending on the procedure and local implementation.
Work permit fees vary by locality, so your employer should confirm the exact fee with the local authority. As a government example, the fee has been listed as VND 400,000 in Hanoi and VND 600,000 in Ho Chi Minh City, with the highest local fee listed as VND 1,000,000. These fees are normally handled by the employer, and USD conversions should not be treated as fixed because exchange rates change.
Step 3. Wait for the Result
For a work permit, the competent agency considers the employer’s demand for foreign labor and the work permit application within 10 working days after receiving a complete dossier. If the application is rejected, the authority must issue a written reply and state the reason. A work permit exemption certificate is generally processed within five working days after a complete dossier is received.
If your application is successful, your employer will inform you of the result and continue the immigration sponsorship steps for the LD1 or LD2 visa, as applicable. Do not assume that every applicant can pick up the visa on arrival; where and how you receive the visa depends on the sponsorship route and the instruction from the Vietnamese immigration authority or overseas visa-issuing authority.
LD1 and LD2 visas are valid for up to two years. A work permit or work permit exemption certificate is also generally valid for up to two years, depending on the underlying contract, assignment, license, or agreement. Work permits and work permit exemption certificates may be extended once for up to two more years, and extension applications must generally be submitted between 10 and 45 days before expiry.
Step 4. Apply for a Temporary Residence Card
Once you enter Vietnam, your temporary residence must be declared through the person directly managing your accommodation. For paper declarations, the accommodation manager must submit the declaration to the local police within 12 hours of your arrival, or within 24 hours in remote areas.
This temporary residence declaration is not the same as a temporary residence card (TRC). If you are eligible for a TRC, your inviting employer or sponsor submits the application to the immigration authority. A TRC application generally includes an application form from the inviting entity, a declaration with a photo, your passport, and documents proving eligibility. The immigration authority generally considers a complete TRC application within five working days.
A TRC has the same validity as a visa and allows you to enter and exit Vietnam while it remains valid. For LD1 and LD2 categories, the temporary residence card is valid for no more than two years and must be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of your passport.
If you want to reside in Vietnam permanently, there are strict categories for permanent residence. These include foreigners who have contributed to Vietnam’s development and protection and have been awarded medals or titles by the Vietnamese Government, scientists or experts temporarily residing in Vietnam, foreigners sponsored by a parent, spouse, or child who is a Vietnamese citizen permanently residing in Vietnam, and stateless persons who have temporarily resided in Vietnam since 2000 or earlier. Applicants must generally have a lawful residence place and steady income in Vietnam.
Documents Needed for a Vietnamese Work Visa
A Vietnamese work visa is commonly issued under the LD1 or LD2 category. An LD1 visa is issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who have certification that they are exempt from a work permit, unless an international agreement provides otherwise. An LD2 visa is issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who are required to obtain a work permit.
LD1 scenarios include:
- Owners or capital-contributing members of limited liability companies with a contributed capital value of VND 3 billion or more
- Chairpersons or members of the Boards of Directors of joint-stock companies with a contributed capital value of VND 3 billion or more
- Chiefs of representative offices, directors of projects, or persons mainly in charge of international organizations or foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam
- Foreign lawyers licensed to practice law in Vietnam
- Foreigners who are married to Vietnamese citizens and are living in Vietnam
- Foreigners entering and staying in Vietnam for less than three months to offer services or handle urgent technical or technological issues that cannot be handled by available experts in Vietnam
- Foreign reporters engaged in press activities as certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Foreign students or trainees with internship agreements or job invitations from employers in Vietnam
- Foreign workers implementing international agreements or treaties involving Vietnam
- Foreign managers, executives, experts, or technical workers who enter Vietnam to work for a total period of less than 90 days in a calendar year
- Intra-corporate transferees who meet the conditions under Vietnam’s rules, including the 12-month prior employment requirement and the applicable service-sector conditions
- Persons certified by competent ministries, ministerial-level agencies, or provincial-level People’s Committees to work in fields such as finance, science, technology, innovation, national digital transformation, or other priority socio-economic development sectors
Other occupations not covered by a work permit exemption generally require a work permit and fall under the LD2 visa category. This commonly includes foreign workers hired as managers, executives, experts, and technical workers.
LD2 eligibility requirements include:
- Foreign workers must generally be at least 18 years old, have full civil act capacity, meet professional or technical qualification and health requirements, and not be serving a sentence, have an unexpunged criminal record, or be under criminal prosecution
- Managers must qualify as enterprise managers under Vietnamese law or as heads or deputy heads of agencies or organizations
- Executives include heads of branches, representative offices, or business locations, or heads directly administering an operational field with at least three years of relevant experience
- Experts generally need a university degree or equivalent qualification and at least two years of relevant experience; for certain priority fields, a relevant degree and at least one year of relevant experience may qualify
- Technical workers generally need at least one year of training and at least two years of relevant experience, or at least three years of relevant experience
In addition to the criteria above, here are the basic documentary requirements for LD work visa and work permit procedures:
- Employer’s application or sponsorship form, depending on the procedure
- Valid passport
- Passport-size photos, usually two color photos sized 4 cm x 6 cm with a white background
- Health certificate issued within the permitted time limit
- Criminal record certificate or equivalent document, when required
- Documents proving the form of employment or assignment
- Documents proving eligibility as a manager, executive, expert, or technical worker, such as degrees, appointment documents, certificates, or employer confirmations of relevant experience
- Documents proving work permit exemption, if applying under LD1
- Work permit, if applying under LD2
- Employer or sponsor documents needed for immigration sponsorship, such as establishment or operation documents and signature or seal registration documents, when required by the immigration authority
- Certified Vietnamese translations and consular legalization for foreign-issued documents, unless an exemption applies
In other words, the most important document for a Vietnamese work visa is usually either a work permit or proof that you are exempt from the work permit requirement.
If your occupation or work situation falls under LD1, you need to prepare the basic documents and proof that you qualify for a work permit exemption. If your work falls under LD2, you need to prepare the applicable documents for a work permit and then use the issued work permit for the LD2 visa process.
We hope that this article on getting a Vietnamese work visa was helpful! If you’re interested in studying abroad, make sure to check out the Available Programs for International Students!
