Countries/Vietnam/In-country employment
Southeast Asia · In-country employment
In-country employment in Vietnam
Vietnam is a manufacturing, new-energy, and country-organisation market. The first plant office and the first country manager are the usual in-country seats.
Statutory cost is a percentage stack plus the regional wage floor. Tet bonuses are customary; they become contractual once you write them into the offer.
Plan an in-country hire- ✓
Vietnamese labour contract — The person is employed under the Labour Code in the place of work — not unpaid, and not on a visitor visa.
- ✓
You still manage — Your managers set the work. We run the contract, insurance registration, and payroll.
- ✓
No company first — Start the hire before you incorporate. Convert later if you open your own Vietnamese entity.
Statutory stack
What sits on top of wages
Employer insurance is a published percentage of the contribution salary, subject to caps. These are not market salary ranges.
| Item | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| Social insurance (employer) | 17.5% |
| Health insurance (employer) | 3% |
| Unemployment insurance (employer, Vietnamese employees) | 1% |
| Trade-union fee | 2% where it applies |
| Regional minimum wage from 1 Jan 2026 | Region I VND 5,310,000 / month — HCMC, Hanoi, and other listed localities |
Role salary ranges are not on this page. Open the 2026 salary guide when those figures are published.
Choose a path
In-country employment vs incorporating
In-country employment is the usual path for a first Vietnam hire or a plant ramp. An FIE is the path when you want your own legal person in Vietnam.
| In-country employment | Your own entity | |
|---|---|---|
| When to use it | A country manager, a plant office, or a commercial seat that must start before the company exists. | When you want your own Vietnamese company as the employer. |
| Who employs | A licensed local employer holds the labour contract. Your managers direct the work. | Your Vietnamese company employs and registers insurance in its own name. |
| Foreign hires | Work permit and residence card still apply. Insurance rates for foreign employees differ from Vietnamese employees. | Your company sponsors the work permit once it is eligible. |
Onboarding
From briefing to first payday
Insurance registration and, for foreigners, the work permit set the calendar.
01
Briefing
Place of work (which wage region), role, nationality, and start date.
02
Contract
Labour contract, probation (up to 180 days for some managerial roles), and classification.
03
Insurance and permit
Social, health, and unemployment insurance; work permit if the hire is a foreign national.
04
First payday
Monthly pay, insurance, PIT, and the Tet / 13th-month calendar if the contract includes it.
05
Convert or close
Move onto your Vietnamese entity, or terminate under the Labour Code.
Compliance
Five points that change the hire
01
Wage region follows the employer's place of operation
Decree 293/2025/ND-CP sets four regional floors from 1 January 2026. The region is the employer's locality, not the employee's hometown.
02
Overtime is capped
Weekday overtime is 150%, weekly rest 200%, public holidays 300%. Monthly and annual overtime hours are capped under the Labour Code.
03
Tet is customary, not a hidden statute
A Tet or 13th-month payment is not the same as Indonesia's THR. If you will pay it, write it into the contract and accrue it.
04
Probation has a maximum
Up to 180 days for some managers and professionals; shorter for other roles. Probation is not an unpaid trial.
05
Foreign employees are not on the same insurance stack
Unemployment insurance generally does not apply to foreign employees. Do not copy a Vietnamese cost model onto an expatriate offer.
Questions
FAQ
- Can we hire in Vietnam without a Vietnamese company?
- Yes, through in-country employment: a licensed local employer issues the labour contract, registers insurance, and runs payroll, while your managers direct the work.
- What is Vietnam's minimum wage in 2026?
- From 1 January 2026, under Decree 293/2025/ND-CP: Region I VND 5,310,000 a month, Region II 4,730,000, Region III 4,140,000, Region IV 3,700,000. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi urban districts are Region I.
- How much is employer social insurance in Vietnam?
- For Vietnamese employees the usual published stack is 17.5% social insurance, 3% health insurance, and 1% unemployment insurance, plus a 2% trade-union fee where it applies. Contribution salaries are capped.
- Is a 13th month required in Vietnam?
- Not as a single statutory 13th-month law in the way the Philippines requires one. Tet bonuses are customary and become binding if the contract or a consistent practice creates an entitlement. Write what you will pay.
Labour-law detail for Vietnam sits on the hiring guide.
Other markets
Other in-country employment pages
Reviewed 11 September 2026
This is a hiring briefing for multinational employers, not legal advice. Statutory rates move by city, province, and sector. Confirm the place of work before you issue an offer.
Sources
- Labour Code No. 45/2019/QH14
- Decree 293/2025/ND-CP — regional minimum wages from 1 January 2026
- Vietnam Social Security — SI, HI, and UI contribution rates
Plan an in-country hire in Vietnam
Tell us the city, the role, and when they need to start.