To attract more highly skilled professionals, investors, scientists, and experts, the National Assembly and the Government of Vietnam have introduced major changes in national policy and development strategy through extensive legal reforms.

Source: nextshark.com

In particular, National Assembly adopted Law on amendments to Laws on Vietnamese Nationality which takes effect from 1 July 2025. According to this new law, foreign spouses of Vietnamese nationals need not demonstrate residency, language proficiency, and financial capacity to obtain Vietnamese citizenship.[1] The Vietnamese government aims to attract a greater influx of skilled professionals, investors, scientists, and experts through its latest legal reforms.

A key development in the revised legislation is the provision for certain applicants to retain dual citizenship. Individuals with Vietnamese’s relatvies may be eligible, provided they obtain approval from the President.[2] In addition, overseas applicants will be able to submit their applications via Vietnamese’s embassies and consulates.[3]

The amended law also introduces greater flexibility in naming conventions. While those granted Vietnamese citizenship are still required to adopt a name from the Vietnamese or an officially recognized ethnic group, dual nationals will now be allowed to incorporate both their original name and a Vietnamese name in official documentation.[4]

DISCLAIMER 

This LBN newsletter is NOT legal advice. Readers are advised to retain a qualified lawyer, should they wish to seek legal advice. VCI Legal is certainly among those and happy to be retained, yet VCI Legal is not to be hold responsible should any reader choose to interpret/apply the regulations after reading this LBN without engaging a qualified lawyer. 

References:

[1] Law on amendments to Laws on Vietnamese Nationality, Article 1.5. 

[2] Law on amendments to Laws on Vietnamese Nationality, Article 1.5. 

[3] Law on amendments to Laws on Vietnamese Nationality, Article 1.7.

[4] Law on amendments to Laws on Vietnamese Nationality, Article 1.5.

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VCI Legal is an award-winning business law firm in Vietnam with a wide range of legal and corporate services, among other things, corporate, banking & finance, tax, labor & HR, real estate and dispute resolution with special focus on international investment disputes, We also offer our specialized type of service called “In-House Counsel Service” with the aim of assisting our clients in dealing with all types of internal and external issues arising from their day-to-day operations and business activities. With our offices in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, we have a tremendous depth of experience in providing well-reasoned and comprehensive legal advice to not only multinationals and Fortune 500 companies, but also small and medium enterprises.

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For many years, VCI Legal has been ranked among the top law firms in Vietnam for corporate, finance, insurance, taxation, employment, intellectual property and investment. With a “Can Do Attitude” combined with a “Know How” capacity, our firm is big enough to provide comprehensive legal support for any in-house legal matters, yet small enough to care about each of our clients. We undertake each engagement with the mindset of a long-term relationship, with the will to give whatever it takes to understand and fulfill your needs.

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