Remote working

GuestPoster319Guest16 December 2023 05:26:56

Hi everyone,

I鈥檓 a British national in Vietnam on a TRC because my wife is working here.

I鈥檝e been offered a self employed independent contract role with an Australian company, where I can work remotely. The company is doing no business in Vietnam and does not have intentions of doing any business here.

My role will be a combination of doing technical development and management of consulting & training services, and traveling to clients outside of Vietnam as needed to deliver training etc.

I have been reading what I can find about work permits, tax and digital nomads. From what I understand, I will be liable for income tax on worldwide income, which is fine. Where it gets a little grey is work permits. It seems like digital nomads can work remotely from Vietnam without a work permit, they just need a valid entry visa and they can work remotely. They just can鈥檛 work for a Vietnamese entity.

My main concern is declaring income for tax purposes and then get into problems with authorities.

Would anyone be in a similar situation and could offer any advice.

Thanks in advance!

MangoDude New member

Member since 11 June 2021

MangoDudeNew member16 December 2023 06:01:47

Hello there Oliver,

Must be the Oliver from the corner bar hahahaha - How's Bui Vien treating you?聽 LOL

No?聽聽Sorry if not.聽

Back on topic,聽 you'll be fine, Oliver.聽聽But find a good accountant, and confirm.聽 The accountant shouldn't charge you more than a couple hundred backs.聽

As as aside, I would add that I bet that most digital nomads don't pay any tax (i.e., YouTubers, etc.).聽聽It's a bit of a grey zone, because if that income had been taxed elsewhere, then Vietnam will not double-tax it.聽 Vietnam has tax treaties with a lot of western countries.聽 In other words, you could declare your income at home (and then pay less tax probably), but still receive it in Vietnam.聽 Personally, if I had an account abroad, I would opt for that route.

GuestPoster319 Guest

GuestPoster319Guest17 December 2023 05:59:57

Thanks MangoDude!

Im a different Oliver, but please pass on my regards when you next bump into him.

MangoDude New member

Member since 11 June 2021

MangoDudeNew member17 December 2023 09:05:52

LOL riiiight,

No proble, Oliver Mellor.

tomekindie New member

Member since 14 May 2021

tomekindieNew member18 December 2023 06:17:53

@olivermellors80 Working as a digital nomad in Vietnam is a bit of a grey area. Based on your post, I assume that you are currently on a dependent visa with a TRC. 锘�

If you plan to stay in Vietnam long term, you may want to consider opening a local consulting company and using it to enter into a cross-border service agreement with the Australian company. The main benefits of that solution are making sure that you are staying and working in Vietnam legally, clarifying your tax situation, and enabling you to receive money from abroad easily.聽

However, it is important to keep in mind that having a business in Vietnam requires certain investments and paperwork.

Kindly note that the above is for information purpose only and does not constitute legal advice.

Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

ajairon Contributor

Member since 01 June 2022

ajaironContributor18 December 2023 17:29:33

134

@olivermellors80聽聽the right answer to your question is where/how do you receive your payroll. I will asume you're contracted and receiving payrolls in Australia, so don't worry about taxes while you were using only Vietnamese Financial Systems to bring your money (credit card, dedit card, etc), that is your way of paying your taxes and proving your money is lawfuly . Avoid as much as possible to use friend's vietnamese bank accounts to receive remittances in your behalf.聽 Vietnam has good聽 money flows control and that is one of its keys why this country is safety.

Work Permit is mainly designed to guarantee expats are not displacing locals, and that is not your case.