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Moving to Vietnam (Videos)

Posted: Friday -10:25 pm PST By: La Tray Moving to Vietnam is part of the “Moving to” series of blog posts that are on moving to a certain Asian country; however, these series may include other countries that will be non-Asian countries. Travel Advisories: In order to stay informed on U.S. Embassy alerts, messages, and…

Vietnam Cityscape

Posted: Friday -10:25 pm PST

By: La Tray

Moving to Vietnam is part of the “Moving to” series of blog posts that are on moving to a certain Asian country; however, these series may include other countries that will be non-Asian countries.

Travel Advisories:

In order to stay informed on U.S. Embassy alerts, messages, and U.S. Embassy contact information you can click on the link.

Link: Vietnam

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Thinking About Moving to Vietnam? Here’s What You Need to Know

Vietnam is quickly becoming a top destination for expats, thanks to its mix of affordable living, dynamic cities, welcoming locals, and natural beauty. Whether you’re planning to work remotely, teach English, retire, or simply explore a new lifestyle, Vietnam offers plenty of opportunities.

Visas: What Are Your Options?

Vietnam’s visa policies can be complex and subject to change, so it’s important to stay up to date. Here are the main types of visas for long-term stays:

  • Tourist Visa (eVisa): Available for citizens of many countries, valid for 30 days and extendable once in some cases.
  • Business Visa: Often used by digital nomads or freelancers. Usually valid for 3–12 months with multiple entries. Requires a sponsoring company.
  • Work Visa & Temporary Residence Card (TRC): If you’re employed by a Vietnamese company or teaching English, this is your best option. The TRC can be valid for 1–2 years.
  • Investor or Retirement Routes: Vietnam doesn’t have an official retirement visa, but some expats invest in businesses or property as a long-term solution.

Always work with a trusted visa agent or legal consultant, especially for extensions or conversions.

Renting in Vietnam: Easy and Affordable

Renting an apartment or house in Vietnam is relatively easy and often doesn’t require long-term leases. Here’s what to expect:

  • Cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi offer a range of rentals—from studio apartments to luxury condos. Prices range from $250 to $700/month, depending on location and quality.
  • Short-Term Rentals: Many apartments are fully furnished and available for 1- to 6-month leases, ideal for new arrivals.
  • No Agent Needed: Many rentals can be found on Facebook groups or sites like Batdongsan or Airbnb (for temporary stays).
  • Deposits: Typically 1–2 months’ rent upfront.
  • Utilities: Not always included; electricity, water, and internet may cost an extra $50–$100/month.

Pro tip: Visit neighborhoods first to get a feel for noise, access, and convenience before committing to a rental.

Other Essentials

  • Healthcare: Private hospitals in major cities are excellent and affordable, especially with international health insurance.
  • Internet & Connectivity: Fast, reliable, and cheap. Perfect for digital nomads.
  • Language: Learning basic Vietnamese helps with daily life, even though English is common in tourist and expat areas.

Recommended Resources

bitexco financial tower in ho chi minh
Photo by Thịnh La on Pexels.com

Job Portals

VietnamWorks

Vieclam24h.vn

Teaching English:

Go Overseas

CIEE

Renting

LTS Law

Legal Guidance for Foreigners Renting Property in Vietnam

Airbnb

Dos and Don’ts

✅ Dos and ❌ Don’ts When Moving to Vietnam

✅ Dos

  • Do learn basic Vietnamese phrases
    A few words like xin chào (hello), cảm ơn (thank you), and bao nhiêu tiền? (how much?) go a long way and are appreciated by locals.
  • Do carry cash
    Vietnam is still largely a cash-based economy, especially outside major cities. ATMs are widely available, but cash is king in local markets and small eateries.
  • Do try street food
    It’s cheap, delicious, and often fresher than restaurant food. Just follow the locals to find the best spots.
  • Do negotiate gently
    Bargaining is expected in markets and some services—but always do it with a smile.
  • Do use Grab (or Gojek)
    These ride-hailing apps are the easiest and safest way to get around, especially in cities like HCMC and Hanoi.
  • Do register with your embassy
    For safety and updates, especially during emergencies or political changes.

