Average Salary in Vietnam (2026): Official Wages, Roles and Costs
The average monthly income of a Vietnamese worker is about VND 9.0 million (about $346) according to the National Statistics Office for the second quarter of 2026, wage earners average about VND 10 million, and employer social insurance adds 21.5 percent on top of salary.
The average monthly income of a worker in Vietnam was nearly VND 9.0 million, about $346, in the second quarter of 2026, according to the National Statistics Office's report on the first half of 2026, up VND 720,000 from a year earlier. Workers on wages and salaries, as opposed to farmers and the self-employed, averaged about VND 10 million a month in the first quarter.
Vietnam is the lowest-cost of the five destinations in this series in raw salary terms, and its employer on-costs are moderate: social, health, and unemployment insurance add 21.5 percent to salary, and there is no mandatory 13th-month payment, though a Tet bonus of about one month is customary. A customer service agent in Ho Chi Minh City earns VND 8 to 12 million a month, a mid-level developer VND 30 to 35 million, and the four-tier regional minimum wage rose 7.2 percent in January 2026. This guide covers the official figures, minimum wages, market pay, and the full employer cost.
Exchange rate
USD figures use VND 26,002 per dollar, the rate published by the Open Exchange Rates API on September 19, 2026. The dong has depreciated slowly but steadily, from about 23,000 per dollar in 2022 to 26,000 in 2026, so USD budgets fall a few percent a year at constant dong salaries. Budget in dong.
The Official Numbers
Vietnam's statistics office (renamed the National Statistics Office, NSO, in 2025 from the General Statistics Office, GSO) reports average monthly income of workers each quarter from its labour force survey. The figure covers all employed people aged 15 and over, including farmers and informal workers, which is why it sits below what a formal employer pays.
| Measure | Figure | USD | Period and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average monthly income, all workers | Nearly VND 9.0 million | $346 | Q2 2026, NSO |
| Average monthly income, Q1 2026 | VND 9.0 million, up 8.5 percent year on year | $346 | NSO Q1 2026 report |
| Male workers | VND 10.1 million | $388 | Q1 2026, NSO |
| Female workers | VND 7.7 million | $296 | Q1 2026, NSO |
| Urban workers | VND 10.7 million | $412 | Q1 2026, NSO |
| Rural workers | VND 7.9 million | $304 | Q1 2026, NSO |
| Wage and salary earners | About VND 10.0 million, up 6.6 percent | $385 | Q1 2026, NSO figures as reported by Lao Dong |
The NSO reports income, not just wages, so the all-worker figure includes farm and business income. The wage-earner figure of about VND 10 million is the better benchmark for a formal job, and the urban figure of VND 10.7 million is closer still for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Unemployment is low, 2.23 percent in the second quarter, and the labour force grew by about 690,000 people over the year, which keeps wage growth steady rather than sharp.
The discrepancies online are smaller than for most countries because most sites cite the NSO. Wage.is reports VND 8.0 million and Employsome VND 8.7 million; both are the NSO figures from 2025 and early 2026 before the latest quarterly updates. Wikipedia's figure of VND 12.6 million refers to a different measure (average wages in enterprises rather than all workers). Employer-of-record sites quoting $315 to $340 a month are simply converting older NSO data at older exchange rates.
Minimum Wage in Vietnam
Vietnam sets a monthly and an hourly minimum wage for each of four regions, defined by district and reflecting local costs. Decree 293/2025/ND-CP, issued November 10, 2025, raised all four by an average of 7.2 percent from January 1, 2026, per the government news portal.
| Region | Monthly minimum (VND) | USD | Hourly minimum (VND) | Typical localities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region I | 5,310,000 | $204 | 25,500 | Urban districts of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang and their industrial suburbs |
| Region II | 4,730,000 | $182 | 22,700 | Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Can Tho and other provincial cities |
| Region III | 4,140,000 | $159 | 20,000 | Parts of Hai Duong, Khanh Hoa, Long An and similar provinces |
| Region IV | 3,700,000 | $142 | 17,800 | Rural districts |
The minimum wage is far below what office and BPO roles pay, but it matters in two ways. It is the floor for the unemployment insurance contribution cap (20 times the regional minimum), and workers with vocational training have historically been entitled to at least 7 percent above the minimum, a rule that many collective agreements still follow. Separately, the government raised the base salary for public-sector employees to VND 2,530,000 a month from July 1, 2026; that figure is unrelated to private-sector minimums but is sometimes confused with them.
