Vietnam
Vietnam offers very different experiences depending on where you decide to base yourself. Ho Chi Minh City delivers the pace and convenience of a major Asian metropolis, Da Nang combines city life with the coast, Hanoi brings a completely different northern atmosphere, while places such as Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc and Hue offer their own versions of long-stay travel and everyday life. Our Vietnam guides focus on expat life, remote work, coworking, city comparisons, seasonal travel and what it actually feels like to spend more than a short holiday in the country.
Vietnam for Expats, Remote Workers and Long-Stay Travellers
Vietnam is one of those countries where the experience changes dramatically depending on the city you choose. Ho Chi Minh City offers cafés, international services, a large social scene and the energy of a major commercial centre. Da Nang attracts people who want easier access to the coast and a slower daily rhythm, while Hanoi combines the scale of a capital with a very different climate, street culture and urban character.
For people considering a longer stay, practical questions quickly become more important than sightseeing. Where do foreigners actually live? Which cities have reliable internet and enough places to work with a laptop? How expensive is everyday life once accommodation, transport and food are included? And which destinations still make sense during months when weather conditions are less predictable?
The City Theory’s Vietnam hub is designed around those everyday questions. As the collection grows, it will bring together guides to expat neighbourhoods, coworking spaces, remote work, city comparisons, cost of living, culture and seasonal travel rather than treating Vietnam as one single destination.
Where Do Expats Live in Vietnam?
A practical look at the Vietnamese cities and neighbourhoods foreigners most often choose for longer-term living, including how destinations differ in everyday convenience, lifestyle and expat communities.
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Expat Life
Which City in Vietnam Makes Sense for You?
Ho Chi Minh City makes sense for people who want a large international city, plenty of cafés and restaurants, a stronger professional and social scene and easy access to everyday services. The trade-off is traffic, noise and the intensity of living in one of Southeast Asia’s busiest urban environments.
Da Nang attracts a different type of expat and remote worker. The city is smaller, the beach is part of everyday life and settling into a routine can feel easier. Hanoi offers another major-city option but with a very different atmosphere, while Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat and Phu Quoc appeal to people looking for slower or more destination-specific versions of life in Vietnam.
These differences are why future Vietnam guides will focus increasingly on individual cities rather than treating the country as one lifestyle. Cost, weather, transport, internet access, social life and access to coworking can change significantly from one destination to another.
Free Co-working Spaces in Ho Chi Minh City
Laptop-friendly cafés and practical places where remote workers can spend several hours working without paying for a traditional coworking membership.
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Is Da Nang Worth Visiting in September?
A seasonal look at weather, changing rain risk, crowds and whether September matches the kind of Da Nang trip you actually want.
Read the guide →Living in Vietnam Is More Than Choosing a Cheap City
Vietnam is frequently described as affordable, but monthly cost alone does not tell you whether a destination will actually work for your lifestyle. A lower rent can become less useful if you constantly need taxis, struggle to find suitable workspaces or end up living far from the areas where you spend most of your time.
Remote workers also need to think differently from conventional travellers. Reliable internet, comfortable cafés, coworking options, accommodation suitable for working from home and the ability to build a normal weekday routine matter far more when you are staying for a month or longer.
Seasonal differences are another major part of the experience. Vietnam stretches across several climate zones, so weather in Da Nang can be very different from conditions in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi during the same month. Future city guides will therefore combine destination information with the practical realities of when you are actually planning to live or travel there.
What You’ll Find in Our Vietnam Guides
The Vietnam collection is organised around both topics and destinations. Current guides cover expat locations, coworking in Ho Chi Minh City and seasonal travel in Da Nang, while future coverage will expand into cost of living, neighbourhoods, remote work, culture and practical longer-term living.
Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are the first destinations represented with dedicated articles, but this hub is designed to grow into separate collections for Hanoi, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Hue and other parts of Vietnam as new stories are published.
The aim is to build a useful Vietnam country guide for people deciding where to live, work remotely or spend an extended period in the country, while making it easy to compare very different cities without relying on generic destination rankings.