❌ Don’ts

  • Don’t assume everyone speaks English
    In big cities, it’s common, but in smaller towns and local government offices, you may need help from a translator or a Vietnamese friend.
  • Don’t disrespect local customs
    Dress modestly in temples, take your shoes off before entering someone’s home, and avoid public displays of affection.
  • Don’t touch people on the head
    The head is considered sacred in Vietnamese culture, especially for children.
  • Don’t compare Vietnam to your home country
    Embrace the differences. It’s not “better” or “worse”—just different.
  • Don’t overstay your visa
    Overstaying can lead to fines, denial of re-entry, or legal trouble. Keep track of your visa status and renew or exit on time.

Important Information

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

What is STEP?

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service for U.S. citizens and nationals traveling or living abroad. By enrolling your trip, you allow the U.S. Department of State to reach you quickly and accurately in case of an emergency.

Why Enroll?

  • Stay informed with real-time updates on health, safety, weather, and security conditions in your destination country.
  • Be prepared with helpful information from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
  • Get support during emergencies like natural disasters, civil unrest, or family emergencies—so the embassy can contact you quickly if needed.

How long does it take to fill out: Approx. 20 minutes

How Long Can U.S. Citizens Stay in Vietnam?

U.S. citizens cannot enter Vietnam without a visa. Unlike some nationalities that are eligible for short-term visa exemptions, Americans must secure a valid visa before traveling to Vietnam. In order to work in Vietnam, you must apply for a visa and a work permit which is valid for 12 months as well as if you plan on staying in Vietnam longer than 3 months.

Visa Options for U.S. Travelers

1. E-Visa (Electronic Visa)
U.S. passport holders can apply online for a single-entry e-visa, which allows them to stay in Vietnam for up to 30 days. The application process is fairly quick—typically 3 to 5 business days—and the fee is about $25 USD.

2. Visa on Arrival
This option requires travelers to obtain a pre-approval letter from a travel agency in Vietnam. Once they land at select international airports, they can pick up their visa. Note: this method may come with additional processing fees and longer wait times.

3. Visa from a Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate
For longer stays or multiple entries, travelers can apply directly at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. The length of stay and processing time vary depending on the visa type requested.

Important Tips

  • Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date you plan to arrive in Vietnam.
  • Authorities may ask for proof of onward travel or a return ticket, so it’s a good idea to have that ready.
  • If you overstay your visa, you could face fines or deportation, so plan ahead to avoid any issues.

Videos

At the time of this video, YouTuber The Story KT explains how difficult is it to find a teaching job in Vietnam since it’s not required to learn in schools, being Black, and he goes on further for this explanation.

Video credit: The Story of KT

Video credit: Queen of DC

This video is the most important of them all

Video credit: Visabox Travel

Vietnam Visa for US Citizens: Everything You Need to Know!

Video credit: Island Hopper TV


Best Things To Do in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam 2025 4K

This YouTuber shows a lot of Ho Chi Minh City that tourist may not know about as well as places that are tourist attractions which makes this video so original.

Video credit: What The Pho

A detailed list of places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sources:

Comments

If you have any travel experiences that matches this blog post or different from what is written in the blog post, please comment on what you have experienced in Vietnam?

If you have experienced any travel issues at the airport when arriving in Vietnam, please share it with all of us so that it will help others whether to try out Vietnam or not. Thanks!

Watch

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54 responses to “Moving to Vietnam (Videos)”

  1. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    Kind of off topic but did you hear about Mexico deporting Americans back?

    Reply
    1. De De Tillman Avatar
      De De Tillman

      I have not. 🙂 – LT

      Reply
  2. Medina Avatar
    Medina

    I been in Vietnam for a couple months and someone walked up to me randomly and said “Fuck Trump” so I turned around and said “I agree” lol
    I leave next month and I don’t know where to go since Trump is messing up things for everyone. I can forget Korea.