Salaries by Sector and Region
The NSO reports average income by economic sector. In the first quarter of 2026 services paid VND 9.9 million a month, industry and construction VND 9.1 million, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing VND 4.9 million, with the fastest growth in water and waste management (17.4 percent), mining (12.5 percent), and finance and banking (10.6 percent), according to the Talentnet summary of NSO data, updated July 2026.
| Sector | Average monthly income (Q1 2026) | USD | Year-on-year growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services | VND 9.9 million | $381 | 7.1 percent |
| Industry and construction | VND 9.1 million | $350 | 7.4 percent |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | VND 4.9 million | $188 | 13.1 percent |
Regionally, the same summary reports the Red River Delta (Hanoi) at VND 9.8 million and the southeast (Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai) at VND 9.3 million, with Ho Chi Minh City itself at VND 9.7 million. The gap between the two big cities is small; Da Nang and Can Tho pay 10 to 20 percent less for the same role and have smaller but fast-growing pools of English-speaking graduates. Most foreign employers hire in Ho Chi Minh City for customer-facing roles and in either city for software.
What Remote and BPO Roles Pay
The ranges below combine Indeed Vietnam posting data (previous 36 months, accessed September 19, 2026), the ITviec IT Salary Report 2025 to 2026 (1,839 respondents surveyed in mid and late 2025), and role ranges compiled by iScale Solutions from job boards in 2025. They are market figures, not official statistics.
| Role | Typical monthly range (VND) | USD | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer service representative | 8 to 12 million; Indeed's Ho Chi Minh City average is 9.4 million | $308 to $461 | iScale; Indeed |
| Administrative and HR generalist | 8.2 to 16.3 million, average 11.6 million | $315 to $627 | Indeed, 168 salaries |
| Customer service team leader | 10.9 to 22.2 million, average 15.6 million | $421 to $854 | Indeed, 79 salaries |
| Accountant | 10 to 15 million junior; 20 to 28 million senior | $385 to $1,077 | iScale |
| Software developer | Fresher 10 to 12 million; junior 20 to 25 million; mid-level 30 to 35 million; senior 45 to 55 million | $385 to $2,115 | ITviec median by level |
The customer service figure assumes Vietnamese-language work. English-speaking agents supporting overseas customers earn VND 12 to 20 million, and Japanese or Korean speakers more, because language skill is the scarce input. Indeed's nationwide customer service average is lower than its Ho Chi Minh City figure because it mixes in part-time and commission-based postings; the city figure is the better guide. For developers, the ITviec medians are base salary; total compensation at product companies adds a Tet bonus and, increasingly, a performance bonus, and tech leads earn a median of VND 51.8 million.
What It Costs to Employ Someone in Vietnam
Vietnam's employer contributions are simpler than Latin America's. There are three insurance contributions, all calculated on the contractual salary and allowances, with caps.
| Cost | Employer rate | Employee rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social insurance | 17.5 percent | 8 percent | 20 times the reference level (VND 46.8 million a month in 2026) |
| Health insurance | 3 percent | 1.5 percent | 20 times the reference level |
| Unemployment insurance | 1 percent | 1 percent | 20 times the regional minimum wage (VND 106.2 million in Region I) |
| Trade union fee | 2 percent, commonly cited | Optional 1 percent | Paid to the trade union fund whether or not a union exists at the workplace |
Rates from PwC's Vietnam tax summary, dated March 9, 2026. The trade union fee is not in PwC's summary and is drawn from payroll practice; confirm it with your provider.
Worked example for a customer service representative in Ho Chi Minh City at VND 10,000,000 a month, near the top of the Vietnamese-language range and the bottom of the English-speaking one.
| Component | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Base salary | VND 10,000,000 |
| Social insurance (17.5 percent) | VND 1,750,000 |
| Health insurance (3 percent) | VND 300,000 |
| Unemployment insurance (1 percent) | VND 100,000 |
| Trade union fee (2 percent) | VND 200,000 |
| Tet bonus accrual (one month's salary, customary) | VND 833,333 |
| Total monthly employer cost | VND 13,183,333 (about $507) |
The statutory on-cost is 21.5 percent, or 23.5 percent with the union fee, and the customary Tet bonus brings the total to about 32 percent above base. Foreign employees are exempt from unemployment insurance and, until recently, from parts of social insurance, but that does not affect a Vietnamese hire. Employers commonly add a lunch allowance (tax-free up to a limit), a phone allowance, and private health insurance for professional staff, which together add VND 1 to 2 million a month.
