Aussie looking to re locate for retirement

@Deanoroger64

Hello, you are correct that there is no retirement visa available in Vietnam. I usually come to Vietnam for 5 - 6 months every year and take one trip out to get a new visa. I make a holiday out of it and go to Malaysia or Thailand for ten days or so, but I know there are a lot of people who just do a visa run for a day or two. How often you can do this without being stopped is impossible to say.

Nha Trang is OK as a beach destination, but to be honest I wouldn't want to live there full time, I think it would be rather boring. For retirement near a beach, I would choose Thailand.

G'day all
As the title suggests, I'm looking at the possibility of retirement in Vietnam in 4 years and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I understand there is no retirement visa as such and I don't intend to work. There seems to be mixed messages regarding doing a visa run every 3 months. I was particularly interested in Nha Trang as my final destination.
Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

I worked in TP HCM from 2015 - 2017. I came back several times between 2022 and 2025 on tourist visas and moved here in April 2025.

I live in the most expensive city in Vietnam (maybe Hanoi runs a tie or close second?). I'm here because I want to be here. And I want to be here because the communities I want to be a part of are well-represented here.

None of the communities I "hang" with are clustered around a social life the center of which is the pub/bar scene where alcohol consumption is the lubricant for social cohesion and interaction.

What worked for me and continues to work for me is making lists of *what I want* because a list on paper frames the problem(s) and takes it (them) out of the realm of fantasy, wishful thinking, and free-floating bullish*t of which I and my fellow humans are capable.

So, what do you want? I, for one, do not fancy sitting on a beach day after day, week after week, month after month, year upon year. For what?

I live here because I enjoy art, music, theater, libraries, museums, art exhibitions, and conversations about art, culture, politics, societies and how they organize themselves, and how people are raised to understand the world and their place in it. I get that I'm maybe an outlier in these desires, but so what? That's what *I* want.

I also want a committed and intimate relationship with a good, kind, loving, affectionate woman, which I also have. I think that this kind of relationship, while not absolutely necessary to life, is a major contributor to my thriving, not just existing.

So, again, what do you want?

The challenges for expats living anywhere are 1) residency laws and requirements including visas and permits; 2) banking and finance; 3) healthcare (which need for increases with age!); and support for your chosen lifestyle. I have solved these problems to my (current) satisfaction and wouldn't exchange my life here for what I've had in other places I've lived: USA, Puerto Rico, China, India.

G'day all
As the title suggests, I'm looking at the possibility of retirement in Vietnam in 4 years and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I understand there is no retirement visa as such and I don't intend to work. There seems to be mixed messages regarding doing a visa run every 3 months. I was particularly interested in Nha Trang as my final destination.
Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

Hey Dean -

Welcome to the forum. Let us know what specific info/advice you need, and if you have been here before.

Have you looked into living in Vũng Tàu? There are heaps of Aussies there. Of course, you may be interested in avoiding that sort of scene.

As mentioned, some guys like to move around, so that's another option, for example, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Anyway, let us know what you're looking for.

G'day all
As the title suggests, I'm looking at the possibility of retirement in Vietnam in 4 years and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I understand there is no retirement visa as such and I don't intend to work. There seems to be mixed messages regarding doing a visa run every 3 months. I was particularly interested in Nha Trang as my final destination.
Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

🚩🚩

There isn't a CHEAP retirement visa option.

An alternative to the maximum 3-month tourist visa (which cannot be extended or renewed) is to pony up your retirement savings and qualify for 1 of 4 levels of INVESTOR VISA, 3 of which offer the ability to obtain a TEMPORARY RESIDENT CARD (TRC) of varying length:

ĐT1 Visa for 10 year TRC

Minimum ₫100 billion VNĐ investment

ĐT2 Visa for 5 year TRC

Investment between ₫50 billion to under ₫100 billion VNĐ

ĐT3 Visa for 3 year TRC

Investment between ₫3 billion VNĐ to under ₫50 billion VNĐ

ĐT4 1 year business visa (no TRC)

Investment between ₫600 million VNĐ to under ₫3 billion VNĐ

Good luck with your plans.

