With a tourist visa issued to a foreigner, can this person work in Vietnam?

Tourist visas are issued to foreigners entering Vietnam for the purposes specified in Clause 17 Article 8 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014 as follows:

Visa symbol

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17. DL - Issued to people going on vacation.

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Thus, the DL visa type is issued to foreigners entering Vietnam for tourism purposes.

And if granted a tourist visa, foreigners will not be allowed to work in Vietnam because it is not suitable for the purpose of entering Vietnam.

Can a tourist visa issued to foreigners be converted to a work visa?

Can a tourist visa issued to foreigners be converted to a work visa? It depends on that Clause 4 Article 7 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014

Form and validity of visa

1. Visas are issued in passports, separately or via electronic transactions. Visas issued through electronic transactions are electronic visas.

2. Visas are issued separately to each person, except in the following cases:

a) Issuing visas according to parents or guardians for children under 14 years old sharing a passport with their parents or guardians;

b) Issuing visas according to the immigration management agency's personnel approval list for foreigners visiting or traveling by sea or transiting by sea who wish to enter the inland to visit or travel according to the law. program organized by international travel businesses in Vietnam; members of foreign military ships following the official program of visits outside the province or centrally run city where the ship or boat is anchored.

3. Visa is valid once or multiple times; Visas issued for the cases specified in Point b, Clause 2 of this Article are valid once.

4. Visa purposes cannot be changed, except in the following cases:

a) Have documents proving that you are an investor or representative of a foreign organization investing in Vietnam according to the provisions of Vietnamese law;

b) Have documents proving the relationship as father, mother, wife, husband, child with the inviting or sponsoring individual;

c) Invited or sponsored by an agency or organization to work and have a work permit or confirmation that they are not subject to a work permit according to the provisions of labor law;

d) Enter with an electronic visa and have a work permit or confirmation that you are not subject to a work permit according to labor laws.

In the case of Clause 4 above, the visa purpose will be changed, which means a new visa will be issued with the symbol and duration appropriate to the purpose of conversion.