In Vietnam, a temporary residence card is available only to foreigners whose stay falls into specific long-term categories, each marked by a visa symbol: work (LD1 and LD2, written LĐ in Vietnamese), investment (DT1, DT2 and DT3, written ĐT), family members (TT), study and internships (DH), diplomatic and international organisation staff (NG3, LV1, LV2), resident lawyers (LS), heads and staff of representative offices of foreign organisations (NN1, NN2) and resident journalists (PV1). Tourists, short business visitors, e-visa holders and small investors under the lowest investment tier are not eligible as such.
Knowing your symbol is the starting point for every residence question, because it decides who sponsors you, which documents count and how long a card can last. This guide walks through the categories most relevant to people making a life in Vietnam, explains the groups that are often surprised to find themselves outside the system, and suggests how to check where you fit. The categories come from the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners as amended in 2019 and 2023; always confirm current terms with the immigration authorities.
The main TRC categories at a glance
The table summarises the long-term symbols. Maximum terms are those commonly cited under the 2019 amendments and are always capped by passport validity; confirm the figure in force for your own application.
| Symbol | Who it covers | Typical sponsor | Commonly cited maximum term |
|---|---|---|---|
| LD1 / LD2 | Foreign employees: LD1 for those exempt from a work permit, LD2 for those who need one | The employer | Up to 2 years, aligned with the work permit or exemption |
| DT1 | Investors with large capital contributions or in priority sectors | The invested enterprise | Up to 10 years |
| DT2 | Investors in the next capital tier or encouraged sectors | The invested enterprise | Up to 5 years |
| DT3 | Investors in the lower capital tier | The invested enterprise | Up to 3 years |
| TT | Spouses and children under 18 of certain foreign residents; parents, spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens | The resident family member | Up to 3 years |
| DH | Students and interns at Vietnamese institutions | The school or host organisation | Linked to the course |
| NN1 / NN2 | Heads and staff of representative offices and projects of foreign organisations | The office or organisation | Up to 5 years |
| LS | Foreign lawyers licensed to practise in Vietnam | The law firm | Up to 3 years |
| PV1 | Resident foreign journalists | The authority managing the press office | Up to 2 years |
| NG3, LV1, LV2 | Diplomatic, consular and international organisation staff | The mission or agency | Varies |
If a symbol you hold or hope to hold is missing from this table, that is a strong hint it does not lead to a card. DN (business visit), DL (tourism), EV (electronic visa), NN3 (working with an office briefly) and DT4 (the smallest investors) are the categories people most often ask about.
Work symbols: LD1 and LD2
Most foreigners who become long-term residents do so through a job. Vietnam's system divides foreign employees into two groups. LD2 covers people who need a work permit, which is the majority: teachers, managers, engineers and specialists hired by Vietnamese or foreign-invested companies. LD1 covers people who are exempt from the work permit requirement but still work in Vietnam, for example certain capital-contributing owners or managers, intra-company transferees in some situations, or others named in the labour regulations, as long as their exemption has been confirmed by the competent labour authority where required.
In both cases the card follows the employment document. If your work permit runs for two years, your card cannot sensibly outlast it, and in practice the card is issued for a term that fits within the permit and within your passport validity. This also explains why changing employers is more than an HR formality: the new employer becomes the sponsor, so a new permit and a new card normally follow.
Remote workers employed by a company abroad, freelancers serving overseas clients and online entrepreneurs do not fit neatly into LD1 or LD2, because the system assumes a sponsor inside Vietnam. That gap is real, and it is discussed frankly in our section on work permits and remote work.
Investment symbols: DT1, DT2, DT3 and the excluded DT4
Investors are divided by the size of their capital contribution and, in some cases, by whether the project is in a sector or area the state encourages. Under the 2019 amendments, the commonly cited bands are: DT1 for contributions of 100 billion dong or more, or projects in sectors or locations given special investment incentives; DT2 for contributions from 50 billion up to under 100 billion dong, or projects in encouraged sectors; DT3 for contributions from 3 billion up to under 50 billion dong; and DT4 for contributions below 3 billion dong. Only DT1 to DT3 can lead to a residence card. DT4 investors can receive a visa but not a card.
These thresholds are legal bands, not advice about how much to invest, and the paperwork behind them is demanding: the capital has to be contributed through proper channels and reflected in the enterprise's registration documents. Small café or guesthouse owners who registered a modest company are often surprised to learn that their investment sits in the DT4 band. Our guide to investor residence cards goes through the practical side in more detail.
One further point catches people out. The investor symbol belongs to the person whose name appears as a capital contributor or shareholder in the enterprise's records. A spouse who helped fund the business but is not recorded as an owner does not hold an investor basis of their own; they would usually be sponsored on TT as the investor's family member instead. Similarly, an employee of an investor's company, even a senior one, is a worker rather than an investor, and belongs under LD1 or LD2. Getting the roles right on paper at the time the company is set up avoids awkward restructuring later, when the first round of cards is due.