If you are hoping to do uncomplicated and inexpensive Visa runs, Nha Trang is NOT your best option.

Most people who are living there on 3 months tourist visas travel north to Đà Nẵng and take a local Visa agent bus service to the Laos border OR they fly/train to HCMC and make the trip to the Cambodia border.

There is a border crossing west of Nha Trang at Le Thanh, but it's a 7 to 8 hour road trip each way. Too much for the small 50cc scooters and e-bikes favored by many foreigners, so you'll either need to hire a private car or see if a local bus service can take you both ways.

A better solution might be to take a non-stop flight to Thailand every 90 days, keeping in mind that you will need to stay there long enough to have your visa approved for return (Since you can't apply from within Vietnam) or to arrange for pre-approval with a Visa agent who will submit your application the moment you messaged them that you have left the country and have received your exit stamp in your visa.

ALSO, Don't say that you "Don't intend to work" as if you could change your mind once you got here.

You absolutely cannot work to generate income within Vietnam on a tourist visa.

Period.

@OceanBeach92107

Thanks mate, that pretty much aligns with what I've been told so far

@OceanBeach92107

Sorry one other question, if you park 600 million vnd in a Vietnamese bank they will give you a 1 year visa? Does there have to be any semblance of a business there? Cheers Dean

@jayrozzetti23

Thanks Jay. I'm looking for a relatively easy life. Visa runs every 3 months don't bother me too much but what is immigrations thoughts on this? It seems plenty of people do it. Also want to be near the beach and near major airport so my kids can visit from Oz. Cheers Dean

@OceanBeach92107
Thanks mate, that pretty much aligns with what I've been told so far - @Deanoroger64

"Pretty much"?

In what ways does that information not align with what you've been told so far?

Now's your chance to get specific about any conflicting information AND whether or not you believe further clarification is necessary.

Cheers!

@OceanBeach92107
Thanks mate, that pretty much aligns with what I've been told so far  - @Deanoroger64
"Pretty much"?

In what ways does that information not align with what you've been told so far?

Now's your chance to get specific about any conflicting information AND whether or not you believe further clarification is necessary.

Cheers! - @OceanBeach92107

He's agreeing with you!

...Visa runs every 3 months don't bother me too much but what is immigrations thoughts on this? It seems plenty of people do it...Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

Two things are absolutely beyond your control to guarantee ahead of time:

1. Immigration can change visa regulations at the drop of a hat, so to speak.

2. Border guards and immigration officers at airports have the absolute authority to deny you entry without justification.

As far as what they think or feel about "losers back home" milking the tourist visa system to pretend that Vietnam is where the foreigner "lives", anecdotal feedback indicates that they believe such people are fooling themselves and risking a lot for a little.

They believe it's likely that the average foreigner in that situation is breaking one or more laws in Vietnam.

Smuggling, illegal currency transactions, illicit drug use, unauthorized operation of motor vehicles are just a few of the things that Immigration officials assume you've done when they encounter you face to face.

So it's important to remember that there's never a guarantee you'll be able to return to Vietnam when you go on a Visa border run.

We've all read horror stories about people who couldn't get back into Vietnam and didn't have the ability to reclaim valuables they'd left behind.

Don't dress or act like in indigent/impoverished or intoxicated miscreant and you will draw less attention to yourself.

Don't be the person who's personal integrity demands that they avoid giving a $3 or $4 dollar tip to the person deciding whether or not to approve your entry back into the country.

Find a good Visa agent who is well known for being trustworthy and very efficient and you will save yourself a lot of heartburn by letting them process your Visa every time you plan to exit and return.

Also be prepared for emergencies.

If you plan to live hand to mouth in this country, you are setting yourself up for a messy situation should you end up in the hospital or in jail.

