Vietnam has a fast-growing base of developers, agencies and online sellers serving clients abroad, especially around Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The recurring blocker is billing in USD and getting approved on Stripe from a local account. A US LLC gives you a real US entity, a USD business account and Stripe access, opened remotely from anywhere in Vietnam.
Why Vietnamese entrepreneurs open a US LLC
- Get paid in USD from clients worldwide, straight into a US business account.
- Unlock Stripe and PayPal with a real US entity, the single biggest blocker for Vietnamese online businesses.
- Project trust to US and European clients who prefer to contract with a US company.
Vietnamese tax and the US position
Vietnam taxes tax residents on their income, so the LLC does not remove your local reporting; you still declare your earnings at home. One point worth being precise about is that the US-Vietnam tax treaty has been signed but is not in force, so you should not count on treaty relief. The practical argument stays the same: keep clean records, declare locally, and lean on the standard US non-resident rules rather than a treaty.
On the US side, a Vietnam-based owner whose US LLC has no US office, staff or dependent agent is generally not engaged in a US trade or business, so the LLC pays 0% US federal income tax on its profits. The recurring US filing is the annual mandatory IRS filings, which we handle for you.
Your LLC in four steps
- Choose your state (Wyoming or New Mexico for most online businesses).
- We file your formation and obtain your EIN without an SSN.
- Open your US bank account and Stripe remotely.
- Stay compliant with mandatory IRS filings and the annual report, handled for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a US-Vietnam tax treaty I can use?
A treaty has been signed but is not yet in force, so do not rely on treaty relief. The LLC's 0% US position rests on the standard non-resident rules instead.
Do I still report income in Vietnam?
Yes. Vietnam taxes residents on their income, so you keep declaring locally. The LLC handles how you get paid, not your Vietnamese tax residency.
Form your US LLC from Vietnam with everything included from the first payment: formation, EIN, US bank account and compliance.
