The Vietnamese government has recently passed a major legal amendment that officially allows foreigners and overseas Vietnamese to hold dual nationality, aimed at attracting technical talents to work and settle in Vietnam. This is one of the most influential reforms in Vietnam in the last 40 years.
According to Nikkei Asia, the new law eliminates the previous requirement to renounce original nationality and no longer mandates applicants to have Vietnamese language skills or a minimum residency period. These relaxed measures significantly lower the threshold for technical talents and overseas Vietnamese to acquire citizenship.
The Vietnamese government states that this move is an important step towards achieving a technological breakthrough by 2030, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Vietnam also plans to become a high-income country by 2045.
On June 30, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Su Lin, called for more overseas Vietnamese to return and develop the country, stating "the homeland always opens its doors."
Despite previous security concerns about dual nationality, Vietnam now faces the challenge of talent repatriation amid the wave of globalization. According to official statistics, about 6 million Vietnamese live abroad, mainly in the US, France, Australia, Japan, and Korea, many of whom work for global tech giants.
Previously, dual nationals faced restrictions in Vietnam in opening bank accounts, buying property, and enjoying benefits, and foreigners also faced barriers in visas and land use rights.
This reform also amends the processes for name registration and explicitly proposes four special mechanisms: relaxing nationality restrictions, providing housing and land use rights, improving salary conditions, and enhancing the living and working conditions for technical talents.
However, Vietnamese military, police, and security personnel are still required to have a single nationality, with exceptions only in special circumstances. The implementation of this policy marks Vietnam's open attitude towards welcoming the global talent wave.
