Vietnam for Americans: visa, cost of living and safety

Getting in on a US passport

Americans need an e-visa before flying: up to 90 days, $25 single-entry or $50 multiple-entry, usually processed in 3-5 working days, and it cannot be extended inside Vietnam. The only visa-free option is 30 days on Phu Quoc island. Since 15 April 2026, foreigners landing at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City must also fill in the online Digital Arrival Card at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (a pilot at that airport only for now).

Staying longer

Vietnam has no retirement or digital nomad visa. Long-term routes are a work permit with a temporary residence card (1-2 years), an investor (DT) visa and residence card, or a TT family visa (up to 3 years) if you marry a Vietnamese citizen; otherwise people leave and apply for a new 90-day e-visa.

What a month costs

Lean: about $800 a month. Comfortable: about $1,080 a month. One person, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City. Numbeo (updated 28 Sep 2026): single-person costs $493 excl. rent + 1-bed outside centre $302 (low) or city centre $586 (comfortable).

Where to base yourself

Ho Chi Minh City

Biggest job market and expat base, the only city with a nonstop US flight (from San Francisco), and a 1-bed outside the centre is about $300 on Numbeo.

Da Nang

Beach city with its own international airport, smaller and easier to get around than the big two; a 1-bed outside the centre is about $340 on Numbeo.

Hanoi

The capital, with the US Embassy, good food at low prices and the best English scores of any Vietnamese city on EF's English index.

Heads up

Your e-visa can't be extended in-country, so plan your exit date before you land; overstaying brings fines and exit delays. All drugs including marijuana are illegal, and a positive drug test can mean arrest and prison even if you used it somewhere legal.

Emergency numbers

Police: 113
Ambulance: 115
Tourist police: None nationally; call 113 (answered in Vietnamese)
Anti-trafficking: 111 (national anti-trafficking and child protection hotline, free, 24/7) / 113 police
US Embassy: +84 24 3850 5000

Level 1 – Exercise normal precautions (issued 24 June 2026).

Practical

Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND)
Plugs: A, B, C, F
Nonstop flight from the US: Yes
Typical door-to-door from LAX: about 18 hours

18+ only. If you see anyone who looks underage, or anyone being forced to work, call the anti-trafficking number above or the police. Rules change: check the embassy and immigration sites before you book.