Vietnamese government defines 18 categories of foreign workers exempt from work permits; rules take effect December 5

【Hanoi, Vietnam—Correspondent Kim Jun-seok】The Vietnamese government has clearly defined 18 categories of foreign workers working in the country who are exempt from obtaining work permits, and is moving to improve the system to attract top talent and investors.
According to local media on the 26th, the Vietnamese government formally announced on the 20th a new decree on foreign workers working in Vietnam and said it would officially take effect on December 5. A key feature of the decree is that it specifically lists 18 categories of exceptions under which foreign workers do not have to go through the work-permit application process. It first retains the existing exceptions set out in Vietnam’s Labor Code. 
In the investor category, owners of limited liability companies, or capital-contributing members with contributions of at least VND 3 billion (about 153.44 million won) are exempt. In joint-stock companies, the chairperson and board members with capital contributions of at least VND 3 billion will also be exempt from work-permit requirements.
Foreign nationals entering Vietnam to provide professional or technical advisory services or perform related work for programs and projects using grant aid, official development assistance (ODA) or concessional loans under international instruments, agreements or treaties approved or concluded by the relevant authorities are also exempt. The exemptions also cover foreign journalists approved by Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; teachers and managers dispatched by foreign governments or organizations to work at educational institutions; and family members of members of foreign representative agencies who are permitted to work under international treaties.
Foreign students and trainees studying in Vietnam or abroad are also exempt from work-permit requirements if they have signed an internship agreement with a Vietnamese institution, organization or company, or have received an invitation letter to work. Interns and trainees on Vietnamese ships, as well as holders of official passports working for Vietnamese state agencies and political and social organizations, are also exempt. In addition, work permits are not required for persons responsible for establishing a commercial presence in Vietnam, volunteers, or foreign nationals entering the country to implement international agreements concluded by central- or provincial- and municipal-level government agencies.
Notably, the decree has substantially expanded the exemptions to attract highly skilled talent. In addition to teachers and researchers involved in education, research, transfer and educational cooperation under international education programs, new categories include △ holders of a master’s degree or higher in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), digital transformation, finance, economics or business administration △ doctoral degree holders, professors and associate professors who teach or conduct research at vocational training institutions and universities.
The exemptions from work-permit requirements will also apply to △ foreign nationals approved by government ministries or provincial- or municipal-level People’s Committees △ foreign nationals issued special visa exemption cards under Decree No. 221/2025/NĐ-CP △ experts in strategic technology fields and their accompanying family members △ talent attracted under the Vietnamese prime minister’s “National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Talent Development Program,” among others.

[email protected] Kim Jun-seok Reporter