Ho Chi Minh City - Post Report Question and Answers
What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Most EFMs are able to find work at the Consulate, if they want it. There is not a bilateral work agreement, so working locally is not an option. - Sep 2021
EFM jobs in the Consulate. Always possible to teach English, pay is not as high as in China, Korea or Japan, but the cost of living here is also low. Many local companies hire foreigners with specific skills, but beware. Local labor laws and contract laws are on the books, but are often not honored. I met someone who worked as a branding expert for a local conglomerate. One day she was told that her contract was terminated and tomorrow was her last day. - Jul 2019
Very decent - this year there is a surge of people starting their own companies - lots of artists and creative people are flooding and doing really interesting stuff. If you are looking for corporate mid-management work - then it's much harder - there is a policy of hiring better educated Vietnamese people to do the work that expats used to do. - Mar 2016
Yes, there are some opportunities. I know a few EFMs working in the International Schools as a teacher, counselor, or a nurse in the local health clinic. There are also EFMs who teach English. Getting a work permit here is not fun, but it is doable. If you are interested in working on the local economy, you should get your fingerprints and criminal background check done by the FBI or your home country law enforcement agency before you come, and also make sure you have your original degree. - Aug 2015
Not many outside of teaching or jobs in the finance sector with companies based in your home country. - May 2014
Getting the documentation can be hard, many ex-pat friends of mine are kind of in a limbo state with their paperwork. They don't have official diplomatic support though. The work around seems to be to be a contractor of some kind. - Jul 2011
Not so much, English teachers, yoga or pilates teachers, translators. - Sep 2010
Teaching ESL, marketing managers at local-hire salaries (low). - Nov 2009
Not sure. - Dec 2008