    Reply
    1. De De Tillman Avatar
      De De Tillman

      Cambodia may be open. I do know someone who is there and no problems. I was working on “Moving to Cambodia” until all this chaos in the U.S. 🙂 – LT

      Reply
  3. Sherell Avatar
    Sherell

    Not going to Vietnam but I need to vent because I’m so angry and pissed!!!! I got ready to go to the airport to go to my trip to Mongolia but the fucking airport itself it closed. Turning people away and kicking the ones in out. I feel stranded

    Reply
    1. De De Tillman Avatar
      De De Tillman

      Was it a U.S. airpot? Thank you for venting! – LT

      Reply
  4. Bristone Avatar
    Bristone

    I can’t remember where I heard or read it, but during the Vietnam war, black American soldiers were called all kinds of racial slurs by the Vietnamese. These black soldiers said something along the lines of “guess who they learned these slurs from?” White American soldiers. So maybe this combined with social media spiraled everything out of control nowadays?

    Reply
  5. Arama Avatar
    Arama

    I’m teaching teenagers in Vietnam at the moment, the third country in which I’ve done so. I’ve also taught in South Korea and Japan, to the same age group. And I’ve gotta say…the openly racist remarks and jokes students say in Vietnam have been by far the worst of the three. Korea and Japan aren’t exactly multicultural, diverse, pluralistic societies – but the incidents I’ve encountered over the last two or three weeks have been ridiculous.

    Situation 1: At a high school, I asked a group for students what they would do with a million dollars. One student just yells “BUY A (N-WORD)”

    Situation 2: Same day, but at a language center. The unit includes a video on education in Africa. A student and his friends just openly say “wow, so many monkeys” when a classroom of black people is shown.

    Situation 3: Different class at the language center. I’m showing pictures of tribes from different parts of the world. When the African tribe pops up, a boy immediately says “N-WORD”

    Situation 4: High school. A black person is in the textbook and a boy just openly says “don’t trust black monkey, trust white!”

    Also, the obsession with Hitler and Nazis doesn’t help. The open racism expressed by student here is just ridiculous. On the one hand, it is a minority of students saying this. On the other hand, I never encountered these incidents in my several years of teaching a similar age range in Korea and Japan. Some students may harbor similar thoughts, but at least they’re not openly saying so in class

    Reply
    1. Morgan Avatar
      Morgan

      Well, they are indeed racist in terms of their joking remarks, which is pretty common of teenagers this age in pretty much everywhere, English speaking nations specifically also. I don’t know even know how that got to Vietnam, probably by watching racists memes on the internet that cought on. Since nobody has ever educated them about racism, you could probably try to do that, and tell them that no English natives or other nationals will ever find those joking remarks funny. As to whether they are truly racist or not, Ask them more nuanced questions like do you support slavery, do you support hitler and you’ll probably get a better picture

      Reply
    2. Mercedes Avatar
      Mercedes

      they are lack of manner so you need to teach them seriously about it or let them get punched in the face later in life

      Reply
    3. Suzie Avatar
      Suzie

      I’ve always been confused by the preference for closeted racists over open racists. I once went to an interview for a job in New Zealand and the interviewer openly told me he doesn’t like working with people of my country and preferred I work elsewhere. I was glad he openly told me so I didn’t waste my time in a company that probably wasn’t going to allow me to advance and probably wouldn’t have been a good working environment. I would have taken it personally and believed my work was subpar or possibly I was a bad employee.

      The obvious preference is they don’t exist at all, but this world isn’t perfect and I’d prefer people were open about their biases so I can act accordingly.

      Reply
    4. Vivan Avatar
      Vivan

      I teach also, and we follow the “Look” book which belongs to National Geographic, so obviously sometimes there are pictures of black people. Everytime is appears on the screen, there’s a general laugh followed by mocking words. It’s sad, specially coming from someone who is treated below garbage in China, for example.

