Three Vietnamese cities among world's fastest-growing destinations for digital nomads

The central beach city of Da Nang ranked second on the list after Japan's Tokyo, witnessing a 109% growth of digital nomads in 2023, according to Nomad List, the biggest crowdsourced database of remote workers around the world.

Hanoi came in seven with a growth of 58%, and HCMC ninth at 55%.

Da Nang is considered Vietnam's third most important city after Hanoi and HCMC and offers free wi-fi in the downtown area with fast internet speeds.

The monthly cost of living for a nomad in Da Nang was $942.

Known for its long, sandy beaches, Da Nang is often used as a springboard to access three worldwide famous heritage sites – the Hue Imperial Capital, My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An City.

Hanoi and HCMC where free wi-fi services are available in public places were rated as politically safe destinations by digital nomads.

Meanwhile, the cost of living in Hanoi was $1,289 a month and HCMC at $1,157.

Tokyo took the top spot as the fastest-growing destination for digital nomads with a growth of 246% this year.

Seoul came in third, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

To compile the list, experts at Nomad List ranked the fastest-growing remote work hubs by analyzing nearly 300,000 check-ins on their database over the last two years.

Vietnam has not yet launched a visa specifically for digital nomads.

Citizens of almost 200 countries can easily apply for online tourist visas and stay in Vietnam for up to 90 days.

In Southeast Asia, only Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia offer special visa programs for foreigners to work remotely with certain requirements.