Family symbol: TT
TT is the category that keeps households together. It covers two quite different groups. The first is the family of a foreign resident: the spouse and children under 18 of a foreigner who holds one of the long-term symbols, such as a work, investment, representative office, study or press card. The second is the family of a Vietnamese citizen: the foreign spouse, foreign children and foreign parents of someone who holds Vietnamese nationality.
For the first group, the card is tied to the main holder. If the employee leaves the job or the investor exits the company, the dependant's basis disappears too. For the second group, the Vietnamese family member is the sponsor, and the relationship must be documented in a way Vietnamese authorities recognise, for example a marriage registered in Vietnam or a foreign marriage certificate that has been legalised and recorded. Adult children of a foreign worker, siblings and partners who are not legally married generally fall outside TT, which is one of the most common sources of disappointment. Each of these groups has its own guide on this site.
Study, press and organisational symbols
DH is for students and interns hosted by Vietnamese educational institutions or organisations. A university enrolling a foreign degree student, or a language programme of sufficient length at a recognised institution, can sponsor a DH visa and card. Short informal language courses do not usually qualify, and a DH card does not allow the holder to work outside what the study arrangement permits.
PV1 applies to journalists accredited to reside in Vietnam, while NN1 and NN2 cover heads and staff of representative offices of foreign companies, non-governmental organisations and similar bodies with a licensed presence. LS covers foreign lawyers holding a practice licence in Vietnam. NG3, LV1 and LV2 relate to diplomatic and consular missions and international organisations; people in those roles are usually guided by their own mission or agency, which handles the process through official channels.
These categories are less common among individual movers, but they matter for spouses. A journalist's or office head's family can usually be sponsored on TT in the same way as a corporate employee's family, provided the main holder's card is valid.
Groups that are often outside the system
Several groups ask about cards regularly and find that the law has no category written for them. Knowing this early saves time and money.
- Retirees. There is no retirement visa or retirement card in Vietnam as of late 2026. Retirees who stay long term do so through another lawful basis, such as a Vietnamese spouse, an investment or repeated visas.
- Digital nomads and remote employees of foreign companies. There is no dedicated nomad category. Working while on a tourist or electronic visa is not permitted, even if your client or employer is overseas.
- Unmarried partners. TT is built around legally recognised family relationships. A long-term partner without a registered marriage generally cannot be sponsored as a spouse.
- Adult children and wider family. Children aged 18 or over of a foreign worker, siblings and in-laws of foreign residents are generally not covered by TT.
- Small investors. Capital below the DT3 floor places you in DT4, which brings a visa but not a card.
- Business visitors. DN visas are for short meetings, negotiations and similar trips, not for living.
If you belong to one of these groups, the honest message is that the law may offer you a visa route but not a residence card, and anyone promising otherwise should be asked exactly which symbol and sponsor they intend to use.
How to check your own category
Start with your current visa or entry stamp. The symbol is printed on the visa and is visible on e-visa approvals. Then ask what your long-term basis will be, rather than what your current visa is. A newcomer who arrived on an e-visa to take up a teaching job will, once the work permit is issued, move into LD2; a newly married foreign spouse may move into TT.
Next, identify the sponsor and ask them whether they are set up to sponsor foreigners. Employers and enterprises usually need to have registered their legal entity details, sometimes called a seal and signature registration, with the immigration authorities before they can file for staff. Vietnamese individuals sponsoring a spouse or parent file in their own name.
Finally, confirm with the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, or the immigration division of the provincial police where the sponsor is based, which symbol they will assign and what the current document list is. Symbols and terms are fixed by law, but the authorities decide how your facts fit them.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can a tourist visa be converted into a TRC?
Not directly. A tourist visa reflects a tourist purpose. Conversion inside Vietnam is possible only in specific situations allowed by the law, such as when a foreigner obtains a work permit, makes a qualifying investment or proves a family tie with a Vietnamese citizen. The immigration office decides whether conversion or a fresh visa is needed.
Is there a TRC for retirees in Vietnam?
No. Vietnam does not have a retirement category. Retirees who live in Vietnam long term usually rely on another basis, most often marriage to a Vietnamese citizen, a qualifying investment, or a sequence of visas. Our retirement section explains these routes and their limits.
Can my adult child get a TT card through my work card?
Generally not. The TT category for families of foreign residents covers a spouse and children under 18. An adult child would need their own basis, such as their own job, study enrolment or investment, to qualify for a card.
What is the difference between LD1 and LD2?
Both are work symbols. LD1 is for foreigners working in Vietnam who are exempt from the work permit requirement, with that exemption confirmed where the rules require it. LD2 is for foreigners who must hold a work permit, which covers most employees.
Why can a DT4 investor not get a card?
The law reserves residence cards for investors above a minimum capital band. Contributions below 3 billion dong fall into DT4, which allows a visa of up to 12 months but no card. Investors in that band renew visas instead, or qualify through another category.
Who decides my visa symbol?
The immigration authorities assign the symbol based on the purpose stated by your sponsor and the documents filed. You and your sponsor propose it by describing the relationship accurately, but the final classification is the authority's decision.