I personally recommend that people have at least $10,000 USD in credit available on international cards such as visa and MasterCard.

If you do that you won't have to worry about health insurance.

Also a good idea to plan to have at least $1,000 USD/₫26,000,000 VNĐ in cash for backup, in addition to your monthly budgeted funds.

In the end you won't be able to change the way that the average immigration official feels about you or thinks about you, but you can be careful to avoid giving them any reason to hassle you.

@OceanBeach92107 Thanks mate, that pretty much aligns with what I've been told so far - @Deanoroger64"Pretty much"? In what ways does that information not align with what you've been told so far? Now's your chance to get specific about any conflicting information AND whether or not you believe further clarification is necessary. Cheers! - @OceanBeach92107He's agreeing with you! - @SimCityAT

As much as I very highly respect you personally, you've obviously not had many conversations with people starting the investigatory process for living in Vietnam on 90 day tourist visas.

In general, these folks are not interested in hearing what they need to hear.

They are searching for someone to tell them what they want to hear.

Based on my experience in this forum as well as in myriad Facebook groups for expats in Vietnam, I would almost guarantee that this fine fellow will be continuing to ask virtually the same question in some other forum next week.

It's just what they do.

They keep asking the same questions until they hear what they want to hear.

So when they give equivocal responses, it's a pretty good bet that they aren't done asking their questions.

@jayrozzetti23
Thanks Jay. I'm looking for a relatively easy life. Visa runs every 3 months don't bother me too much but what is immigrations thoughts on this? It seems plenty of people do it. ....Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

Well, I certainly can't speak for the immigration department. It does seem like the government is still promoting international tourism though in spite of some recent tourist-related incidents.

Personally, I've never heard of anyone having trouble, nor have I had any myself, but as Ocean Beach mentioned, there are no 100% guarantees and most everyone "arrange(s) for pre-approval with a visa agent who will submit your application the moment you messaged them that you have left the country and have received your exit stamp in your [passport]." Using a well-known visa agent to assist with your visa run seems to facilitate the process quite well.

So, you can do that and go on your own by arranging the transportation. From Nha Trang, you can apparently fly out of Cam Ranh International Airport to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. I used to fly to southern Laos and stay there a couple of weeks, which makes for a nice break if you're looking for some place that's VERY laid-back, but those flights originate from Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in HCMC.

No one has mentioned getting a TRC through marriage yet. That might be slightly less expensive than investing billions of vnd. Then again, maybe not?

@OceanBeach92107
Sorry one other question, if you park 600 million vnd in a Vietnamese bank they will give you a 1 year visa? Does there have to be any semblance of a business there? Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

Good question.

It's a bit more complicated than making a bank deposit.

You will need to legally establish a physical business here in Vietnam, with a physical address (aka "brick & mortar storefront").

It's common to pay an attorney a total of between $1,500 USD ~ $2,500 USD for services and government fees.

Also, it's mandatory to hire a Vietnamese accounting service for tax purposes.

After you get established the first year it will be much easier to renew your 1 year business visa after that.

Your ₫600 million VNĐ capital contribution to the business remains yours, but I recommend contacting a Vietnamese lawyer to find out specific CURRENT rules about the ongoing use of those funds once they are deposited (it's similar to an escrow account, as I understand it).

This used to be a very simple process and you didn't actually need to have a business.

In the old days, a lawyer would secure a 10-day loan for you until your business visa was secured and you would pay the interest on the 10-day loan and your lawyer's fee.

That was totally illegal but everybody was doing it.

That's no longer allowed and the government has gotten very strict about following up on your business while you are covered by a business Visa.

So you are going to hear some people on social media telling you that you just need to pay a couple thousand dollars and you'll get your visa without actually setting up a business.

That's absolutely false.

But the good news is that if you do it all properly and legally, if you decide to move along in the future, you will be able to withdraw the remaining portion of your Capital contribution from the bank.

It doesn't become the property of the government.

