The average salary in Vietnam in 2026 is 10,700,000 VND a month, which works out to roughly $437 at current exchange rates. That number hides a huge spread - a retail clerk and a software developer in the same city can earn five times apart, and I’ll break down where the real numbers sit by industry and by region.
I live in Da Nang and work remotely, and I ended up digging through the actual wage numbers for a practical reason: I needed to know what local pay looks like before I could figure out which visa or long-term residency path made sense for me.
What’s the average salary in Vietnam right now
The national average is 10,700,000 VND per month, about $437. Central Vietnam, where Da Nang sits, runs lower than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City - but the gap comes mostly from which industry and role you’re in, not the city itself. A local video-editing job I interviewed for through LinkedIn in 2024 offered around $1,090 a month, well above the national average, though I turned it down over the schedule.
How much is the minimum wage, and does it change by city
Vietnam’s regional minimum wage in 2026 runs 3,700,000-5,310,000 VND a month, roughly $151-217. The highest minimums apply in the biggest cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Da Nang - and the lowest in remote rural areas. Nha Trang, another beach city popular with tourists, sits at 4,730,000 VND, about $193 a month.
What do IT, healthcare and retail jobs actually pay
The spread by industry is where the real story is. Retail averages 4,000,000-6,000,000 VND a month, about $163-245. Admin and office staff earn 8,000,000-12,000,000 VND, roughly $327-490. Software developers earn 40,000,000-70,000,000 VND, about $1,633-2,857 - several times the national average. Healthcare workers land in a similar high bracket: 35,000,000-60,000,000 VND, roughly $1,429-2,449 a month.
Da Nang’s economy runs on tourism, real estate and IT - Swiss firm Smartdev and Swedish company Fram both have offices here, alongside local players Saigon Technology and Co-Well Asia.
Can foreigners legally work in Vietnam, and what does that cost
Working on a tourist visa is not legal in Vietnam - you need a business visa or a formal work permit tied to an employer. Some agencies offer to set up a business visa through nominal local co-ownership of a company, starting around $1,000 - a route many expats find too expensive for what it solves.
For most remote workers in Da Nang, the local salary numbers above don’t even apply - the income comes from a foreign client or employer, and the only thing that actually needs sorting out here is the visa status itself, not a Vietnamese payroll. This is usually where people get stuck: which visa actually covers a stay this long without a local job, what needs renewing and when, and what happens if the paperwork is wrong at the border. I look at the passport and the timeline and tell people straight what covers their case - no guessing at the counter. Message me on Telegram and I’ll tell you what fits your situation.
What do digital nomads and remote workers actually earn here
Most foreigners I know in Da Nang aren’t chasing a local salary at all - they’re on a foreign client’s payroll or freelance income, and Vietnam’s numbers above are relevant only as a cost-of-living yardstick, not as their own paycheck. Foreigners formally employed by a Vietnamese company pay income tax starting at 20%, moving to a progressive 5-35% scale after six months of residency, same as locals. Remote workers paid by a foreign client, with no Vietnamese employer, typically don’t owe Vietnamese income tax on that income at all.
Vietnam salaries: the bottom line
10,700,000 VND ($437) a month is the national average, but it’s not a useful target if you’re comparing your own income against it - retail and admin roles sit well below that line, IT and healthcare sit three to seven times above it. The regional minimum wage, $151-217, is a legal floor for employers, not a benchmark for planning a move. If you’re sizing up your own remote income against local pay, use the industry range that matches your field, not the blended average.
Once the income side is settled, the visa question is usually what’s left - how long you can actually stay, whether you need a border run or can renew without leaving, and what the timeline actually looks like for your passport. Send me your dates on Telegram and I’ll walk you through what’s realistic.
You can also fill out the e‑visa application directly if you already know which visa you need, or check our visa run from Da Nang page if a border crossing is part of your plan.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to earn to live comfortably in Vietnam as an expat? Aim above the national average of $437/month - rent, transport and imported goods usually cost a foreigner more than they cost a local earning the same local salary.
Are salaries in Da Nang lower than in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City? Yes, on average, but the gap comes mostly from industry and role, not the city - a developer in Da Nang still earns several times more than a retail worker in Hanoi.
Can I work remotely for a foreign company while living in Vietnam? Yes, but you still need a valid visa status for the stay itself - remote income from abroad doesn’t require a Vietnamese work permit, though it doesn’t grant one either.
At what income does a foreigner start paying Vietnamese income tax? Only income from a Vietnamese employer is taxed locally, starting at a 20% rate and moving to a progressive 5-35% scale after six months of residency.
