Vietnam’s Tech Job Market Is Back. Unfortunately, So Is Everyone Else.

This is the first article in my new Work & Careers series, a topic I plan to explore in much more depth. It has become a major focus at this stage of my own career, so expect practical observations, changing-market realities and, occasionally, uncomfortable truths dressed up as career advice.

Vietnam’s tech job market looks healthier than it did a couple of years ago. Companies are hiring, international interest remains strong, and investment in AI, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and digital services is creating new opportunities.

So, good news: the market is better.

Less good news: getting a good tech job has not necessarily become easier.

Vietnam now has more capable local professionals, employers can afford to be more selective, and neighbouring countries are competing for the same investment. Being “a developer in an affordable market” is no longer enough. The bar has moved-quite a lot, actually.

Vietnam is no longer just the cheaper option

For years, Vietnam’s main attraction for international technology companies was relatively simple: hire capable engineers at a much lower cost than in Singapore, Australia or other established markets.

Cost still matters. According to Talent JDI, senior developers in Vietnam can cost around 30–40% less than comparable hires in Singapore. But companies are increasingly looking beyond the salary column in their spreadsheets. They also want technical ownership, product experience, communication skills and the ability to work effectively with international teams. Apparently, “cheap and available” is not a complete talent strategy after all.

Vietnam is well positioned for this change. Its developer community has matured alongside domestic product companies such as VNG, MoMo and Tiki. Engineers coming from these environments are more likely to have worked on real products, participated in technical decisions and dealt with the beautiful chaos of shipping software to actual users.

The market is therefore becoming more attractive for serious product development-not only outsourced maintenance work.

There are more jobs, but employers are pickier

A recovering market does not mean a return to the period when knowing a popular JavaScript framework and adding “passionate problem solver” to a CV could generate several job offers.

Companies are hiring more carefully. They want evidence that candidates can solve problems, understand the product around their code and collaborate without requiring a meeting to prepare for the meeting.

This is particularly visible at the junior level. Vietnam produces a large number of technology graduates, giving employers plenty of candidates to choose from. Talent JDI describes the supply of junior developers as very high while employer demand is only moderate. Mid-level professionals sit in a more comfortable position, with both strong supply and very high demand.

Senior and lead roles are a different story. Experienced engineers remain difficult to find, especially when a position requires strong English, international product experience or specialist knowledge. AI and machine learning, data engineering, DevOps, cybersecurity and native iOS development are among the areas where demand can exceed the available supply.

In other words, the market contains both a talent surplus and a talent shortage. It just depends on which talent you need.

Local talent is catching up-and raising the standard

Vietnam’s growing pool of local professionals is good for the industry, but it also means more competition between candidates.

Developers who once stood out simply because they spoke good English or had worked for a foreign company are now competing against many others with similar backgrounds. Modern development stacks, Agile workflows, remote collaboration and international clients are no longer unusual additions to a Vietnamese tech CV.

The strongest candidates increasingly combine several things:

• Solid technical fundamentals
• Practical product experience
• Confident English communication
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development
• The ability to explain decisions, not merely implement tickets
• Specialist knowledge in areas where supply remains limited

AI deserves special attention here. Reco Manpower reports that 40.7% of enterprises have already incorporated AI into their development strategies. AI fluency is gradually becoming a baseline expectation across technology roles rather than a separate speciality reserved for machine-learning teams.

That does not mean every developer must suddenly train a foundation model before breakfast. It does mean professionals should understand how AI tools affect their work, where they can improve productivity and where trusting them blindly might produce a very efficient disaster.

Vietnam is not competing alone

Vietnam wants to strengthen its position as a regional technology hub, supported by major national targets for digital industries, AI and semiconductor development. Plans include training more than three million digital technology workers and 50,000 semiconductor engineers by 2030. These are policy targets rather than guaranteed outcomes, but they show the direction of travel.

The complication is that practically every country in the region has discovered the phrase “regional tech hub.”

Singapore remains the premium base for headquarters, finance and highly specialised roles. Malaysia is attracting data-centre and semiconductor investment. The Philippines has a strong English-speaking workforce and a long outsourcing history. Indonesia offers a huge domestic digital market. Thailand is pushing its own digital and advanced-manufacturing ambitions.

Vietnam is no longer competing only on wages. It is competing on talent quality, infrastructure, regulation, language skills, political stability and how easily international businesses can establish and operate teams.

That competition can ultimately benefit workers by bringing more investment and better roles into the region. It also means Vietnam cannot assume that today’s cost advantage will keep companies interested forever.

Different cities, different opportunities

Vietnam’s technology market is also becoming less concentrated, although Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi still dominate.

Ho Chi Minh City has the country’s largest developer community and the strongest concentration of international companies and product-oriented experience. It also has the fiercest competition for good candidates.

Hanoi has particular depth in Java, .NET, backend systems, DevOps and enterprise technology. Its ecosystem has been shaped partly by government projects and Japanese and Korean investment.

Da Nang offers a smaller talent pool, but it continues to grow as a base for full-stack development, quality assurance and more cost-conscious teams. Its lifestyle advantages and lower employee turnover do not hurt either. A beach is not an official retention strategy, but one suspects it helps.

For job seekers, this creates more options. For employers, it makes the old habit of searching only in Ho Chi Minh City increasingly unnecessary.

Better does not mean easier

Vietnam’s tech employment market is moving in the right direction. Investment is returning, the local ecosystem is maturing and emerging industries are creating career paths