Where to Start Looking for a Job in Vietnam

Although the job market is tough, one of the benefits of a growing economy in Vietnam is that new opportunities continue to arise, which will take advantage of skills offered by candidates with the right background. We explore some of the popular online job boards with responsibilities varying from driving a car to teaching to managing a regional office.

By on March 12, 2010 • Topics: Business & Tech,Current Affairs

As our interest in Vietnam grows, some of us will come to think about the possibility of working in Vietnam or, if we are already working there, finding alternatives to our current jobs. Despite being affected by the worldwide recession, Vietnam’s economy continues to grow and foreign direct investments lead the way in directing resources, including manpower, towards certain geographic areas and industries. Although the job market is tough and there is an abundance of people looking for work, one of the benefits of a growing economy is that new opportunities continue to arise, which will take advantage of skills offered by candidates with the right background.

The following list includes some of the popular online job boards with responsibilities varying from driving a car to teaching to managing a regional office.

  • VietnamWorks: VietnamWorks is one of the largest job boards in Vietnam, containing nearly 5,000 job opportunities listed by over 3,000 companies. It boasts 260,000 registered users and more than 12,000 visitors per day. Jobs remain on the website for 30 days and are organized by industry, function, and level of experience. The website and each job’s general information can be viewed in either English or Vietnamese, but any detailed information about the job provided in either Vietnamese or English are not translated. Interested parties can register for an account, access career development readings, upload resumes, save job searches, and apply via the website.
  • CareerLink: CareerLink contains over 6,000 job opportunities, which significantly outnumbers that of VietnamWorks because it keeps listings on the job board for up to 60 days. The website is featured in Vietnamese, English and Japanese, although detailed information are not translated when the language being viewed is switched. CareerLink, like VietnamWorks, provides additional readings on career development, but the reading list appears to have been last updated in 2008.
  • Faro: Faro is an international staffing firm that was established in 1981 in Japan and expanded into Vietnam in 2006. It provides executive search and temporary staffing services as well as other human resource services. The website contains nearly 200 job opportunities focused primarily on the managerial level and geared towards candidates with advanced education or extensive experience.
  • Careerjet: Careerjet is a catch-all job search engine that pulls job listings from company websites and online recruiting agencies, and encompasses over 50 countries. The search engine does not organize jobs into categories like VietnamWorks or CareerLink, so a job search is as good as the description and location entered into the search fields. For example, when searching broadly for jobs located in Vietnam, the engine returns over 16,000 opportunities.
  • Tuoi Tre and Lao Dong: Besides the aforementioned websites, online Vietnamese news such as Tuoi Tre and Lao Dong also feature numerous opportunities.

While browsing through these job boards, remember that companies may employ other methods for relaying new opportunities prior to posting on public job boards. When looking for less experienced candidates graduating from colleges or universities, companies can tap into on-campus career centers and career fairs. As companies seek to fill more senior level positions, they may rely more on headhunters and informal networks. Therefore, it is important to keep a strong network of contacts, because you never know when you need others’ assistance.

If you know of other popular job boards out there, please share with us!

The Author:

Quyen is currently an Investment Analyst at a real estate private equity firm. She previously worked in real estate investment banking covering a variety of transactions, including equity, debt and M&A. Quyen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics.

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  • http://www.jamesbao.info/ James H. Bao

    Wow, this is extremely helpful!

  • Stephen

    “I never want to leave this place”, a visiting friend’s SMS message said it all. Vietnam is captivating, beguiling, wondrous – personally, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Living & working in Vietnam is a dream to many. Finding a job , particularly one paying foreign scale is rapture. Yes, you have to watch the web, and Vietnamworks is one of the best. You might also want to search out large foreign firms planning, or making, a timely entry into Vietnam. Keep your eyes and ears open, anticipate announcements.

    Next, be prepared for the tortuous process which follows, e.g. Work Permits & Labor Contracts, et al.

    The regulatory and enforcement landscape has been a changing recently. It’s getting ever more difficult. Familiar loopholes are closing. Limitations on the number or percent of foreign workers are being enforced. Getting a work permit is now said to take a minimum of 6 months. It might take a year; and it’s only valid for that one employer. Without that, there’s no ‘blue card’ (residency permit). Immigration is tight. Even the once sage professionals with ‘contacts’ seem befuddled. There are no more 6 month visas, it’s 90 days tops – expect to exit and re-enter. The jury’s even seems split as to whether a local marriage helps. But there is almost universal agreement that being a professional athlete (soccer) works wonders.

    There’s much speculation about the reasons: the economic downturn, a flood of foreign blue collar workers from China & elsewhere, taxes, crime, or just weeding out ‘undesirables’. A credible source stated in late 2008 there were about 5,000 foreigners living in HCMC, and now (in late 2009) there were 4,000. A December news item underscores a new inhospitable tone: Vietnam | Foreign workers without proper documents now face deportation http://shar.es/mg4Iv . One of Vietnam’s longest continuous foreign denizens says “it’s the worst he’s seen in years”. He still remains optimistic that “things will pass” in time.

    Best to find an employer ready, willing, and able to deal with the process. If your dream does come true, one last bit of advice as you rush to pack. Don’t forget to bring your original degrees/diplomas/certifications etc. They all need to be certified genuine by the consulate, translated and notarized here in Vietnam by an officially sanctioned office[r]. Also, a very recent criminal records check from your local Police Department in the original. This you may might find out is going to require your actual physical presence to obtain. Get your papers lodged ASAP, and hang on the the receipt with both hands.

    • Le-Quyen Le

      Stephen,
      You beat me to the chase with the documentation process, but your comment is incredibly insightful and helpful to readers like me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and do share other experience as you see fit.

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  • http://zenrestaurant.fr/ Linh lu

    Thank you so much for all the tips:)

  • http://tuyendung.nghenghiepviet.com tuyển dụng

    Dear Quyen,

    I share you one more recruitment website in Vietnam, it is Nghenghiepviet.com where there are newly job opening in every province in Vietnam and updated CV of both experienced and newly graduated student. Giving more chance for someone who is looking for a new environment and companies find more excellent staffs.

  • Memory8620

    Can i work in Viet Nam without BA?