Salary Trends
Average income rose 8.7 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier (VND 717,000 on a base of about VND 8.3 million), and 8.5 percent in the first quarter. Inflation for the first half averaged 4.38 percent, with core inflation at 4.12 percent, according to the NSO, so real income growth was around 4 percent. Wage earners saw a smaller nominal increase of 6.6 percent in the first quarter, because the all-worker figure includes fast-rising farm and business income.
For skilled roles the market moves faster. The ITviec survey shows mid-level and senior developer medians rising 10 to 15 percent between its 2024 and 2025 editions, driven by demand from foreign tech companies opening Vietnamese teams. For customer service and back-office roles expect 6 to 8 percent annual increases and a January minimum wage adjustment of 6 to 7 percent, which is the pattern the National Wage Council has followed for three years.
How US and UK Companies Pay Workers in Vietnam
Employer of record. A licensed provider signs the labor contract, registers the employee for social insurance, withholds personal income tax, and handles the annual Tet payment and terminations. Fees are typically $300 to $500 a month per employee, and Vietnam requires the provider to hold a labor outsourcing license, which limits the field to established firms. The employer of record guide explains how the model works, and the EOR cost comparison covers pricing.
Independent contractor. Used for developers and designers, and legal for genuinely independent work invoiced under a service contract. Vietnamese labor law treats an ongoing, supervised, scheduled relationship as employment regardless of the contract name, and contractors must handle their own personal income tax, which many do not, creating a compliance gap the foreign company may be asked to close.
Local entity. A wholly foreign-owned limited liability company takes two to four months to license and is the usual route above about thirty employees or when the business itself will operate in Vietnam.
The BPO labor cost calculation guide covers how to build a fully loaded hourly cost from the figures above.
Tracking Time and Attendance for a Team in Vietnam
Vietnam's standard week is 48 hours (many offices work 40 to 44), overtime is capped at 200 hours a year in most industries and paid at 150 to 300 percent, and night work carries a 30 percent premium, so hours need to be recorded. HiveDesk tracks time automatically from a desktop app, captures periodic screenshots, and produces timesheets for approval, and it handles scheduling, attendance, and leave for the same team. It costs $5 per user per month on a single plan and has served distributed teams since 2011.
Automatic time tracking, screenshots, scheduling and timesheets across time zones, $5 per user per month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $500 USD a month a lot in Vietnam?
$500 is about VND 13 million a month, roughly 1.4 times the national average income and above the wage-earner average of VND 10 million. It is a good salary for an office worker in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and a very good one elsewhere. It is roughly what an experienced customer service team leader or a junior developer earns.
What is a good salary in Vietnam?
For a single professional in Ho Chi Minh City, VND 20 to 30 million a month ($770 to $1,150) covers a modern one-bedroom apartment, transport, food, and savings. A family generally needs VND 40 million or more in the big cities. In Da Nang or Can Tho the same standard costs about 20 percent less.
Can I live on $2,000 a month in Vietnam?
Comfortably. VND 52 million a month is more than five times the average income and above the median for senior developers and managers. Foreign residents on that budget typically rent a serviced apartment in a central district and still save.
What is the minimum wage in Vietnam in 2026?
VND 5,310,000 a month in Region I (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang), VND 4,730,000 in Region II, VND 4,140,000 in Region III, and VND 3,700,000 in Region IV, effective January 1, 2026. The hourly minimums range from VND 25,500 down to VND 17,800.
What is the average salary in Vietnam in USD?
About $346 a month for all workers and about $385 for wage and salary earners, based on the NSO's 2026 figures at September 2026 exchange rates. Urban wage earners in the two largest cities average closer to $410.
Sources
- NSO, Socio-economic performance in Q2 and the first half of 2026, August 2026.
- NSO, Socio-economic situation in the first quarter of 2026, April 2026.
- Lao Dong, wage earners' income Q1 2026, citing NSO.
- Government news portal, regional minimum wage increase from January 1, 2026, November 2025, and Vietnam Briefing on Decree 293/2025.
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Vietnam other taxes, March 9, 2026.
- Talentnet, Average salary in Vietnam, updated July 2, 2026, citing NSO sector and regional data.
- ITviec, Vietnam IT Salary and Recruitment Market Report 2025 to 2026.
- Indeed Vietnam salary pages, accessed September 19, 2026.
- iScale Solutions, Average salary in Vietnam, updated July 30, 2025.
- Open Exchange Rates API, September 19, 2026.
This page is part of HiveDesk's salary guides by country for companies hiring in BPO and remote-work destinations.