Thanks guys, still 4 years off but looks like visa runs for me. As an aside, I've also changed my destination focus to Vung Tau if anyone has any Intel on that? Cheers Dean

@Deanoroger64

I rather like Vung Tau, I have spent several weeks there, but it is very 'vietnamese'. Unless you have a vietnamese partner or good friend you might struggle a bit. Also, the last time I was there they were doing an awful lot of development along the seafront. As I said before, if I wanted to retire near a beach and have an easy life, I would choose Thailand, perhaps Hua Hin.

@Deanoroger64 I rather like Vung Tau, I have spent several weeks there, but it is very 'vietnamese'. Unless you have a vietnamese partner or good friend you might struggle a bit. Also, the last time I was there they were doing an awful lot of development along the seafront. As I said before, if I wanted to retire near a beach and have an easy life, I would choose Thailand, perhaps Hua Hin. - @Malcolmleitrim

Great 'vietnamese' point, Malcom.

However, I'm pretty sure that most long-term foreigner residents are retired Aussies; at least that's the way it was when my wife and I moved away from Vũng Tàu in Summer 2022.

Not a few of them were loners holding up barstools, but there was a significant group involved in local charitable projects benefitting impoverished Vietnamese communities.

Three regular activities were, adopting families for renovation of dilapidated housing, providing bicycles for children having none and seasonal parties for orphans and other children, especially at Christmas.

The local meeting place was Belly's Watering Hole pub & restaurant, but I'm not sure if that's still the hub of the community, as I've heard that the ownership "changed".

Dean, my Vietnamese wife and I would likely still be living in Vũng Tàu if we weren't living here in Đà Nẵng while my bonus daughters finish up university studies.

Simply being at the coast makes it more desirable to us than Sài Gòn/HCMC.

You'll still experience a monsoon season there, but it's primarily a warm, summer monsoon there in the South; not at all like the miserable colder winter monsoon in the greater Đà Nẵng/Central Highlands region.

Shopping is good for foreigners there: Lotte Mart, Mega Market, Q-Mart & Linh Phương Market carry a lot of items preferred by expats, especially Aussies.

The closest IN COUNTRY border run there is at Mộc Bài crossing into Cambodia; taking the better part of 4 hours to make the one way trip.

Of course, the airport is much closer if you are choosing to fly out for myriad other options (Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Thailand, Bangkok, Laos...even Manila).

I usually suggest that anyone with sufficient funds consider taking a "vacation" every 3 months, instead of feeling forced to exit the country to fulfill a legal mandate.

@jayrozzetti23 is absolutely correct that arranging your new visa through an agent BEFORE you leave the country will make the whole process much less painful, with the probability of being able to re-enter Việt Nam within 2 to 4 hours after exiting.

Malcolm is right about construction at the beaches, and weekend crowds coming from HCMC can be horrendous, but if you follow the lead of Vietnamese locals, you'll hit the beaches somewhere between 4 and 5 AM, enjoy the special morning vibe and the sunrise and early morning life in the city, before the heat of the day chases you inside, OR...you can be like many other expats who drink cheap beer until well past midnight and then sleep until 10 AM or later and wonder why Vietnam is so miserable until the sun goes down.

Cheers!

O.B.

PS: I used to choose at least one overnight in Sài Gòn on my way to Mộc Bài.

HCMC is a great place to visit at least once every 3 months, although I hated living there long term.

You can get up early the next morning and get your Border Run done in 4 or 5 hours, then return to Vũng Tàu that afternoon or after one more night in the big city.

By “very Vietnamese,” Malcolm means that very few (almost zero) international tourists visit Vung Tau and it is primarily a destination for locals, with out-of-town visitors mostly heading toward Back Beach (the sea) and locals heading toward Front Beach (the cove/bay/estuary) for their late afternoon swim. As you can see from the map OceanBeach posted, it’s kind of at the end of the world. So, international tourists wanna go elsewhere. That makes the place kind of boring.

