Yes, Vietnam does allow dual citizenship, and as of 2025 it allows it on much broader terms than at any point in the last four decades. The National Assembly amended the Law on Vietnamese Nationality that year to remove the longstanding requirement that naturalized citizens give up their existing citizenship, opening the door for foreign nationals, returning overseas Vietnamese, and former citizens to hold two passports at once. A single-nationality principle still shapes some corners of the system, but the default has shifted.
What the 2025 Amendments Changed
Before 2025, the Law on Vietnamese Nationality treated Vietnamese citizens as holding a single nationality unless a narrow exception applied. Article 4 of Law No. 24/2008/QH12 stated that “the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam recognizes that Vietnamese citizens have a single nationality, Vietnamese nationality, unless it is otherwise provided for by this Law.”1International Labour Organization (ILO). Law on Vietnamese Nationality Exceptions existed for overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses, and people the government judged valuable to national development, but naturalizing generally meant renouncing your other citizenship.
The 2025 amendments changed several things at once:
- Naturalization applicants no longer have to renounce an existing foreign citizenship.
- The Vietnamese language proficiency requirement has been dropped.
- Minimum residency prerequisites have been relaxed.
- Restrictions on adopting a Vietnamese name at naturalization have been loosened.
The stated goal is to attract global talent and reconnect with Vietnamese communities abroad. The amended law aligns with Resolution 57-NQ/TW, a Communist Party directive calling for a special naturalization mechanism to bring skilled professionals into the country’s technology and science sectors.2Government News. Application for Vietnamese Nationality Detailed implementing regulations are still being developed.
Who Can Hold Both Nationalities
Several categories of people qualify, some already recognized under the 2008 law and Decree No. 16/2020/ND-CP, others expanded by the recent amendments.
Overseas Vietnamese who never lost their citizenship. Vietnamese nationals living abroad who did not formally renounce their citizenship, and whose citizenship has not been revoked, can hold both Vietnamese and foreign nationality. Registration through Vietnamese embassies or consulates has historically been used to confirm retention of status.3Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States. Instructions for Registration to Retain Vietnamese Citizenship
Foreign spouses of Vietnamese citizens. A person married to a Vietnamese citizen can apply for naturalization and, with government approval, keep the original foreign nationality.
People with outstanding contributions. Individuals who have made significant contributions to Vietnam’s development and defense can be naturalized while keeping their foreign nationality, subject to Presidential approval. This route is aimed at professionals in science, technology, economics, and other strategically important fields.1International Labour Organization (ILO). Law on Vietnamese Nationality
Children born abroad to Vietnamese parents. A child born outside Vietnam to two Vietnamese-citizen parents acquires Vietnamese nationality automatically at birth. Vietnam does not itself recognize the child’s other nationality under its own law, but it does not require parents to take steps to renounce the foreign citizenship the child holds under the other country’s rules.
Former Vietnamese citizens seeking restoration. People who previously held Vietnamese nationality and lost it can apply to have it restored. The 2025 amendments broadened eligibility for keeping a current foreign citizenship at the same time.
Where Dual Citizenship Is Still Off the Table
Security-sensitive positions in the military, police, and government still require exclusive Vietnamese citizenship, with few exceptions. If you hold one of those roles or plan to seek one, you will need to choose one nationality. For everyone else, the new default is that you no longer have to.
Border Crossings on Two Passports
If you become a dual citizen, plan your travel with one rule in mind: enter and exit Vietnam on the same passport. If you enter on your Vietnamese passport, exit on it. If you enter on your foreign passport with a visa, exit on that one.4U.S. Department of State. Vietnam International Travel Information Mixing them at the border creates problems that are avoidable with a little planning.
There is a more consequential nuance. Vietnamese authorities treat Vietnamese citizenship as primary, even for someone who also holds a U.S., Australian, or other foreign passport. That affects the consular help your other country can provide if you are detained or caught up in a legal dispute inside Vietnam. The U.S. State Department specifically warns dual nationals that their foreign embassy may have limited ability to intervene.4U.S. Department of State. Vietnam International Travel Information Your Vietnamese passport should also have at least six months of validity from your planned return date.
