As of 2026-07-05, Vietnam’s immigration system has a new preferential visa category, and headlines across nomad forums are already calling it a “digital nomad visa.” It isn’t one. The Vietnam UĐ1 visa, which took effect on July 1, 2026 under Law No. 118/2025/QH15, is written for a specific group: foreign nationals classified as high-quality workforce in the digital technology industry. Freelancers, remote employees of foreign companies, and general remote workers are not named anywhere in the law’s text. If you’ve seen the UĐ1 described online as Vietnam’s answer to Thailand’s Destination Thailand Visa, treat that framing with caution until you’ve read what the law actually says.
What the Vietnam UĐ1 Visa Actually Is
Law No. 118/2025/QH15, titled “Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Articles of 10 Laws Related to Security and Public Order,” was passed by the 15th National Assembly at its 10th session and signed on December 10, 2025 by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man. It amends Vietnam’s Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners to add two new visa symbols: UĐ1 and UĐ2. The letters stand for “uu dai,” meaning preferential a more favorable tier than Vietnam’s standard labor (LĐ) or business visas.
The Vietnam UĐ1 visa is issued to foreign nationals classified as high-quality digital technology industry workforce, plus anyone else the National Assembly or its Standing Committee separately designates for preferential treatment by resolution. The UĐ2 visa covers only the spouse and children under 18 of a UĐ1 holder. Both carry a maximum validity of 5 years the longest standard ceiling in Vietnam’s current visa framework, though the law’s not exceeding 5 years wording means the actual grant on a first application may be shorter.
Who Actually Qualifies for the UĐ1 Visa
This is where the online hype and the legal text diverge. Law 118/2025/QH15 deliberately does not spell out detailed eligibility criteria no minimum salary, no specific job titles, no required academic credentials are written into the law itself. The government’s stated reason is flexibility: leaving room for the National Assembly to expand eligibility later through resolutions rather than a full legislative rewrite.
In practice, there are two eligibility tracks:
- High-quality digital technology workforce. This covers foreign nationals working in roles recognized under Vietnam’s digital technology industry framework think software engineering, AI, cybersecurity, and semiconductor-related fields at companies formally classified in that sector. The specific qualifying criteria (credentials, sector classification, employer verification) are left to implementing decrees that had not been published as of the most recent official tracking available.
- National Assembly or Standing Committee designation. This is a catch-all mechanism for groups added later by resolution, not a general remote-work category today.
For a freelance developer or a remote marketer working for a company with no Vietnamese entity, there is currently no published pathway into the UĐ1 track. The visa is built around recognized employment or sponsorship within Vietnam’s formally classified digital technology sector, not around remote work status or income thresholds the way Thailand’s DTV or Indonesia’s remote-worker visa are structured. Anyone presenting the UĐ1 as a general-purpose digital nomad visa is getting ahead of what the law text supports.
The UĐ2 Dependent Visa
The UĐ2 visa is narrower still: it only covers a UĐ1 holder’s spouse and children under 18. Parents, adult children, and other relatives are not covered under the current law. UĐ2 status is entirely dependent on the principal UĐ1 holder’s visa remaining active if the UĐ1 is cancelled or lapses, the attached UĐ2 status is affected too.
How UĐ1 Compares to Other Long-Stay Options in the Region
For context, here is how the UĐ1 sits next to Vietnam’s existing categories and Thailand’s more general remote-work visa:
| Visa | Who It’s For | Max Validity | Remote Freelancers Eligible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UĐ1 (Vietnam) | High-quality digital tech workforce, sector-classified employers | 5 years (cap, not guaranteed) | No published pathway |
| UĐ2 (Vietnam) | Spouse/children under 18 of a UĐ1 holder | 5 years | N/A dependent only |
| E-visa (Vietnam, current) | General tourists and short business visitors | 90 days | Not a work-authorized visa |
| LĐ labor visa (Vietnam, current) | Foreign employees with a Vietnam-based work permit | Tied to work permit | No requires local employer |
| Destination Thailand Visa (Thailand) | Remote workers/freelancers with about 500,000 THB balance | 5 years, 180 days per entry | Yes, explicitly designed for this |
It’s also worth noting that Vietnam is not alone in this race: the same period saw Malaysia’s DE Rantau pass (a roughly USD 24,000 annual income minimum for tech talent, up to 24 months total stay via a 12-month pass plus one 12-month renewal, per MDEC’s official programme page) and Indonesia’s remote-worker permit continue operating alongside these changes, underscoring that ASEAN governments are competing directly for the same pool of mobile professionals even as their eligibility rules diverge sharply.
What’s Still Unpublished
As of the most recent official tracking, the Ministry of Public Security had not published the implementing decree that would set out application procedures, required documents, processing fees, or the designated receiving agency for UĐ1 and UĐ2 applications. It’s also not yet confirmed whether UĐ1 holders are exempt from Vietnam’s separate foreign work permit requirement, or whether the visas are issued as single- or multiple-entry. These operational details are expected to follow the same pattern as other Vietnamese long-stay categories, where an umbrella law sets the framework and a ministerial circular fills in the mechanics but until that circular is published on the government’s official legal document portal, applicants are working from an incomplete picture.
This isn’t unusual for Vietnamese legislation. Umbrella laws routinely set out categories, ceilings, and general principles, while ministerial circulars and government decrees handle the operational layer processing agencies, document checklists, and fee schedules that applicants actually need to act on. Until that circular appears on the government’s official portal, anyone quoting specific application steps, fees, or processing times for UĐ1 or UĐ2 is extrapolating from comparable categories rather than citing confirmed procedure.
What This Means If You’re Working Remotely From Vietnam
If you’re a remote employee or freelancer currently in Vietnam on a tourist e-visa or visa runs, the Vietnam UĐ1 visa does not currently change your situation. It is not a substitute for Vietnam’s existing labor visa and work permit system for most foreign workers, and it does not appear to open a route for freelancers without a Vietnam-classified tech employer. If you work for or are sponsored by a company that is formally classified within Vietnam’s digital technology industry, it’s worth having your employer’s legal or HR team monitor the implementing decree once published, since that document not the base law will determine actual eligibility criteria and application steps. For broader context on how Southeast Asia’s various long-stay permits stack up against each other, see our breakdown of Thailand’s LTR visa requirements, cost, and timeline.
FAQ
Is Vietnam’s UĐ1 visa a digital nomad visa?
Not in the way Thailand’s DTV or Indonesia’s remote-worker visa are. The UĐ1 is written for high-quality digital technology industry workforce with sector-classified employers, and the law text does not establish a general freelancer or remote-employee pathway.
When did the UĐ1 visa take effect?
July 1, 2026, under Law No. 118/2025/QH15, which was signed on December 10, 2025. Applications under the category could not be submitted before that effective date.
Can I bring my family on a UĐ1 visa?
Yes, through the paired UĐ2 visa, but only for a spouse and children under 18. Parents, adult children, and other relatives are not covered under the current law.
Sources
- Law No. 118/2025/QH15, official text published on vanban.chinhphu.vn (Government of Vietnam official legal document portal) — primary/government source
- thuvienphapluat.vn, “Tu 1/7/2026 Visa UĐ1 cap cho ai? Visa UĐ1 co thoi han may nam?” — Vietnamese legal database summary of the law text
- Vietnam Teaching Jobs Blog, “What Are Vietnam’s New UĐ1 and UĐ2 Visas Starting July 2026?” — independent secondary analysis
- MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation), official DE Rantau programme page — mdec.my/derantau, official Malaysian government source (pass duration and income figures)