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Vietnam before Poland or Latin America: a market review

Published · 8 min read

Software engineer working at several monitors with code on screen
Photo: Ilham Malik, Unsplash

Vietnam has 1.26 million workers in its ICT sector and its GDP grew 7.09% in 2024. It does not beat Poland on English or on time zone. It makes sense if your team can work with three or four hours of overlap with Madrid. It also makes sense if your local market no longer gives you enough qualified candidates.

Size and shape of the market

Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) counts 1.26 million workers in the ICT sector (information and communication technology) at the end of 2024. It also counts 73,788 digital technology companies. The number of companies grew 10.1% on 2023 (Vietnam News, citing the MIC). The figure covers the whole sector, not only people who write code: the same report puts hardware and electronics exports at USD 133.2 billion.

The Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) gives a different number. Its international cooperation director, Đỗ Thanh Bình, spoke in December 2024 of about 1.5 million IT professionals. About 500,000 are formally trained engineers (Đại biểu Nhân dân, 9 December 2024). The two sources use different definitions. In the texts we consulted, neither publishes a separate count of software developers.

Graduates each year

VINASA estimates about 50,000 IT graduates a year. According to the same source, only 30% are ready to work when they leave university, and the other 70% need further practical training.

The Ministry of Education and Training does publish the scale of the pipeline: study field V (mathematics, statistics, computer science and IT) had 586,024 students in the 2022-2023 academic year (Tuổi Trẻ, 3 September 2023). These are enrolled students, not graduates, and the field includes disciplines outside computing. PENDIENTE: the official number of IT graduates per year, with a historical series, from the Ministry of Education and Training. Without it we do not publish a graduates chart.

Growth of the sector and the economy

The General Statistics Office (GSO) says that Vietnam's GDP grew 7.09% in 2024 (GSO, socio-economic situation in the fourth quarter and 2024). The World Bank forecasts 6.6% for 2025 and 6.1% for 2026 (Vietnam News, September 2025).

Digital technology companies had revenue of nearly USD 158 billion in 2024, up 10.2%. Their overseas revenue was USD 11.5 billion, 54% more than in 2023 (MIC, cited by Vietnam News, link above).

Wages are rising. The average monthly income of a Vietnamese worker was VND 7.7 million in 2024, 8.6% more than the year before (GSO, link above). That figure covers all sectors, not IT.

What we do not know

This review leaves data points uncovered because we found no open primary source. There are four. First, the official number of IT graduates per year. Second, the total cost of an IT profile in Vietnam. Third, turnover in the sector. Fourth, an index ranking Vietnam among ASEAN countries for development skills. The first three appear as PENDIENTE where they would be needed. The fourth is explained in the closing note.

Vietnam against Poland and Colombia

We chose Poland because it shares a time zone with Madrid and sits inside the EU: it is the natural comparison for anyone hiring in Europe. We chose Colombia to represent Latin America because it shares a language with Spain. India is left out because we found no comparable primary source for every column.

Destination Total employment cost Time difference with Madrid English level (EF EPI 2025) Turnover and availability
Vietnam PENDIENTE: total cost of an IT profile (salary plus employer charges). Non-comparable reference: average income across all sectors, VND 7.7 million a month (GSO, 2024) Vietnam is 5 h ahead in summer and 6 h ahead in winter Rank 64 of 123, 500 points, moderate Turnover: PENDIENTE. Availability: 1.26 million ICT workers (MIC, 2024)
Poland EUR 29.3 per hour in information and communication, 2025 (Eurostat). Spain: EUR 34.8 0 h Rank 15 of 123, 600 points, high Turnover: PENDIENTE. Availability: 778,800 employed ICT specialists in 2025 (Eurostat)
Colombia PENDIENTE: total cost of an IT profile Colombia is 7 h behind in summer and 6 h behind in winter Rank 76 of 123, 480 points, low Turnover and availability: PENDIENTE

The EF index (EF EPI, Education First English Proficiency Index) starts from an online test that people take on their own initiative. It is not a representative sample. It is an orientation and does not measure the English of any single engineer.

What the table says

Eurostat's hourly labour cost adds compensation and taxes, minus subsidies. In Poland, the information and communication sector went from EUR 23.0 per hour in 2023 to EUR 29.3 in 2025, a rise of 27%. The gap with Spain is now EUR 5.5 per hour, or 16%.

The decision depends on how many qualified candidates your team can hire in 12 months, and on which working hours. Poland has 778,800 ICT specialists for one European country. Vietnam has 1.26 million ICT workers under a wider definition, so the two numbers are not comparable.

What the time zone gives you in Vietnam is an asynchronous work cycle. With 9:00 to 18:00 days in both countries, the overlap is 4 hours in summer and 3 in winter. What Madrid leaves ready in the afternoon is reviewed by the time Madrid starts the next morning.

When Vietnam fits

It fits tasks that can be defined in writing and reviewed later: backend development, automated testing, data engineering and product maintenance. It fits worse with roles that talk daily to the business or to customers in European hours. Product discovery and on-call duty are examples. This is a decision rule, not a data point: no source on this page measures which roles work best at a distance.

For a company of 10 to 60 people, it is best to start with a small team and a technical lead in Madrid. Define from day one who decides what.

What Vietnam is not

An article that lists only advantages convinces nobody, and whoever publishes it has an interest in you hiring there. These are the three drawbacks that weigh most.

