setting up freelance activity in Vietnam

Tourist visa with renewals and occasional trips outside the country are easily your best bet.  I'm not sure why you're making plans about what problem "might" happen in the future.  Cross that bridge when you come to it.  For now, you can easily live in Vietnam and get paid without the VN government knowing anything about it.  This seems like a non-issue to me.

Border runs, to get a new visa, from Ha Noi involve a trip to NanNing, GuangXi Province, China. One day to get there, Visa hand in (Day 2) at the VN Consulate on the periphery of the city, Visa pick-up (Day 3), return to Ha Noi (Day 4).

You would, of course, need a Chinese visa.

As for money - have payments made to a bank OUTSIDE China - this means they handle the hard currency exchange problem.

If you have an American passport, remember the IRS is the new pain in the a*se. Bank with a small, domestic bank in whatever country you choose. The IRS 'agreement' affects only banks with offices in the USA. Other banks only need hand over data voluntarily.

Non-US passports don't attract IRS attention.

You can fly  from Vietnam into Laos. Then renew visa in Vientiane.

Guy, living in Vietnam and getting paid the international wage.... Just how much of a hog life do you plan to wallow in, anyway? :envy:

Jaitch wrote:

Border runs, to get a new visa, from Ha Noi involve a trip to NanNing, GuangXi Province, China. One day to get there, Visa hand in (Day 2) at the VN Consulate on the periphery of the city, Visa pick-up (Day 3), return to Ha Noi (Day 4).

You would, of course, need a Chinese visa.

As for money - have payments made to a bank OUTSIDE China - this means they handle the hard currency exchange problem.

If you have an American passport, remember the IRS is the new pain in the a*se. Bank with a small, domestic bank in whatever country you choose. The IRS 'agreement' affects only banks with offices in the USA. Other banks only need hand over data voluntarily.

Non-US passports don't attract IRS attention.

Thanks for the info. I'm with a German bank and I'm not sure they don't come ask questions when I get back. (e.g. "where did you make the money and where did you pay tax?"). Visas should be the least of my worries I guess as I can stay nine months at a time (2 extensions of a 3-month visa and then a run to Thailand or Cambodia or who knows where). The main issue here is: how often will they allow me to apply for new visas and extensions? I.e. how much actual time will I be able to stay in the country?

@ParadiseCruiser, re: hog life- It's not that I don't want to pay tax, just not in a country I don't live in. Also I will need to work night shifts (starting at 3 am) so I feel I'm entitled to a higher salary. Less than half would remain if I were to be taxed in Europe. Thirdly, I'd have to fly and travel to HK and China a lot which means my salary would quickly dwindle. But yes you'e right, it wouldn't be a bad life, but one can't be blamed for trying to maximise profit.

BTW, Jaitch, Lao Cai - Hekou is a better option to renew your visa. There are offices in Hekou, Yunnan, China that will give you a visa in as little as 2 hours provided you hand over your passport to them before 4pm on a Vietnamese work day (i.e. they run across the border with your passport, have it processed and run back). I think you could do it in 24 hours from Hanoi if you have a Chinese visa.

bluppfisk wrote:

Hi

My future employer has agreed to pay me EUR 5000 a month for freelance work which will need to be carried out in a country or region bordering China. Since they do not wish to hire me as a staff member, this money will be paid into a bank account somewhere around the world.

Since I have a Hanoian girlfriend, I'm tempted to move to Hanoi and set up there. However, until I marry her, there will be no chance for me to legally live there and earn the money. I could set up in Europe again, but the tax and social contributions are too high for it to remain profitable. Setting up a Hong Kong offshore company would be a good option, but that won't entitle me to residency in Vietnam. Any ideas? Is it at all possible to gain residency without marrying my girlfriend?

Or will I have to get 3-month tourist visa, extend them to a total of 9 months and then leave the country every so often. In your views, is this sustainable? I.e. what's the chance of the government one day saying I'm not allowed back in?

Any other tips?

Holy chainsaws BatMan!!!

For our many Vietnamese readers, 5'000 Euros a month.
Is the same as $6'600 USD a month.
Or 140'000'000 VND a month

This is a really sweet deal. bluppfisk is in Vietnam and investing with this available cash each month.

Step forward Vietnamese readers,this man needs some help.

bluppfisk wrote:

BTW, Jaitch, Lao Cai - Hekou is a better option to renew your visa. There are offices in Hekou, Yunnan, China that will give you a visa in as little as 2 hours provided you hand over your passport to them before 4pm on a Vietnamese work day (i.e. they run across the border with your passport, have it processed and run back). I think you could do it in 24 hours from Hanoi if you have a Chinese visa.