Property Rights
Property is one of the main practical reasons overseas Vietnamese pursue dual citizenship. Under the 2024 Land Law, Vietnamese citizens living abroad have full land-related rights equal to domestic residents, including land allocation, land lease, recognition of land use rights, and issuance of land use rights certificates. There is no cap on the number of homes a Vietnamese citizen abroad can own, and land use rights are stable and long-term.
People of Vietnamese origin who are not Vietnamese citizens can buy or lease homes attached to residential land use rights, inherit residential land, and receive land use rights in housing development projects, but their rights are more limited, especially for commercial property. Foreigners with no Vietnamese connection can own a home for a maximum of 50 years (renewable) and are restricted to commercial housing projects. Confirmed Vietnamese nationality removes those ceilings.
Tax Residency Cuts Across Citizenship
Holding a Vietnamese passport does not by itself make you a Vietnamese taxpayer, and losing it does not by itself get you out. Tax residency turns on physical presence and living arrangements. You are a tax resident if you spend 183 days or more in Vietnam within a calendar year or any consecutive 12-month period, maintain a registered permanent or temporary residence there, or rent a home in Vietnam under a lease of 183 days or more and cannot prove tax residency in another country.
Tax residents owe Vietnamese personal income tax on worldwide income, regardless of where it is earned or paid.5Ministry of Justice’s portal. Law on Vietnamese Nationality Non-residents pay a flat rate only on income earned from working in Vietnam or on Vietnam-sourced income. If you split time between countries, track your days. Being tax resident in Vietnam and in your other country at the same time can create double-taxation exposure, and Vietnam’s tax treaties may or may not fully resolve it, depending on the country involved.
Banking ID Changes in 2026
One rule change catches returning dual citizens off guard. Starting January 1, 2026, Vietnamese banks will no longer accept passports as valid identification for any domestic banking transaction, including payments, cash withdrawals, and card services.6Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus). Vietnam to Stop Accepting Passports for Banking Transactions From January 1, 2026 Under circulars issued by the State Bank of Vietnam, customers must use a chip-based citizen identity card (CCCD), a standard national ID card, or a level-2 electronic identification, and banks will require biometric authentication.
Overseas Vietnamese can apply for a chip-based CCCD, but the application requires a trip to Vietnam. If you manage Vietnamese accounts using a passport, handle the ID switch before the transition date.
Military Service
Vietnam maintains compulsory military service for male citizens, and acquiring or reacquiring Vietnamese nationality triggers the obligation in principle. Overseas Vietnamese who gain or restore citizenship later in life are typically exempt because of age, but younger male dual citizens residing in Vietnam could face conscription. If the age band applies to you, confirm your status with the local military service office rather than assuming an exemption.
How to Apply and What It Costs
Applicants living in Vietnam file their dossier at the provincial-level Department of Justice where they reside.5Ministry of Justice’s portal. Law on Vietnamese Nationality Applicants abroad submit through the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Filing by mail alone is not enough; expect an in-person visit or use of the embassy’s designated procedures.
The core dossier includes an application for Vietnamese nationality, a curriculum vitae, proof of former or current Vietnamese citizenship (birth certificate, expired Vietnamese passport, household registration book, or military service record), a valid foreign passport or naturalization certificate, and proof of residence. Foreign-issued documents generally need to be notarized, authenticated by the issuing state’s authority, and legalized by the Vietnamese embassy before submission,7Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States of America. Legalization and any foreign-language document must be translated into Vietnamese with a verified or authenticated signature.
The consular fee tariff lists naturalization at $250 per person and restoration of nationality at $200.8Vietnamese Embassy in Sofia. Consular Charge and Fee Tariff Amounts can vary slightly by mission, so confirm with the embassy or consulate handling your file. Those fees sit on top of notarization and authentication costs. After acceptance, your file goes to Vietnam for background verification, a step that generally takes three to six months and can run longer for complex or incomplete cases.9Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States. How to Apply for a Vietnamese Passport for the First Time