Hello and welcome to this week’s VN Foreigner Brief. This paid edition looks at several policy and regulatory developments that affect daily life for foreigners in Vietnam, from health care and transport to digital rules, road safety, education oversight, and citizenship pathways. While these changes span different sectors, together they point to a more structured and actively managed environment for residents and long term visitors.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Vietnam is preparing a major overhaul of its health care system for the 2026–2030 period, with a focus on improving quality, efficiency, and patient centered care. The plan includes developing a nationwide pre hospital emergency care network, expanding high tech clinical centers, and promoting medical tourism so advanced treatments can be provided locally rather than overseas.

The reforms are a response to rising demand, demographic changes such as an aging population, and higher public expectations around service quality and response times.

Vietnam News reported on the government’s long term health care strategy here.

Hanoi’s city government has proposed stopping passenger trains from running through the narrow railway section known as “railway café street” in the Old Quarter. Under the plan, southbound trains would terminate at Hanoi Station and northbound trains at Gia Lam Station, keeping trains off the café lined stretch.

Officials cite safety concerns, heritage preservation, and urban renewal around Long Bien Bridge as key motivations.

Vietnam News covered the proposal and the city’s reasoning here.

Vietnam will enforce new digital advertising rules from 15 February 2026 under Decree 342/2025. The regulation requires online video and animated ads to be skippable within five seconds, while static image ads must be dismissible immediately. Pop up ads must include clear close controls, and platforms are required to remove illegal ads quickly and provide reporting tools for users.

The rules apply to platforms, advertisers, and publishers operating in Vietnam. VietnamNet reported on the regulation and its implementation timeline here.

Amendments to Vietnam’s nationality law, effective from July 2025, have significantly expanded eligibility for Vietnamese citizenship. The changes allow spouses, children, parents, and even grandchildren of Vietnamese citizens to apply under more flexible conditions. In some cases, language, residency, or financial requirements are reduced or waived.

The law also permits hybrid Vietnamese and foreign names, allows dual citizenship in defined circumstances, and includes provisions designed to attract investors and skilled specialists.

Tuoi Tre reported on the amended law and its implications here.

Vietnam’s push to make English a second language nationwide continues to reshape the education sector. A TESOL Ho Chi Minh City leader recently discussed opportunities and challenges tied to this expansion, including working conditions, resource gaps, and strategies such as team teaching and flipped classrooms.

Tuoi Tre reported on the discussion here.

At the same time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has ordered schools running linked or international programs to review teachers’ legal documents and qualifications. This includes certificates, pedagogical credentials, and permits, after inspections found some teachers holding certificates without officially recognized teaching qualifications.

Đời sống pháp luật covered the directive here.

Taken together, these developments show a clear pattern. Vietnam is continuing to modernise systems that affect daily life, while also tightening oversight and formalising standards.

For foreigners living in Vietnam, this likely means better services over time, clearer rules, and fewer grey areas, but also less tolerance for informal practices. Improvements in health care and digital regulation may enhance quality of life, while stricter enforcement in areas like driving, education credentials, and documentation increases the importance of compliance.

For teachers and long term residents, staying informed and keeping paperwork in order is becoming more important than ever. Thank you for supporting VN Foreigner Brief and feel free to share it with others to keep this project going.