The four numbers
0. The number of retirement visas Vietnam offers. There’s no age test, no pension test and no savings deposit that buys a retiree a long stay.
90 days. The longest an e-visa lasts. It costs $25 for one entry or $50 for several, according to the US Embassy in Vietnam.
$7,039. What the average US retirement check of $2,086 buys in Vietnam at 2024 World Bank price levels. That’s a multiplier of 3.37, one of the highest anywhere.
About 26,000 dong to the dollar. The State Bank of Vietnam set its central rate at 25,646 dong on 14 October 2026, and banks trade within 5% of it. Vietcombank sold dollars at 26,100 that day. Every conversion on this page uses 26,000.
Cheapest to live in. Hardest to stay.
Vietnam visa options for Americans
Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia each have a retiree visa with a money test. Vietnam doesn’t. Here’s what an American can actually use, as of October 2026:
| Route | Who it’s for | Length | Cost | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-visa, single entry | Anyone | Up to 90 days | $25 (650,000 dong) | You leave when it ends |
| E-visa, multiple entry | Anyone | Up to 90 days | $50 (1.3 million dong) | Same 90-day limit |
| Visa exemption certificate | Spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese; people of Vietnamese origin | Up to 5 years | Paid to the embassy | Needs proof of the family tie |
| Work visa | Employees | Set by the work permit | Through the employer | Needs a sponsor |
The e-visa is applied for online through the Immigration Department’s portal, not through the embassy. It works at 42 border gates, including every international airport. Your passport has to be valid for at least six months past your planned departure, per the Vietnamese embassy in Washington.
Extensions, renewals and overstays aren’t handled online. The US Embassy says foreigners have to appear in person at the immigration office where they live. It also says the embassy can’t sponsor visas or write letters supporting extensions.
The family route is the real long-stay option. If you’re married to a Vietnamese citizen or you were born Vietnamese, the embassy’s visa exemption certificate lasts up to five years. Everyone else is on 90 days at a time.
One more rule people miss: everyone staying overnight in Vietnam, Vietnamese citizens included, has to register their temporary residence with the local police. Ask your hotel or landlord how it’s done where you stay.
Cost of living in Vietnam for Americans
Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for a single person, converted at 26,000 dong to the dollar:
| City | 1-bed, city center | Monthly costs without rent | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City | 15,215,443 dong ($585) | 12,749,752 dong ($490) | about $1,075 |
| Da Nang | 13,628,388 dong ($524) | 11,611,254 dong ($447) | about $970 |
Outside the center, a one-bedroom averaged 7,732,781 dong ($297) in Ho Chi Minh City and 8,962,999 dong ($345) in Da Nang. That puts a modest single life in Ho Chi Minh City under $800 a month.
Compare that with the check. The average US retirement benefit was $2,086 in July 2026. In Vietnam it covers the city-center total twice, with room to spare.
So money isn’t what stops people. In December 2025 the SSA paid 618 retired workers in Vietnam. Thailand had 7,680.
Healthcare in Vietnam
Medicare won’t follow you. In its 2026 booklet for people living abroad, Medicare says it generally doesn’t cover care outside the US.
People living in Vietnam paid $270 a year out of pocket for health care in 2023, measured in purchasing-power dollars, according to the World Bank. That was 39.2% of all health spending. Compare it with $1,472 for Americans, or 10.9%. Vietnam’s bills are small, but more of each one lands on the patient.
On an e-visa, plan on private international insurance and pay it yourself. Price it at your age before you book anything. A 90-day visa gives you no local plan to fall back on.
Taxes for Americans in Vietnam
There’s no income tax treaty in force between the US and Vietnam. Vietnam doesn’t appear on the IRS list of treaty countries, so no clause decides who taxes your Social Security.
The tax law itself just changed. Law 109/2025 took effect on 1 July 2026, with its rules on wages applying to the whole 2026 tax year. Per the Official Gazette’s English summary:
- You’re a tax resident after 183 days in Vietnam in a calendar year, or in 12 months from the day you arrive. A registered residence or a fixed-term lease can also make you one.
- Residents pay five bands, from 5% on the first 10 million dong ($385) of monthly taxable income up to 35% above 100 million dong ($3,850).
- A resident’s personal deduction is 15.5 million dong ($596) a month.
The law exempts pensions paid by Vietnam’s own social insurance fund and its supplementary pension funds. It doesn’t say the same about a US Social Security check, and that’s the question to put to a Vietnamese tax adviser before you pass 183 days.
You still file with the IRS. Every year.
Is Vietnam safe for Americans?
The State Department rates Vietnam Level 1, exercise normal precautions, as of October 2026. That’s the lowest of its four levels.
Social Security can be paid straight into a Vietnamese bank: Vietnam is on the SSA’s international direct deposit list.
The catch
No retirement visa. None. You can’t buy your way into a long stay with a pension or a deposit.
Life in 90-day pieces. Unless you marry in, work or have Vietnamese roots, you’re always one visa from leaving.
Paperwork is in person. Extensions and overstays mean a trip to the immigration office, and the US Embassy can’t help.
No treaty. Your Social Security and IRA have no treaty clause behind them once you’re a resident.
Who Vietnam works for
- Americans married to a Vietnamese citizen, or born Vietnamese, who can use the five-year exemption certificate.
- Long-stay visitors who are happy to spend 90 days at a time and fly out between visas.
- People priced out elsewhere, for whom a $1,000 month matters more than permanent status.
Who it doesn’t
- Retirees who want one visa and no renewals. Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines fit better.
- Anyone with a condition that needs steady cover they can’t buy privately at their age.
- People who’d pass 183 days a year without asking how Vietnam taxes their income.
Before you decide
- Check whether the family route applies to you. It’s the only long stay that doesn’t reset every 90 days.
- Get an international health insurance quote at your age, with your history.
- Apply for the e-visa only on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn.
- Ask a Vietnamese tax adviser about your Social Security before your 183rd day.
For a comparison of where $2,000 a month works across 14 countries, see How to Retire Abroad on $2,000 a Month.