      Reply
    5. Shuk Avatar
      Shuk

      I’m sure they still listen to our music, idolize our athletes and entertainers and appropriate our style and culture too. It’s apart of the game. Ignore them and move on.

      Reply
  6. Alyana Avatar
    Alyana

    Don’t let anyone tell you that Vietnam doesn’t have colonialism issues because they do. I won’t say “racist” because they can be kind to black people as long as your skin tone doesn’t go passed Beyonces color.

    Reply
  7. Hei Avatar
    Hei

    I go to Vietnam before because I hear Hongin there and I have security chase me around airport 15min. No reason. I did nothing.

    Reply
    1. Juwanna Avatar
      Juwanna

      Idk why but I like you. They had no business chasing you around. Did they say why?

      Reply
      1. Hei Avatar
        Hei

        Thank you my friend 😊.
        They say I crazy, but I not, I normal. Just unfair. I did nothing wrong.

    2. Juwanna Avatar
      Juwanna

      I believe you!!! Don’t worry

      Reply
  8. Tonya B Avatar
    Tonya B

    Been teaching for 2 years, the amount of racist stuff I’ve experienced with kids aged 7-15 is insane.

    Dropping n bombs, calling other Asians nasty things and calling Viet kue, and mixed race kids, and even Vietnamese whose lineage comes from near the Cambodian border “dirty bloods” and “race traitors”.

    I’ve also experienced simping over Hitler and Starlin.

    A 9yo old told me that everyone in Ukraine should die not long after the war started.

    And I hear similar stuff from people working at all levels, big name international schools, public schools and centres.

    Reply
    1. G-pha Avatar
      G-pha

      We can’t even get along with other Asians.

      Reply
  9. Muthoni Avatar
    Muthoni

    From my personal experiences, Vietnamese people are rude compared to Thais. I came from Thailand to Vietnam and wow, what a difference.
    Taiwan was the best for me as a Kenyan Woman.

    Reply
  10. Head Huncha Avatar
    Head Huncha

    I don’t think Viets are any more racist than others. However, expect most people to be either extremely politically incorrect or unaware or diversity issues , because the country is quite homogeneous

    Reply
  11. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    You will hear the term “mọi” as a less serious form of the n-word. if anything, it’s even more severe.

    the root for n-word is negro, which just means black. whereas “mọi” means filthy. There was a Vietnamese man calling black people “filth”.

    Reply
  12. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    White guy here.

    I spent 9 months living in Vietnam and experienced zero racism (that I knew of). Within 2 weeks of living in Japan a coworker had already asked me if I was able to “digest seaweed” cause my mind usually can’t and a cab driver rudely waved the back of his hand in my face when I approached him, like that was the rudest way and told me to get lost, I’d ever been treated by anyone in a number of years. Oh yeah, and my apartment in Japan had no hot water, even though they knew weeks before that I was moving in (~40% of landlords in Japan won’t rent to a foreigner). All my neighbors in my apartment building are foreign (in a small town with barely any foreigners). They literally corral us together.

    I was also given the “we’re closed” treatment at a bar in Akihabara. Funny. The door said they closed at 2300 and it was 2130 on a Friday night with Japanese people sitting at the tables drinking and a bartender behind the bar standing there not even cleaning, every light on in the place, etc…

    Different groups are discriminated against differently but as a white guy in Japan I am literally a second-class citizen. In Vietnam I felt just like anybody else.

    I think very very highly of the people of Vietnam, Vietnam is a place that could become my home one day, Japan is an aging dumpster fire of racism and labor shortages. The yen is down 35% against the dollar in 3 years. Wages are in decline. The tourist areas of Tokyo close at 6-8pm on Saturday night because there aren’t enough employees. Streets full of tourists walking around and all the stores are closed

    Reply
  13. Gretchen Avatar
    Gretchen

    1: colorism: Viet people think light skin is beautiful and dark skin is ugly. Not about race.