I think you will find the VietNam Consulate is in KunMing.

Consulate General
No. 507, Hong Ta Mansion.
1 No. 155 BeiJing Road, KunMing, China
Zip: 65001
Tel:  +0086-871-3522669
Email:http://www. tlsqcm@yahoo.com
Web: [www.vietnamconsulate-kunming.org/en/]

The Consulate will not issue a visa renewal unless you have an EXIT visa from VietNam and a corresponding ENTRY visa from China. This requires your body cross the border with the passport. Visas for China have to be obtained in Ha Noi for most Westerners. Same stamping requirement required for all Foreigners using land borders.

Vietnamese and Chinese living in designated wards/phuong are allowed to cross at other hours - but there police to check your ID.

The road journey (railway sank into the river) takes 12 hours each way. HeKou does not have an airport. There is a time differential of ONE HOUR between China and VietNam. The Lai Cai border point closes for visa carrying people at 18.00H. (I was there late last year)

The Consulate I use, inconvenient for Ha Noi, issues visa renewals in about 10 minutes.

Next point?

Jaitch wrote:

bluppfisk wrote:

BTW, Jaitch, Lao Cai - Hekou is a better option to renew your visa. There are offices in Hekou, Yunnan, China that will give you a visa in as little as 2 hours provided you hand over your passport to them before 4pm on a Vietnamese work day (i.e. they run across the border with your passport, have it processed and run back). I think you could do it in 24 hours from Hanoi if you have a Chinese visa.

I think you will find the VietNam Consulate is in KunMing.

Consulate General
No. 507, Hong Ta Mansion.
1 No. 155 BeiJing Road, KunMing, China
Zip: 65001
Tel:  +0086-871-3522669
Email:http://www. tlsqcm@yahoo.com
Web: [http://www.vietnamconsulate-kunming.org/en/]

The Consulate will not issue a visa renewal unless you have an EXIT visa from VietNam and a corresponding ENTRY visa from China. This requires your body cross the border with the passport. Visas for China have to be obtained in Ha Noi for most Westerners.

The road journey (railway sank into the river) takes 12 hours each way. HeKou does not have an airport. There is a time differential of ONE HOUR between China and VietNam. The Lai Cai border point closes for visa carrying people at 18.00H. (I was there late last year)

The Consulate I use, inconvenient for Ha Noi, issues visa renewals in about 10 minutes.

Next point?

@jimbream: yes but I'm also taking a big risk since this money cannot be taxed in Vietnam (no right to work). So the only way to cash in would be to pay tax in my home country which doesn't leave quite that much. I realise it would still be more than enough to live large in Vietnam but as expat packages go, it's not a particularly great one. This is because a lot of expats don't necessarily _want_ to move but they are persuaded with cash. Also I would normally be posted in Hong Kong in which case it's a rather meager package.

This is getting a little off-topic, but if you don't want to spend money flying to Kunming (no direct flights), you could take the bus (8 hrs from Hanoi to Lao Cai) and arrive at 3pm, book a night train and cross the border. The travel agency that will deal with VN visas in Hekou is right at the other side of the bridge. Get your visa done, the Hekou > Lao Cai border is open until 8pm (did it a few weeks ago), board your night train and you're back around 6am in Hanoi. 22 hours. I've lived in Yunnan province for the last three years and have been to VN many times; this is definitely the fastest way to get from Kunming to Vietnam (unless you fly via Nanning/Guangzhou/HK and have your third party visa invitation ready beforehand).

worldofnonging.com/2014/02/getting-vietnamese-visa-at-hekou/

If I read you correctly, your employer is IN China. Will he pay you in RMB or Euro? This affects the exchange method you have to use.

RMB can be exchanged outside CN in HongKong and in Ha Noi (unofficially) but 5,000 is a lot to exchange this way. Importers dealing with CN can use RMB.

I may have been unclear about this. My employer would be in the EU and would pay in Euro to any bank that accepts wire transfers from EU countries

Set up an account in Europe with HSBC and auto deposit it.  Use their ATMs in Vietnam...no cost to you for withdrawals at an HSBC machine; That or open an account in Vietnam when you get here.
Visa's are the least of your worries.  If you plan on actually getting married, your girlfriend can sponsor you if I remember correct for up to 90 days...then get a 5 year visa. 
I'd fly to Laos for a couple days...nice place to visit and get away to.  Good Luck