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 Vietnamese hospital, and passport photographs. Foreign documents generally need consular legalisation and then a certified Vietnamese translation, which is where the weeks go.

• Criminal record certificate: from your home country, recently issued, legalised.
• Degree certificate or documented experience, legalised and translated.
• Medical check at a hospital on the approved list, done in Vietnam and valid for a limited period.
• Requirements and exemptions change; confirm the current list with your employer and the 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 is issued for a period tied to the work permit.
• 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

Vietnam restructured local government in 2025, merging provinces and moving day-to-day administration to ward level. Ho Chi Minh City absorbed neighbouring territory in the process. In practice everybody still says District 1, District 7 and Thao Dien, and listings still use them, but official documents may use the newer ward designations — so check that the address on your lease, your registration and your bank record all match the format the office in front of you expects.

• District names survive in everyday use and on property listings.
• Official paperwork increasingly uses ward-level designations.
• 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.