Vietnam
A solid all-round choice. Ranked 35 of 40, strongest on affordability, softest on retiree visa.
1 of 6 axes rest on data we could not verify yet; unverified inputs score a neutral 50 and are marked "partial data".
Key facts
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Visa & residency
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Vietnam has no retirement, passive-income, or digital nomad visa. Long-stayers rely on tourist e-visas, or a Temporary Residence Card tied to a qualifying purpose such as work, investment, or family ties to a Vietnamese national.
Healthcare
Public hospitals are often underfunded, crowded, and staffed by Vietnamese-only speakers, while private hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City meet international standards with English-speaking, often overseas-trained doctors.
Expats are advised to hold international health insurance and use private JCI-accredited hospitals, as the public system is not well suited to foreign residents.
Cost of living
Numbeo estimates a single person's monthly costs at about 376 EUR (roughly 11.3 million VND) excluding rent; overall cost of living is about 160% lower than the US excluding rent.
Rent prices in the US are about 288% higher than in Vietnam; a one-bedroom apartment in a Vietnamese city centre averages roughly 10.5 million VND per month per Numbeo.
Safety & climate
Vietnam ranks 38th of the countries measured in the 2025 Global Peace Index with a score of 1.721, placing it in the second tier of highly peaceful nations.
Tropical monsoon in the south and centre, humid subtropical monsoon in the north.
Southern and central Vietnam have a tropical monsoon climate with distinct rainy and dry seasons, while the north has a humid subtropical climate with four seasons.
Community & language
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Established expat communities concentrate in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where private hospitals and services cater to foreigners.
Vietnamese is the sole official language, spoken by the large majority of the population.
Taxes
Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, but personal income tax paid abroad on overseas income is creditable in Vietnam, capped at the Vietnamese tax due on that income.
Vietnam has signed double taxation agreements with 81 countries, though some are not yet in force.
Compare Vietnam with its closest rivals
The three countries whose RetireScore sits nearest.