    2: they think lighter skin = wealthier (wth). Tips culture is not very popular in Vietnam, often getting wealthier customers or not they won’t get tips. So, the reception ladies treat lighter skin tourists with smiles and darker skin tourists with frown is weird to us too, because either way, they won’t get tips, so why have this kind of different treatment. This is about wealth, again not about race.

    I’m Mexican and I’ve experienced some stuff in Vietnam. It’s lots of colorism.

    Reply
  14. Aoki Avatar
    Aoki

    Sorry you experienced that.

    I’ve lived in Thailand and Vietnam, and they both absolutely share the view that darker skin means working in the fields etc. and lighter skin denotes privilege by having a better job, ie not working outside.

    I’m half Black and half Korean and so my experience was slightly different. I was treated with respect and got hounded down because there were many Vietnamese people curious about Korea and Korean culture (kpop lovers) but that was it.

    Reply
  15. Maido Avatar
    Maido

    Viets in general favor white skin and often discriminate.

    “Nâng tông” (Lightening your shade) and “dưỡng trắng” (Whitening & Nourishing) skincare are so popular.

    White teachers are paid more than Brown skin and Vietnamese. There were posts online from English centers.

    My Australian cousin who frequents the beach, hence having tanned skin, travelled to Vietnam and experienced an indifferent and condescending attitude from the service industry. She overheard some of the staff saying “Nhỏ này đen quá” (Your skin is so black) (They thought she couldn’t understand Vietnamese).

    We need to fix this mentality, so good brown people have an equal chance here.

    Reply
  16. Gabby Ewulu Avatar
    Gabby Ewulu

    I wouldn’t say Vietnamese people have “racism” but they have “colonialism” issues. They treated me with the upmost respect, especially the men but I saw how they treated another woman who was Black and had darker complexion. I did politely say something and noticed they treated her with a bit more generosity. I left the restaurant and she was still there, not sure what took place after I left but my mother is a dark complexion Nigerian woman and that is one of my main reasons of getting triggered when I see dark skin women getting treated poorly.

    Reply
  17. Nicka Avatar
    Nicka

    Vietnamese in the States are cool as hell for the most part but the Viets in Vietnam are a different story, just like any other country in the world they can be ignorant as hell when it comes to skin. They’re known for treating light skin black people with the upmost respect but treated dark skin black people absolutely horrible. Pure rude as hell.

    Reply
  18. Tre Avatar
    Tre

    PART 2: sorry for it being so long but when seeing Vietnam triggered me and brought back some hurtful memories.

    After experiencing two weeks being treated as a worthless object of repulsion from practically all the Vietnamese I didnt feel I could face any more vietnamese hostility so I cut my visit short by 2 weeks and left.

    When I compare this experience in Vietnam with what I faced in Taiwan, there was no comparison at all. In Taiwan the Taiwanese women in the convenience stores, coffee shops and hostels were very courteous .

    I found the thais mostly free of hatred towards my dark skin ( except for a couple of instances) whereas in Vietnam 90% of the women make it clear they would feel contaminated if they even had to talk to me ,look at me ,let alone sit beside me on the plane for 1 hr flight.

    This is a full description of my experience as a dark skinned man solo travelling extensively in Vietnam .

    Reply
  19. Sonray Avatar
    Sonray

    In Vietnam i stayed in hostels and I could see how much differently I was treated compared to the white tourists who stayed there. The female vietnamese staff were really friendly to the white tourists smiling and greeting them with plenty of eye contact and polite friendly speech but when it was my turn to interact with the female vietnamese staff, I was mostly met with pained frowns , averted eyes and abrupt rudeness.

    This was a pattern i also noticed in the restuarants where the waitresses were rude and sullen if forced to interact with me but blossomed with radiant smiles when interacting with my white friends.

