Hire Remote Staff in Vietnam

Why hire in Vietnam

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian technology market that small businesses most often consider for software development, QA and mobile work. The Ministry of Science and Technology reported that the country had 80,052 active digital technology firms in 2025, up 10 percent on 2024. That count covers the whole digital technology industry, including hardware and electronics manufacturing, so it does not measure software outsourcing on its own, but it shows a large and growing base of employers you will compete with for talent.

For a first-time buyer the practical questions are different from the headline ones. Which legal route lets you employ someone lawfully without a Vietnamese company? How much will English matter for the role? And how will your working day line up with a team that is 11 or 12 hours ahead of the US East Coast? This guide answers those in order, and points to the salary table on this page for pay ranges.

Where the talent is

Most candidates for remote technology roles are based in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the two largest labour markets, with smaller communities in Da Nang and other provincial cities. Because the work is remote, you can hire from any of them, but connectivity, English and experience differ by person rather than by city, so assess each candidate directly. The salary table on this page, built from named Vietnamese job-market sources, shows how pay differs by role.

Best roles to hire in Vietnam

• Software development: web and mobile engineering is the clearest fit; see the software developer and mobile app developer role guides.
• QA and testing: manual and automated testing suits a distributed team because the output is easy to review; see the QA engineer guide.
• DevOps and data: the salary table includes DevOps engineers and data analysts, which tend to cost more than QA or support.
• Design and project management: UI and UX designers and project managers appear in the salary table; check portfolio and English in the interview.
• English-language support: possible, but test spoken English directly, because national averages are only moderate.

Working hours and language

Vietnam uses Indochina Time, UTC+7 all year with no daylight saving clock changes. That makes it 12 hours ahead of US Eastern time in US winter and 11 hours ahead in US summer, so a normal Vietnamese working day does not overlap with a US business day. US-facing teams usually agree a shifted schedule, or work asynchronously with a daily handover. For Australia, Singapore and much of East Asia the overlap is comfortable. Check your own dates with the time-zone overlap tool.

In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Vietnam ranks 64th of 123 countries, in the moderate band. The index samples self-selected online test-takers, so it describes a national average, not a developer working for international clients. Include a live conversation and a short written task in every interview, and describe the English the job needs (reading a spec, joining stand-ups, writing documentation) rather than asking for "fluent English".

How to hire: three routes

Through an employer of record

An employer of record employs the person under Vietnamese law, runs payroll and social-insurance registration, and charges a fee, while you direct the daily work. For one to a few full-time hires without a Vietnamese company it is usually the simplest lawful route. Ask any provider how it issues the written contract, handles social insurance and manages termination, and what it will do at the end of a fixed-term contract.

As an independent contractor

Some Vietnamese professionals work as freelancers or through a small business and invoice clients. This suits a defined project with clear deliverables. If you set daily hours, direct the methods and rely on the person full time for months, the relationship may be treated as employment, so read independent contractor, contractor vs employee and misclassification before you choose it for a core role.

Through a local vendor or your own company

A Vietnamese outsourcing firm employs the people and sells you their time or a defined service, which suits teams of several engineers; see staff augmentation for how that model works. Setting up your own Vietnamese company gives control but brings registration, accounting and payroll duties, and is rarely worth it for a small first hire. Compare the options in employer of record versus contractor.

What an employee costs

The salary table on this page lists monthly and annual ranges by role from named sources with dates. On top of salary, Vietnamese law adds employer costs. Law 41/2024 on social insurance, in force from 1 July 2025, sets compulsory premiums at 3 percent of the salary base for the sickness and maternity fund and 22 percent for the retirement and survivorship fund, of which the employee pays 8 percent. Health insurance, unemployment insurance and any trade-union contribution come under other rules that are not covered here, so ask your provider for the current schedule rather than budgeting from a figure quoted online.

Use the Remote Hiring Cost Calculator to add employer contributions and any provider fee to the salary, and compare the result with the salary benchmark explorer. For a home-market comparison, benefits made up 30.0 percent of employer compensation costs for US private-industry workers in June 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vietnam compared with other Asian options

• India: a different market with its own vendors and labour rules; see hiring in India.
• Philippines: a higher English ranking (28th of 123 in the EF index, against Vietnam's 64th) and a focus on customer support and back-office work; see hiring in the Philippines and the India vs Philippines comparison.
• Pakistan: a different time zone and legal framework; see hiring in Pakistan.
• Nearer to the US: for how farther and nearer options compare, read offshoring vs nearshoring.

Legal basics for your first hire

Employment is governed by the Labour Code, Law 45/2019/QH14. Under the text published by a Vietnamese law portal, a labour contract must be in writing and made in two copies, though an electronic contract counts. Contracts are either indefinite-term or definite-term of up to 36 months. If an employee keeps working after a definite-term contract expires and no new one is signed within 30 days, it becomes indefinite-term. Probation can be applied once per job and is capped by the nature of the role: up to 60 days for jobs needing a college degree or higher, and up to 180 days for enterprise managers. Normal working time is up to 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, with the State encouraging 40. Annual leave is 12 working days for normal conditions, plus public holidays that include a five-day Lunar New Year break. The compliance notes cover these points with article numbers.

Data protection and security

Vietnam's Law on Personal Data Protection, Law 91/2025/QH15, took effect on 1 January 2026 and is supported by Decree 356/2025/ND-CP, which replaced the earlier Decree 13/2023. Treat employee records and any customer data your Vietnamese hire can access as covered, agree data-handling terms with your provider, and give each person individual accounts with only the access the role needs. Because the law is new, take local advice before transferring personal data across borders.

Practical tips

• Define the role as testable outputs and set a short paid trial task, so skills and written English are visible before you commit.
• Agree the working-hours overlap in writing. For US teams, decide whether the person shifts hours or works asynchronously.
• Plan for the Lunar New Year break: the Labour Code gives five days of paid public holiday, and the Prime Minister sets the exact dates each year.
• Budget for a year-end bonus if your offer advertises one. The Labour Code leaves bonuses to the employer's regulations (Article 104), so state your policy in the offer.
• Do not keep original identity papers or diplomas as security. The Labour Code prohibits it (Article 17).
• Keep a written record of the duties and deliverables you expect, whichever hiring route you choose.

Sources

• Ministry of Science and Technology report on the 2025 digital technology industry.
• EF English Proficiency Index 2025.
• Labor Code, Law 45/2019/QH14 (English text).
• Law 41/2024/QH15 on Social Insurance (English text); Vietnam Social Security record of Law 41/2024.
• Law 91/2025/QH15 on Personal Data Protection; summary of the law and Decree 356/2025.
• Time and Date: Vietnam time zone; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2026.

References checked on 13 October 2026. Law texts are as published on a commercial law portal and may not reflect later amendments; confirm with Vietnamese counsel or your provider. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.