What changed: Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, covering foreign workers in Vietnam, took effect on 7 August 2025, replacing the previous framework under Decree No. 152/2020/ND-CP (as amended by Decree No. 70/2023/ND-CP). Reported changes include:
- Faster decisions. The competent authority must decide on a work permit application within 10 working days of receiving a valid dossier, and must give a written explanation within 3 working days if it refuses.
- Longer short-term assignments. Foreign specialists can reportedly now work short-term assignments in Vietnam for up to 90 days per calendar year, up from a previous limit of 30 days (up to three times a year).
- New issuing authority. Work permits are now issued at the provincial People's Committee level rather than through DOLISA, following the Ministry of Labour's merger into the Ministry of Home Affairs on 1 March 2025 — so any guidance that still references DOLISA is outdated.
- A new exemption category for foreign workers certified by ministries, ministerial-level agencies or provincial People's Committees to work in specific fields.
Separately, a further change effective 10 September 2026 reportedly introduces new penalties specifically for employers that fail to submit, or submit late, mandatory work notifications for foreign employees — rules for most other violations are reported to stay broadly the same.
Who it affects: Anyone relocating to Vietnam on a sponsored work permit, and the Vietnamese employers sponsoring them. If your employer started your paperwork under the old process, it's worth confirming with them which rules now apply.
Practical relocation implications: If you're mid-process, ask your employer or immigration adviser to confirm which decree your application is being handled under, since the authority and timeline both changed. The relaxed 90-day short-term assignment window may also be relevant if you're testing out a move before committing to a full relocation.
On source quality: The decree's issuance is confirmed by Vietnam's official Government Portal and state media; this summary's specific procedural details (10-day timeline, 90-day short-term limit, new exemption category) come from immigration law firm summaries, not a verified read of the full official bilingual text, which sits behind a subscription paywall at the time of writing. Treat the general direction of these changes as reliable and the specific figures as needing confirmation.
This is informational, not legal advice. Work permit rules are detailed and change; confirm your specific situation with your employer, a qualified immigration lawyer, or Vietnam's Ministry of Home Affairs before relying on any detail here.