The shared working window is short

Four hours of overlap in summer and three in winter are enough for a daily meeting and a code review. They are not enough for a full day of pair programming or for handling a night incident live. Your team in Madrid has to learn to hand over tasks in writing and well defined.

English is at a moderate level

Vietnam ranks 64th of 123 in the EF EPI 2025, with 500 points and a moderate level. It scored 498 in 2024, a low level, and 505 in 2023 (Tuoi Tre News, November 2025). Poland scores 600 and Colombia 480. Within Asia, Vietnam is seventh of 25 countries, behind Malaysia (581) and the Philippines (569). A given engineer may speak better or worse than the average, so English is assessed in the interview, not in the ranking.

Graduates who need training and little open data

According to VINASA, 70% of IT graduates need further practical training. Hiring graduates calls for a mentoring plan of several months. We also found no official series of IT graduates per year and no turnover figures. Anyone who claims to know the sector's average turnover in Vietnam without naming a source is publishing their own estimate.

FAQ

These are the four questions a CTO tends to ask before opening a conversation with a provider in Vietnam.

How many programmers are there in Vietnam?

There is no official count of programmers. The MIC counts 1.26 million workers in the ICT sector at the end of 2024. VINASA speaks of about 1.5 million IT professionals and about 500,000 formally trained engineers.

Do Vietnamese engineers speak English?

Vietnam scores 500 in the EF EPI 2025, rank 64 of 123, a moderate level. Poland scores 600. The test is taken by people who sign up on their own. Run a technical interview in English with every candidate.

What working hours can I share with a team in Vietnam?

With 9:00 to 18:00 days in both countries, you share 4 hours in summer and 3 in winter. Vietnam does not change its clocks and is 5 hours ahead of Madrid in summer and 6 in winter. Poland shares the whole working day with Madrid.

How much does a developer cost in Vietnam?

We have no official source for the total cost of a Vietnamese IT profile. The average income across all sectors was VND 7.7 million a month in 2024, 8.6% more than in 2023. In Poland, one hour in the information and communication sector cost EUR 29.3 in 2025.

Next step

If your team can work with three or four hours of overlap, book 30 minutes with Vantu. Bring the two profiles you need to hire this year and ask in writing for total employment cost, timelines and the English test.

Sources

Consultation date for all sources: 1 October 2026.

  1. Việt Nam's digital tech sector boasts nearly 74,000 companies. Vietnam News, citing the Ministry of Information and Communications, 2025. https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1691218/viet-nam-s-digital-tech-sector-boasts-nearly-74-000-companies.html
  2. 70% sinh viên công nghệ thông tin cần đào tạo lại kỹ năng thực hành sau khi tốt nghiệp. Đại biểu Nhân dân, 9 December 2024. https://daibieunhandan.vn/70-sinh-vien-cong-nghe-thong-tin-can-dao-tao-lai-ky-nang-thuc-hanh-sau-khi-tot-nghiep-post398676.html
  3. Ngành học nào đang có nhiều người theo học nhất ở bậc đại học. Tuổi Trẻ, citing the Ministry of Education and Training, 2023. https://tuoitre.vn/nganh-hoc-nao-dang-co-nhieu-nguoi-theo-hoc-nhat-o-bac-dai-hoc-20230903145241895.htm
  4. Socio-economic situation in the fourth quarter and 2024. General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2025. https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/highlight/2025/02/socio-economic-situation-in-the-fourth-quarter-and-2024/
  5. Việt Nam's GDP growth eases to 6.6% in 2025: World Bank. Vietnam News, citing the World Bank, September 2025. https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1724771/viet-nam-s-gdp-growth-eases-to-6-6-in-2025-world-bank.html
  6. EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Vietnam fact sheet. EF Education First, 2025. https://www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/fact-sheets/2025/ef-epi-fact-sheet-vietnam-english.pdf
  7. EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Poland fact sheet. EF Education First, 2025. https://www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/fact-sheets/2025/ef-epi-fact-sheet-poland-english.pdf
  8. EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Colombia fact sheet. EF Education First, 2025. https://www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/fact-sheets/2025/ef-epi-fact-sheet-colombia-english.pdf
  9. Vietnam returns to global moderate English proficiency group: EF. Tuoi Tre News, citing the EF EPI 2025, November 2025. https://news.tuoitre.vn/vietnam-returns-to-global-moderate-english-proficiency-group-ef-103251120163417603.htm
  10. Labour cost levels (lc_lci_lev), Poland, NACE J. Eurostat, 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/lc_lci_lev?format=JSON&lang=en&geo=PL&nace_r2=J&lcstruct=D1_D4_MD5&unit=EUR&sinceTimePeriod=2023
  11. Labour cost levels (lc_lci_lev), Spain, NACE J. Eurostat, 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/lc_lci_lev?format=JSON&lang=en&geo=ES&nace_r2=J&lcstruct=D1_D4_MD5&unit=EUR&sinceTimePeriod=2023
  12. Employed ICT specialists (isoc_sks_itspt), Poland. Eurostat, 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/isoc_sks_itspt?format=JSON&lang=en&geo=PL&unit=THS_PER&sinceTimePeriod=2023
Horizontal bars of English level in the EF EPI 2025: Poland 600, Malaysia 581, Philippines 569, Vietnam 500 (highlighted) and Colombia 480. The global average is 488.