I spent about 6 months back in Vung Tau last year, after a couple years in Kampot/Kep, Cambodia, (where they actually have an easy 6-month or one-year retirement visa for those over 55) and felt it has declined somewhat compared to when I lived there 2015–2022, especially in terms of the western and India food that’s available. As mentioned by OceanBeach, Belly’s is in different hands now. Belly, yes he’s a real person, is no longer officially associated with it although he’s still around, and Linh resigned as manager long ago. In addition, the Italian owner of David Pizza passed away; his wife and daughter are running the place now. Other places were suffering from shrinkflation (smaller portions) and missing/cheaper ingredients.

OceanBeach is also right about spending a night or two in Sài Gòn on the way to Mộc Bài to do a visa run from Vũng Tàu. Some guys told me about taking a car or van from VT all the way to the Mộc Bài border that left at 3 am and got back to VT at around 4 in the afternoon. I laughed about that! Letting you visa agent take care of the visas but arranging your own transportation is the best way to go.

The best thing about Vũng Tàu is there are mountains there as well as sea and a road that runs along most of both sides of the peninsula/island. You can drive out of town and connect with nature with a spectacular seaview in a just a few minutes.

The worst thing is that it becomes repetitive since it just a small town surrounded by the sea and there are only so many places you can go.

Thanks very much Jay and Ocean, much appreciated. Still a long way off but I think I'll do a month of Airbnb prior to committing to anywhere. I'll be heading back to Western Australia at least 3 times a year to see my kids so that will work out well for visa runs, plus at least one trip to Thailand or wherever. Once again, thanks very much for the advice. Cheers Dean

Re - @jayrozzetti23

Dean,

JR and I are both choosing to be kind when it comes to describing our experiences with the local expat community there.

We were fortunate to become friends while I was living there, so we each knew at least one person to have an intelligent conversation with from time to time.

But if (like many foreigners) you find yourself living somewhere along the infamous Phan Chu Trinh expat corridor...

...You'll likely find that far too many of your neighbors are folks best avoided.

So there's a decision to be made:

Do you want to limit yourself to the essential foreigner's ghetto, because life is a bit easier there (with more English signage and English speaking staff in places that cater to foreigners) or are you willing to venture out from that area and discover an alternative area where not as much English is spoken and you are mostly surrounded by locals, with Vietnamese restaurants and cafes and shops.

One of our old timers no longer active in the forum (Colin/Steve) eventually moved a bit north, off of the "island" to the area of Bà Rịa, with his Vietnamese wife.

He's much, much happier there.

Which brings us back to an idea JR mentioned:

Will you plan to stay single as you 'retire' here or will you be hoping to develop a long-term relationship with a local Vietnamese woman?

Because your answer to THAT one question will make a HUGE difference as to how well you will assimilate in any Vietnamese town.

...I think I'll do a month of Airbnb prior to committing to anywhere. Cheers Dean - @Deanoroger64

I (personally) recommend avoiding Airbnb in Vietnam unless you are physically here and can view the property before renting.

Also, many Airbnb landlords violate the law by failing to properly register foreigner guests with the local police (a mandatory requirement) putting YOU the foreigner in danger of getting in trouble with The Law.

Better to use a major booking site to reserve a place for 3 or more days on arrival, and then find an acceptable place when you can check it out in person.

@OceanBeach92107

Again great advice, thanks. To be completely honest I'm not planning anything, I will be single when I get there and not averse to meeting a nice Vietnamese woman, that said I'm not going to be or act desperate

@Deanoroger64

After 183 days out of Oz the ato will deem you have sold everything and smack CGT on it all except your super( a non tradable asset) your tax on interest will start from $1 no free threshold.  Medicare levy will go " big deal " check the ato website site !!!!!!!!!!!!

@OceanBeach92107

Im booked for airbnb this time but no more,, bookings become NON REFUNDABLE as soon as they get ur money.

@Deanoroger64

Don't let your little head control you..DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON.