Doing Business in Vietnam as a Foreigner

Yes, you can convert your foreign driving license to a Vietnamese one, whether you have a Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, or US driver’s license. The process is straightforward as long as you meet these key requirements:

1. ● You’re a foreigner living in Vietnam with a valid residence card or work permit, staying for at least 3 months
2. ● You’re a Vietnamese national with a valid foreign driving license from your time abroad

The conversion process is available both in person and online. You’ll need to prepare some specific documents before applying.

Your main Vietnam visa options include:
Visa exemption lets you visit visa-free for a maximum of 45 days if you’re from an eligible country. Visa on arrival is your quick-and-easy solution – apply online, get your approval letter, and collect your visa at the airport. Simple!
For the long haul, consider:

1. ● 1-year visa: Ideal for working professionals
   and extended stays
2. ● 5-year visa: Perfect if you’re investing or
   bringing expertise to Vietnam

Want more time? Visa extensions let you prolong your stay. Just start the process a couple of weeks before expiry to stay on the safe side.

To work legally in Vietnam, your main options are the Vietnam work visa (DN visa), which your employer helps arrange, or the investment visa if you’re starting a business here. Coming to explore opportunities first? Grab a business visa for your initial visits.

Vietnam welcomes foreign investment through a well-structured regulatory framework governed by the Investment Law in Vietnam. As a foreign investor, your first step will be obtaining an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC), a crucial document that legitimizes your business operations in the country.
Your IRC serves as your company’s investment passport, detailing your business scope, capital structure, and operational parameters. You can verify any company’s investment status through the IRC lookup system using either the company name or registration number
As your business evolves, you may need to make changes to your Investment Registration Certificate – whether that’s adjusting capital structure or expanding operations.

An Apostille verifies the validity of seals and signatures on public documents. This type of legal certification is used in place of consular authentication within countries and regions that are members of the Hague Convention, also known as the Apostille Convention. At the moment, Vietnam does not participate in this convention. Therefore, Apostille cannot be used in Vietnam. To use your foreign documents in Vietnam, you will need to get consular authentication.