Everything You Need To Know About Vietnam’s Talent Visa
It's free. It's convenient. Except, there's a twist
Does the lantern-lit old-town romance of Hội An call out to you? Do you dream of exploring the world-famous cafe culture in Saigon? Or are you drawn to the bustling nightlife in the capital, Hanoi? Well, there is some good news for you. Vietnam just announced a surprisingly generous three-part golden visa program that lets you stay in the Southeast Asian country for longer durations.
The Talent Visa was announced under a directive from Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính to target a different kind of global mover: the expert, the builder, the researcher, the innovator, the creator. This isn’t a backpacker free-for-all. Nor is it a billionaire-only real-estate loophole. Designed to support the country’s push toward high-income status by 2045, this visa was made for people who can actually help shift an economy, not just buy a penthouse and disappear.
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At the center of this trilogy is the new five-year Talent Visa Exemption Card.
What Exactly Is Vietnam’s Talent Visa?
Unveiled on 15 August 2025, the talent visa is Vietnam’s first official invitation to top-tier global professionals to settle in the country. Once approved, you get a multiple-entry, five-year visa exemption card, valid for stays of up to 90 days per entry. Meanwhile, your passport must stay valid for at least 30 days past the visa’s expiration.
And in a clever twist, the visa exemption is issued as a card, not a passport sticker, making it far more traveler-friendly and long-term-proof.
You might think that something like this would probably cost more than you could dream of affording. Except that here’s the most surprising part: the talent visa requires zero financial investment. Not a dollar. Not a property purchase. Not even proof of remote-work income.
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What matters more than the robustness of your financial standing is your expertise in your profession and how much you can contribute towards it. This initiative is essentially Vietnam saying, If you have skills that turn heads, we have the space to nurture them. As long as you can contribute to the economy, you are welcome.
This might sound like golden visa territory, which it ultimately is, but the talent visa works more like a hybrid between a long-term digital-nomad visa and an elite talent pass, because what you don’t pay for in money, you pay for with exceptional skills.
Who Is Actually Eligible
Although Vietnam has cast a wide net with the eligibility criteria, the bar for admission is quite high. According to the directive, the initiative is meant to attract academics and senior researchers from leading global institutions, top digital technology professionals from around the world, high-level corporate leaders and investors and notable figures in art and culture, as well as international experts endorsed by major Vietnamese universities, research bodies, or large corporations.
That being said, it's unclear if recipients are permitted to apply for jobs in Vietnam, or if selected professionals are limited to remote work.
What Happens After The Five-Year Visa?
The talent visa is only the first part of a three-pronged initiative. Citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners claims that a second, 10-year visa option, called the investor visa, is under government review and likely to roll out sometime after 2026. Going ahead, this visa is likely to allow for permanent residency applications.
However, there’s no guarantee the final version will resemble early proposals. For now, the only way to permanent residency is through the Investor Visa DT, which operates on a tiered system, with payments ranging from USD 114,733 all the way to 3.8 million USD.
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If you’re wondering why Vietnam is being this cautious, look west.
Europe has been dismantling its golden visa ecosystem. Spain and Malta have scrapped theirs, Portugal and Greece have tightened rules into near-uselessness. Vietnam isn’t interested in becoming the next cautionary tale. Neither can it fall behind its neighbours. Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are all offering decade-long or investor-friendly schemes.
Vietnam, for now, has flipped the formula by focusing on wealth first, talent second. With 17.5 million international visitors in 2024 and a target of 23 million by the end of 2025, Vietnam knows tourism can only get it so far. Long-term competitiveness requires the kind of people who reshape industries, not just take beach vacations, and Vietnam is ready to play the long game.