Country guide · Vietnam
Moving to Vietnam: cost of living, salaries, taxes, visas
Fast-growing Southeast Asian economy with very low cost-of-living, emerging tech scene, and increasingly accessible long-stay visa options.
Vietnam — anchored by Ho Chi Minh City for our data, with Hanoi as the secondary hub — has emerged as one of Southeast Asia's most active relocator destinations for remote workers and small founders. Cost-of-living arbitrage is significant, and the local tech ecosystem (especially around HCMC's District 2 and District 7) is growing rapidly.
Visa structure is less developed than Thailand or Malaysia for digital nomads specifically, but employment-sponsored work permits and business-investor categories are accessible. English usage in business is moderate; Vietnamese language adds friction in everyday bureaucracy.
At a glance
Vietnam relocation profile
Mundevo coverage in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City is the anchor city for cost-of-living and corridor calculations involving Vietnam.
| City | Cost index | Rent index | Safety | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City | 36 | 28 | 60 | 9,000,000 |
Tax and visa landscape
Headline tax model + entry-point visa overview for relocators.
- Effective income tax: 12.0%
- Social security (employee): 10.5%
- Total payroll deduction: 22.5%
- VAT: 10.0%
- Currency: VND
Effective rates assume a single salaried filer at country median wage. Special regimes (e.g. expat-favoring schemes) are not applied here — see the visa guide for those.
Visa categories, residency routes, and tax-regime context for relocators are detailed in the dedicated visa guide.
Vietnam visa guide →Salary bands at Ho Chi Minh City — by role
Illustrative gross-salary bands for 6 senior IC roles in Ho Chi Minh City. Derived from NYC anchor × Vietnam pay-tier multiplier. Cross-check Levels.fyi, Glassdoor before negotiating.
| Role | P25 | P50 | P75 | NYC anchor (P50) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | ₫1,812,500,000 | ₫2,250,000,000 | ₫2,875,000,000 | $180,000 |
| Product manager | ₫1,875,000,000 | ₫2,437,500,000 | ₫3,250,000,000 | $195,000 |
| UX / product designer | ₫1,237,500,000 | ₫1,631,250,000 | ₫2,193,750,000 | $145,000 |
| Marketing manager | ₫1,068,750,000 | ₫1,462,500,000 | ₫1,968,750,000 | $130,000 |
| Data scientist | ₫1,687,500,000 | ₫2,187,500,000 | ₫2,875,000,000 | $175,000 |
| Finance analyst | ₫1,375,000,000 | ₫1,937,500,000 | ₫2,750,000,000 | $155,000 |
Top relocation corridors
Closest peers by cost-of-living index — the moves most commonly considered alongside Vietnam.