    In the convenience stores , the female cashiers would walk away from the registers as soon as I approached in order to avoid having any contact with me and they would call over the male cashiers to serve me.

    Twice when I was taking flights on Vietnam Airlines, the women sitting next to me would switch seats to avoid sitting next to me.

    Even in Hoi An a child singled me out in a street full of 200 white tourists and started throwing food at me and I connected this experience with stories I had heard of Vietnamese harassing South Asian men by making monkey noises .

    Only the occasional white friends I met along the way made me feel human again.

    Reply
  20. Tre Avatar
    Tre

    I had heard the vietnamese had solid racial supremacy beliefs that their fairer skins made them superior to primitive dark skinned subhuman people .

    I am a dark skinned male who travelled extensively in vietnam and I did find out for myself this was true.

    They are just obsessed with skin color and this seems to define their entire self worth as a person and also how they value other people . I have seen so many Viet women riding their motorcycles zealously protecting every mm of their body with full body costumes to prevent even a little bit of their skin from being potentially tanned by the sun ( they are called ninjas in Vietnam bcos of this ).

    In my time in Vietnam I could see that the majority of vietnamese women made it clear they felt contaminated and degraded if they had to deal with me at all (bcos of my skin color )

    My experience in Vietnam in terms of ostracism and humiliation would have been similar to a black person who visited the American South just after desegregation when the whites wont have been able to legally exclude black people but would have done their best to make them feel unwelcome and inferior.

    Reply
  21. Morgan Avatar
    Morgan

    I am a Black woman whose been here for about 14 months and I think I’ve only experienced racism one time. I went to a wine bar and wanted to drink inside instead of on the patio since the AQI was horrendous. My (White) friend told me about this place and said the indoor area had free entry every time she went last week. When I got there and asked to sit inside, they said it was for special members only (her exact words), even though I explained what my friend experienced. I was livid, so I finished my wine, sat the glass down and walked out 🤷🏽‍♀️. It’s possible they had an event or something going on that day, but the woman just kept repeating the same thing without any clarification, so I didn’t assume otherwise.

    Reply
  22. Precious Avatar
    Precious

    Black people will face racism in Vietnam. Racism here is kept quite hidden and mostly a carryover from racism in the West, but that’s no excuses. I’ve noticed they’re kind to light skin Black people, especially to women if they find them attractive but not so much to dark skin black people.

    Reply
  23. Maria Ewulu Avatar
    Maria Ewulu

    I’ll be completely honest, everyone’s experience will always be different.
    You will experience racism and discrimination. Vietnam is better than other countries but you’d be lieing to say it didn’t exist. I’ve heard of stores in Japan from friends of them having the cops called on them for stealing simply for being black. My sister and I went to Vietnam because she had business there, and I will say that we personally didn’t receive any racism besides the stares, the second time when I went back with a friend who is of darker shade, I started seeing a slight difference in treatment. They still treated me kind but here’s the honest truth, I’m only half Black. My mom is Nigerian and my dad is Italian. You can look at me and know I’m still a Black woman clear as day and I tell people I’m Black before I’m Italian, I do that because in the states if I get pulled over by the cops (which I have on too many occasions but that’s my sisters fault,
    I’m the angel in the family) they saw black women! My mom is a dark skin Nigerian woman and I would go to prison if someone treated my mother poorly because of her skin. I guess in country is all about complexion.

    Reply
    1. Juwanna Avatar
      Juwanna

      I was about to say this, the second half

      Reply
    2. Gabby Ewulu Avatar
      Gabby Ewulu

      Don’t come on here lying. I didn’t do anything 😒

      Reply
      1. Maria Ewulu Avatar
        Maria Ewulu

        You stuck your fucking feet out my window so people can see your new pedicure. Stfu

      2. Chad Avatar
        Chad

        You no SSI is still accepting applications 🤣

      3. Gabby Ewulu Avatar
        Gabby Ewulu

        😂😂😂

    3. Gabby Ewulu Avatar
      Gabby Ewulu

      You didn’t complete my feet 🦶😑
      That pedicure cost $27, people were going to see them!!!

