Living in Biên Hòa, Vietnam
Biên Hòa is a large coastal city in Dong Nai, Vietnam (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 27°C over the year with about 2,080 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,291 a month to live centrally, and Vietnam sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Vietnam is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €2,291
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 27°C
- 2,080 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 62/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~130 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Biên Hòa
- Warmer than 92% of the cities we track
- Wet: about 2,080 mm of rain a year
- On or near the sea
Climate
Biên Hòa averages 27°C across the year with about 2,080 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 92% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,291 a month to live centrally in Biên Hòa, 16% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 78% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Healthcare
Vietnam scores 60 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 27% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Vietnam.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work-permit temporary residence card or the DT investor visa, since Vietnam has no retirement, passive-income, or digital-nomad route and its touted 10-year golden visa remains an unenacted proposal.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Vietnam:
- Investment: about $114k (Vietnam DT3 investor visa, capital contribution VND 3 billion (lowest tier granting a multi-year temporary residence card), converted at 26,348.5 VND/USD; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 27 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 171 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Vietnamese. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 60 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Vietnam sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Biên Hòa in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
Vietnam scores 62 out of 100 on safety, safer than 55% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.7 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Vietnam. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Vietnam runs at about 130 Mbps, faster than 49% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Biên Hòa
Is Biên Hòa a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Biên Hòa scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare, English and political stability. Expect a warm, very wet climate (27°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Biên Hòa and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Biên Hòa?
We estimate about €2,291 a month for a couple living centrally, 16% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Biên Hòa?
Vietnam is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Biên Hòa in their results.
Can foreigners live in Vietnam long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work-permit temporary residence card or the DT investor visa, since Vietnam has no retirement, passive-income, or digital-nomad route and its touted 10-year golden visa remains an unenacted proposal. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $114k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Biên Hòa?
Biên Hòa averages 27°C across the year with about 2,080 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 92% of the cities we track.
Cities like Biên Hòa
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Biên Hòa
Moving to Vietnam as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.