Registration, banking and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City

The work permit file

Vietnam's work permit process is documentary rather than discretionary: the employer justifies the position, and you supply evidence of who you are and what you can do. The usual components are a criminal record certificate, proof of qualifications or experience, a health check at an approved hospital, and passport photographs. Foreign documents need consular legalisation and then a certified Vietnamese translation, which is where the weeks go. The rules were rewritten by decree in 2025; a permit still runs for up to two years and can be renewed once.

• Criminal record certificate: from your home country, issued within the last six months, legalised.
• Degree certificate and evidence of relevant experience, legalised and translated.
• Medical certificate from a hospital on the approved list, valid for twelve months.
• Exemptions exist (short assignments, some intra-company transfers) but still need a certificate; confirm the current list with your employer and the provincial labour authority.

Visa, then temporary residence card

With the work permit issued, the employer sponsors the appropriate visa, and from there a temporary residence card (thẻ tạm trú) can be applied for through the immigration authority. The card removes the need to keep renewing a visa and is what most long-stay foreign workers hold. Every step references your registered address, which is why the housing question and the paperwork question are the same question.

• The temporary residence card runs as long as the work permit, up to two years; investor cards run up to ten.
• Dependants are sponsored separately and need marriage and birth certificates, legalised.
• Address changes must be re-declared; the card and the registration must agree.
• Do not treat any category or duration as guaranteed — confirm with the immigration authority.

Addresses have been reorganised

From 1 July 2025 Vietnam merged provinces and abolished the district tier of local government, leaving cities and provinces directly above wards and communes. Ho Chi Minh City absorbed Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau in the process, and the old numbered districts were folded into newly named and redrawn wards. In practice everybody still says District 1, District 7 and Thao Dien, and listings still use them, but official documents now use the ward-level address — so check that your lease, your registration and your bank record all use the same new format.

• District names survive in everyday use and on property listings.
• Official paperwork uses the new ward names; ask the landlord for the post-2025 address before the lease is drawn up.
• Mismatched address formats across documents cause avoidable delays; keep them consistent.

Banking and everyday payments

A full local bank account generally requires a work permit or residence card; before that, expect a limited account or none. Once you have one, Vietnam is close to cashless in the cities: bank transfers by QR code are used for everything from restaurants to street stalls, and e-wallets such as MoMo and ZaloPay sit alongside them. Cash still matters in markets and for older landlords.

• Bank account: passport, visa or residence card, work permit, and often a lease.
• QR bank transfer is the dominant payment method; set it up early.
• Employers commonly pay salary into a nominated local bank, so ask which one before choosing.

In order

1. 1Order your criminal record certificate and degree copies at home, and have them legalised there.
2. 2Send the legalised documents ahead so translation and notarisation can start.
3. 3Do the Vietnamese medical check on arrival at an approved hospital.
4. 4Let the employer file the work permit application.
5. 5Sign a lease in a building that will register you, and get the registration confirmation.
6. 6Apply for the visa, then the temporary residence card.
7. 7Open a bank account and set up QR transfers.
8. 8Sponsor dependants once your own file is complete.