Hi all, Im interested in starting a business in vietnam or just having an active hobby, is the government in vietnam as anal as the thai government in relation to work permits. I recently read that if you don't have a work permit in vietnam and immigration approaches you that you tell them the paperwork is in progress, I believe if you don't have work permit in thai for whatever reason then you face jail or massive payout to immigration.

I enjoy working with tools and like doing restorations or building things, from my understanding this would be classified as working in thailand, I cant go drinking all day or playing golf.

Is there anyone out there thats clued up on this subject?

Well after a week there seems to be little info on this subject.

My info is that Vietnamese and Cambodian work permits are a work in progress, which may take time to sort out. Uncle Ho seems to have left a rather cumbersome legislative process to his nation, and as a result matters concerning foreigners, are not of much importance. You may note, that Vietnam is about the only country in Asean, not to accept, another Asean member's driving licence. There are lots of foreigners running businesses in Vietnam, however, it is normally not a good idea to compete with locals.

Your point about Thai work permits and immigration are noted and do happen. However, these are mostly shakedowns, as Immigration have no jurisdiction on work permits. These are controlled by dept of labour, who have their own inspection teams.

The US embassy in Viet Nam has a very helpful website. Go here for complete visa list. It's a start to your search.