Six months in, life in Vietnam costs me half of what I budgeted. The move itself cost three times more. No expat blog tells you the truth about the hidden expenses of your first quarter: cash dollar deposits, grey-market remittances, document apostilles, local accountant fees. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of moving to Vietnam — visas, budget, banking, housing, taxes — with real numbers and no rose-tinted glasses.

Aerial view of Da Nang coastline — the first thing every new expat sees

Visa first — everything else follows

Your visa drives everything: timing, budget, your ability to open a bank account. Three working scenarios for 2026:

  • E-visa, 90 days. $25 single-entry or $50 multi-entry through evisa.gov.vn. Ready in 3-5 business days. You can’t extend it from inside Vietnam — you have to fly to Cambodia or Laos and come back on a new one. This is the format for testing the country before you commit.
  • DN visa, 1-3 years. Requires an invitation from a Vietnamese company. Through an agency it runs $150-400. It gives you the right to apply for a TRC (Temporary Residence Card) and forget about visa runs.
  • Work Permit + TRC. The fully legal path if you’re hired by a local company. The employer handles the paperwork; you do a medical exam in Da Nang or Hanoi and submit fingerprints. Timeline: 30-45 days.

I started on an e-visa, switched to a DN visa three months in through a contact at an IT company, and now I get it: it’s better to find a real employer from day one and go straight for the Work Permit. Grey DN visas have a habit of falling apart during inspections.

Passport and documents on a desk — the first thing to sort out

What to handle at home before you fly

Documents prepared at home cost half as much and take half as long as their Vietnamese equivalents. My working list:

  • Apostille on your birth certificate and on your diploma (if you’re aiming for a Work Permit). In most countries this takes 2-4 weeks.
  • Notarized translation of your passport into English. Vietnamese clerks ask for it now and then.
  • Medical paperwork — vaccination record and translated prescriptions for any chronic medications. Local pharmacies won’t fill a foreign prescription.
  • Pet documents: rabies shot and ICAR chip 30 days out, international vet certificate 7-10 days before flight, English translation. A cat under 8 kg flies in the cabin; a larger dog goes in the hold. The official 7-day airport quarantine is often skipped if your paperwork is clean.
Packed suitcase on the floor before moving to Vietnam

Flights, logistics, and money

Direct flights to Hanoi from Europe and the US run $700-1500 one-way. With one stop you save a lot: Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Emirates via Dubai, China-based carriers via Beijing or Guangzhou. I flew Turkish for $480 with one stop and 30 kg of luggage.

Money is its own survival school. Many foreign cards work fine, but if you’re coming from a country with banking restrictions (e.g. Russia), Visa/Mastercard from your home bank may not work in Vietnam. Workable backup options:

  • A UnionPay card opened in a third country — withdraws cash at Vietcombank and BIDV.
  • Cards from Kazakh (Freedom, Kaspi), Armenian, or Georgian banks, opened remotely or during a single visit.
  • A Wise account funded in EUR/USD, then pulled out via Revolut or a friendly foreign account.

Bring physical USD or EUR through customs — anything over $5,000 needs to be declared. For your first 3-6 months, keep a real cash cushion: SWIFT lags during your first month, and rent and deposits are paid in cash USD only.

Empty airport terminal at dawn — the familiar feeling before every visa run

The first two weeks: SIM, apartment, bank

The pace of your first four days sets the tone for everything after. The fixed order:

  1. SIM card on arrival day. Viettel has the most stable coverage, $3-5/month for unlimited 4G. Buy it with your passport at any shop with the green logo.
  2. Airbnb for week one. Don’t sign a yearly lease right away. Spend 2-3 weeks in temporary housing while you hunt for long-term through Facebook groups like “Da Nang Expats” or “Ho Chi Minh City Expats”. A studio runs $250-400, a one-bedroom $450-700 in Da Nang. Two months’ deposit plus first month upfront — paid in cash USD or VND.
  3. Bank account in week two or three. Vietcombank and BIDV often refuse customers without a Work Permit. Techcombank, VPBank, and MBBank are friendlier — bring your passport, DN visa or TRC, and rental contract in your name. It took me three visits across two branches before I got a manager willing to do the paperwork.

Real cost of living in Da Nang

A single expat does fine on $900-1300/month. A family with one child needs $1800-2500 depending on the school. Numbers from my expense tracker:

  • One-bedroom 60 m², walking distance from the ocean: $420
  • Utilities (electricity, water, 100 Mbps internet): $55
  • Groceries — Han Market and Lotte Mart: $250
  • Street cafes 3-4 times a week: $120
  • Motorbike fuel plus occasional taxi: $35
  • Gym, yoga, cafe-as-coworking: $80
  • Visa run reserve (quarterly): ~$60/month averaged out

International school starts at $4,500/year for basic programs and easily passes $20,000 for IB programs in Da Nang and Hanoi. That’s the one big variable in any family budget.

Evening street in Vietnam with motorbikes — where most of life happens

You become a Vietnamese tax resident after 183 days in the country over 12 months. Residents pay progressive PIT from 5% to 35%. Non-residents pay a flat 20% on all income from Vietnamese sources.

Classic rookie mistake: living on a DN visa, taking money from foreign clients, and never registering with the tax office. When you apply for a TRC, officers cross-check immigration and tax data — and slap you with back taxes. A local accountant charges $100-200 per quarter and closes that risk completely.

Street food market in Vietnam — where actual expat daily life happens

What’s actually the hardest part

Two years in, the toughest part wasn’t the paperwork or the money. The heavy lift is rebuilding your social circle: telling apart who’s here for six months from who’s here for the long haul, building habits that survive rainy season and Tet. Give yourself nine months before you decide whether Vietnam is “home.” Anyone saying “I love it!” after three weeks is either too in love to think straight or already shopping for a return ticket.

Sunset over the sea with palm trees — the feeling that started this whole thing

Planning your move? Three direct channels: