Getting paid from Vietnam
Stripe does not list Vietnam among its supported countries, and Shopify Payments is not available there. PayPal works: Vietnamese accounts can receive money and withdraw to a local bank for a fixed fee of 60,000 dong, with 3% added when dollars are converted.
A US LLC with its EIN and a US business bank account can apply for US Stripe and receive card payments from customers worldwide, paid out in dollars. Stripe reviews each business and decides itself. Before any money goes from Vietnam into the LLC, though, read the next section.
At home
Outward investment: register first
Putting capital into a foreign company is outward investment under Vietnamese law. Since 1 March 2026 the Law on Investment 2025 (No. 143/2025/QH15) applies, with Decree 103/2026/ND-CP. The Ministry of Finance, which took over the former Ministry of Planning and Investment in 2025, issues the Certificate of Outward Investment Registration.
- Projects of VND 7 billion or more, or in conditional sectors such as banking, insurance, securities, press, radio and television, and real estate, need the certificate.
- Smaller projects outside those sectors do not need the certificate, but the foreign exchange transaction must still be registered under the State Bank of Vietnam's rules before the money moves.
- Within 60 days after the investment is approved or registered in the host country, in this case the US state approving the LLC, the investor reports it to the Vietnamese authorities.
These rules apply to individuals as well as companies. Your bank will not send capital abroad without the right registration, so arrange it with your bank and a tax adviser before the first transfer.
Vietnamese tax
Vietnamese tax residents are subject to personal income tax on their worldwide income. How profit from a US LLC is taxed in Vietnam, and when, depends on the facts. The outward investment rules also cover how profits are used abroad and brought back to Vietnam; the Government sets those details, so check the current requirement with your adviser.
Bringing money home
Profits sent from the LLC to Vietnam come in through your bank, normally tied to the outward investment you registered. Keep the LLC's statements and your registration documents together; the bank and the tax authority may ask for both.
The US side is the same for everyone
Where you live does not change the US part. It is done online, without travelling, without a US address and without an SSN.
- Choose a state: Wyoming or New Mexico for low running costs, Delaware if you plan to raise money from investors.
- The formation document is filed with a registered agent in that state, within 48 hours.
- The EIN is requested from the IRS as soon as the state approves. No SSN or ITIN is needed.
- You get the operating agreement that banks and payment providers ask for.
- With those documents you apply for a US business bank account, for example at Mercury.
- Every year: the registered agent, the state's annual report where there is one, and Form 5472 for a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person.
Which state?
With no people or premises in the US you can choose any state. Most founders abroad choose on yearly cost and speed.
Sources checked on November 2, 2026
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; check your own situation with a tax adviser in Vietnam before you form the LLC.