      Reply
    4. Gabby Ewulu Avatar
      Gabby Ewulu

      @chad 🖕🏽

      Reply
  24. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    I don’t want to sugarcoat it… people will stare at you a lot. I went to Vietnam this past summer for academic reasons. I am white and my friend is black, and we were stared at all the time (intensely, I might add). I’ve experienced people leaving their storefronts to continue staring as I’ve walked, people on motorcycles shouting at me/doing a loop, people following me, people complimenting me, and people recording me. It was never anything malicious, but it did make my friend and I uncomfortable because we experienced this every time we went out… so just be prepared for it.

    Reply
  25. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    One thing that Viet people do that’s extremely annoying is, following you around the entire store.

    Reply
  26. Sajel Avatar
    Sajel

    In terms of culture, food and people. Are Indian tourists welcomed in Vietnam? How do the locals think of Indians. Thanks

    Reply
    1. Indi Avatar
      Indi

      I was on a vietjet flight with a group of indian tourists. They were not well behaved and unfortunately reinforced the stereotypes. I have had both wonderful and horrible experiences with Indian people. I think the bad parts are them growing as a culture to expand outside their borders and get used to other cultures. Over time, they will improve.

      Reply
  27. Bianca Avatar
    Bianca

    Been there before. Definitely wouldn’t consider living there but vacation isn’t bad at all.

    Reply
  28. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    I’m learning Vietnamese and plan on traveling there as soon as I can, I’ll be interested to see how I am treated since I’m actually learning the language opposed to the regular tourists probably.

    Reply
  29. Hannah Avatar
    Hannah

    Dear people of color

    My comment is based on multiple trips to multiple cities in Vietnam

    I have to warn you that if you are solo traveling through Vietnam and you have a dark skin,in my experience when you come to Saigon and Hoi An expect to be ostracised by many of the service staff in the tourist friendly restuarants and shops in these places .

    In these two cities you will be treated with disdain by large proportions of tourist service staff who are very clear in their distaste at serving you . The complete difference in the way dark skinned people are ostracised and white skinned tourists were fawned over in the same place by the same staff is the most consistently racist experience I have had in my travels to 30 different countries.

    If you are a POC i don’t think you need to waste your hard earned cash to be ostracised

    I suggest if you do come to Vietnam in my experience I found in Danang or Hanoi or Dalat the people don’t appear so ready to ostracise customers with dark skin

    Or if you prefer less ostracism with your coffee go to Thailand or Laos where they don’t openly ostracise innocent strangers for the color of their skin

    Reply
    1. Tee Avatar
      Tee

      Racism towards black people in Vietnam is kept very hidden, either in private conversation, private online groups or disguised as “jokes” on social media. You won’t come across anything blatant while visiting.

      Reply
    2. Jujustin Avatar
      Jujustin

      Vietnamese usually pay no mind to things like race, just don’t be an asshole and you’ll be fine Though you will very rarely hear the n-word being spoken between friends as a joke. But they’re not saying it as in the racist way.

      Reply
    3. Ira Avatar
      Ira

      People will call you “Tây đen” (Black westerner), but still Tây (westerner), so no worries.

      Reply
    4. Bazel Avatar
      Bazel

      I have two Kenyan colleagues traveling in Vietnam right now. This is their second work trip. People are generally curious especially because they also happen to have braided hair. They haven’t encountered any racism, just the general curious onlooking from people. In general, they’ve felt quite welcomed everywhere they’ve been so far. If anything changes, I will let you know

      Reply
  30. Lucille Avatar
    Lucille

    There is no long term visa outside of work and marriage. The tourist visa is good for 3 month stays, if you have Vietnamese ancestry you can use a visa exemption for 6 month long stays. Visa runs at the Cambodian border is how most long term digital nomads stay. I can’t really deal with Vietnam. The guys look good though.

    Reply

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