LinkedInJune 26, 2026
Spain closed its golden visa to new investors in 2025. Others are tightening too. Vietnam is moving the other way, building a residence track that runs up to 10 years inside its financial centre.
From 1 July 2026, Vietnam's UD1 and UD2 visa categories enter its immigration law under Law 118/2025. For people tied to its International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, Decree 327/2025 sets a UD1 visa or temporary residence card valid up to 10 years. This is enacted law, not a proposal.
Here is what most coverage skips. It is not a passive golden visa and not a digital nomad permit. It is a sponsored, IFC-anchored track for key investors, experts and senior managers. Permanent residence is possible but discretionary, not a right. It needs at least three years of continuous work at an IFC organisation, an official nomination, and a decision issued within two months, extendable by one.
The tax angle is specific too. Outside the centre, Vietnam taxes residents on worldwide income, with a top personal rate of 35 percent and a standard 20 percent corporate rate. Inside it, qualifying IFC managers, experts and skilled professionals are exempt from personal income tax on salaries through the end of 2030.
On the jurisdiction index I maintain, Vietnam scores 6.35 out of 10 and ranks joint 128th of 232. Its weakest dimensions are climate resilience at 3.7 and open society at 4.4. A 10-year card and a tax holiday do not move those.
If a jurisdiction opens a 10-year IFC track but ranks 128th of 232 on structural quality, what pulls you in, the tax exemption or access to the centre?
Tracked through GeoCompass, the jurisdiction intelligence layer behind Lucky Nomads.
#globalmobility #residencyplanning #vietnam
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