Wage and salary in Vietnam are very dissimilar across occupations and contrast starkly between urban and rural areas. The average wage per person in Vietnam is around 3.45 million VND ($150) a month and differentiated by many factors.
Like many other economies in the world, the type of jobs firstly divides the salary level in Vietnam. The top professions that pay the highest salary are Mineral and Metallurgy (9.2million VND/month), Banking (7.6million VND/month) and Pharmacy (7million VND/month) while some other jobs like Textile or Food Industry workers only pay their labors with the wage from 2.5 to 3.1 million VND a month.
There is also a significant gap in salary between different positions in work; for example, the salary for the administrative staff is often between 5 million to 6.5 million VND, while the wage for a CEO varies between 100 million and 300 million VND.
Additionally, the wage is distinguished between private and state-owned companies. Most state officers and employees has very low pay jobs, usually equal to 1/3 or 1/5, or even 1/10 the wage of the private officers in the same post, especially in some core professions such as education and medical care. The salary of the state officers in other industries like banking, petroleum or energy could be higher, but still not matched with the private sector employees.
There is also a growing preference towards working administrative tasks in foreign-owned company, which offer competitive rate of payment. However, due to the limited English skills and education quality, not many are able to successfully apply for the job.
Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Vietnam according to VOV:
| Career | Average monthly salary (VND/USD) |
|---|
| Hotel CEO | 198-300 million VND ~ $8000-15,000 US |
| Bank CEO | Over 110 million VND ~ $4,500 US |
| Pilot | 70-90 million VND ~ $3,000-4,000 US |
| HR Managers | 30-120 million VND ~ $1,500-4,500 US |
| Software Developers (IT) | 20-35 million VND ~ $900-1,200 US |
| Medical/healthcare | 28 million VND ~ $1,100 US |
| Air hostess/Air host | 18-30 million VND ~ $800-1200 US |
| Secretarial job | 18-30 million VND ~ $800-1200 US |
| Engineer (Construction) | 20-30 million VND ~ $750-1100 US |
| Real Estate | 17 million VND ~ $720 US |
Source: VOV
FAQs
Average Local Salary
The average monthly salary of a worker in Vietnam is about $148 per month; those in high paying jobs bring home around $500 per month.
What is Vietnam's minimum wage in US dollars? ›
What is minimum wage in Vietnam? Minimum Wages in Vietnam increased to 4680 VND Thou/Month (198.4 USD/Month) in 2022. The maximum rate of minimum wage for employees was 4420 VND Thou/Month and minimum was 1000 VND Thou/Month.
Is 3000 USD a good salary in Vietnam? ›
3,000 USD per month is plenty of money that will give you a comfortable life in Saigon so no worries. A nice 1-bedroom apartment will be around 600 usd and 2-bedromm will be around 1000 to 1200 usd depends. The rest is for food, dating and other small expenses.
What is the average salary of hotel staff in Vietnam? ›
An entry level hotel worker (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of 191.561. 484 ₫. On the other end, a senior level hotel worker (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of 315.404. 534 ₫.
Is $100 a lot of money in Vietnam? ›
What USD $100 buys you in Vietnam. Travelers to Vietnam turn into instant millionaires overnight, as 100 US dollars gets you 2,340,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND). While you won't exactly be rich by Vietnamese standards, you'll be set for a comfortable week's worth of travel.
Is 50 dollars a lot in Vietnam? ›
For a more comfortable backpacker experience in Vietnam, it's best to budget around $50 per day. This way, you'll have more money to spend on things like food, drinks, activities and hotel rooms. For a comfortable mid-range experience in Vietnam, it's best to budget $60 to $100 per day for your entire costs.
What are the average working hours in Vietnam? ›
In Vietnam, there are many differences in the working hours and working days between businesses. Many employees work the normal 8 hours/day, 5 days/week but there are also a large number of employees who work 10 hours/day, 6 days/week. The numbers of working hours and days can vary between businesses.
What is the hourly rate in Vietnam? ›
The statutory minimum wage per hour is defined as the lowest hourly wage paid to an employee.
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Statutory Minimum Wage per Hour.
| Region | Minimum hourly wage |
|---|
| Region I | VND 22,500/hour |
| Region II | VND 20,000/hour |
| Region III | VND 17,500/hour |
| Region IV | VND 15,600/hour |
Aug 19, 2022
The median salary is highest in Ho Chi Minh City at ~10 million VND/month (~$440 USD/month). This is unsurprising, given the larger concentration of high-value technology and finance companies in the city. Thereafter, Hanoi and Đà Nẵng have the second and third highest salaries.
Is it cheaper to live in Vietnam than the US? ›
Vietnam's most expensive city is Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi. Even in these two places, a couple can enjoy a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle for less than $1,300 per month.
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Cost of Living in Vietnam.
To put things in perspective, the average income for local Vietnamese is only $300 per month. If you are looking to live a low-budget lifestyle, you can easily get by on US$500 per month, or even lower if you are extra frugal.
How many dollar millionaires are there in Vietnam? ›
In 2021, Vietnam had approximately 72.1 thousand millionaires. For 2026, it was forecasted that the number of millionaires will reach about 114.8 thousand.
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Number of millionaires in Vietnam from 2016 to 2021 with a forecast for 2026 (in 1,000s)
| Characteristic | Number of millionaires in thousands |
|---|
| - | - |
3 more rowsDec 19, 2022
In 2021, almost 14.3 million people worked in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector in Vietnam, making this sector the largest employer among all industries. By comparison, the manufacturing industry employed approximately 11.2 million people, making it the second highest employed population that year.
Is Vietnam a good place to live and work? ›
Yes, living in Vietnam for expats is relatively safe. The country rarely experiences horrible natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. The security, especially in large cities, is acceptable.
How many hours a week do people work in Vietnam? ›
In Vietnam, the average person works 1,513 hours per year.
To get average weekly hours worked for Vietnam, we divided the annual hours by 52 weeks. With an average work week of 29.1 hours, Vietnam ranks 98 out of 187 countries with available data for the shortest work week. That gives Vietnam a percentile rank of 48%.
What income is considered middle class in Vietnam? ›
In Vietnam, 50 percent of population would be listed as 'middle class' with income of $5,000-35,000 a year. However, considering people's awareness, 96 percent of Vietnamese think their incomes are high enough to be among the 'middle class'.
How much do you need to live comfortably in Vietnam? ›
Even in these two places, a couple can enjoy a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle for less than $1,300 per month. Many Westerners who live in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City get by spending around $500 per month, but it's a no-frills lifestyle.
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Cost of Living in Vietnam.
What to expect of work life in Vietnam. The average annual salary for expats is around $90,000. In comparison, the average annual salary for Vietnamese nationals is about $2,100. A relatively low cost of living means most expats can live comfortably, even in major cities where rents tend to be higher.
Is Vietnam a high income country? ›
Vietnam's average duration of schooling is 10.2 years, second only to Singapore among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. Its human capital index is 0.69 out of a maximum of one, the highest among lower middle-income economies.
