Money & admin
Banking, SIM cards, driving licences and motorbike rental for foreigners.
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Open a Bank Account in Ho Chi Minh City as a Foreigner
A foreigner opens a payment account with a passport or another foreign identity document and, if residing in Vietnam, an entry visa, a visa-replacing document or proof of visa exemption. A temporary residence card is valid in place of a visa. Permission to reside 12 months or longer makes you a resident.
All guides (18)
Banking and payments
- Send Money To and From Vietnam as a Foreigner: Banks and Apps ComparedWhat the law lets a foreigner send out of Vietnam, what Vietcombank and BIDV charge, and how Wise, Western Union, WorldRemit and Xoom compare for money in.Verified
- ATM Fees and Cash in Ho Chi Minh City: Bank LimitsATM fees for foreign and local cards and per-withdrawal limits at Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank, TPBank, HSBC and Shinhan, from each bank's own fee page.Verified
- Currency Exchange in Ho Chi Minh City: Legal Places, RatesLegal places for a foreigner to exchange money in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietcombank's dated rates, airport ATMs and the customs cash limits.Verified
- QR Payments for Foreigners in Vietnam: What Works in SaigonWhich QR route a foreigner uses in Ho Chi Minh City: a home app on a linked country, MoMo with a passport, or the card itself, with the fees.Verified
- Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living 2026: Rent, Bills, FoodIs US$2,000 a month enough in Ho Chi Minh City? Rent by area, electricity, internet, metro and buses, food and school costs, each with its source.Verified
Phone, internet and bills
- SIM Card in Ho Chi Minh City: eSIM and RegistrationHow a foreigner registers a SIM in Ho Chi Minh City: documents, Tan Son Nhat counters, Viettel and MobiFone eSIM prices, store addresses, 2026 face re-check.Verified
- Home Internet in Ho Chi Minh City: FPT, Viettel, VNPT ComparedFPT, Viettel and VNPT home fibre plans for central Saigon: monthly prices, connection fees, installation time and the papers a foreigner brings.Verified
- Pay Electricity, Water and Internet Bills in Ho Chi Minh CityHow a tenant pays EVNHCMC electricity, SAWACO water and internet bills in Saigon by app, bank or e-wallet, with the tariffs and the cash-collector scam.Verified
- Ho Chi Minh City Address Format: New Wards, Old DistrictsHow to write a Ho Chi Minh City address now that districts are gone: old ward to new ward for the areas expats live in, postal codes and alley numbers.Verified
Driving and motorbikes
- Driving Licence in Ho Chi Minh City: IDP, Conversion, FinesWhether your home licence or IDP counts in Ho Chi Minh City, how to convert a foreign licence with the traffic police, the fee, and fines for no licence.Verified
- Buy or Rent a Motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City: Costs, PapersRent a Honda Vision by the month or buy and register one: residence card, change-of-owner papers, tax and plate fees compared for foreigners.Verified
- Register a Motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City as a Foreigner: Papers, Fees, Steps (2026)A foreigner registers a motorbike with a residence card that has 6 months or more left. Online filing, papers, 2% tax and Zone I plate fee.Verified
- Riding Without a Licence in Vietnam: Fines and What HappensFine bands for riding a motorbike without a valid licence, the papers a foreign rider shows, the vehicle hold and what insurance does after a stop.Verified
Tax, insurance and property
- Vietnam Tax Residency: The 183-Day Test and the Ho Chi Minh City Tax OfficeVietnam counts you as a tax resident at 183 days or more in a year, or with a regular residence. Day count, rates and the Saigon tax office.Verified
- Vietnam Income Tax for Remote Workers in Saigon: Filing GuideHow a foreigner paid from abroad and living in Ho Chi Minh City files Vietnam income tax: residency, quarterly returns, deadlines and the city tax office.Verified
- Social Insurance for Foreigners in Vietnam: Rates and Rules for Ho Chi Minh City (2026)A foreign employee on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more must join; you pay 8%. Rates, exceptions, payout, HCMC office.Verified
- Buy an Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City as a Foreigner: RulesBuying an apartment in Saigon as a foreigner: the city project list, building share, ownership term, payments, the bank's cover for deposits and taxes.Verified
Offices
- Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance (Bao hiem xa hoi TP Ho Chi Minh)5 Nguyen Dong Chi, Khu do thi Phu My Hung, Tan My, Ho Chi Minh, VietnamOpen in Google Maps ↗ (opens in a new tab)