IT and Telecom Hiring in Vietnam 2026: What Employers Must Pay and Where the Talent Gaps Are Widest

KEY FINDINGS — Vietnam Worker Sentiment Study 2026 (n=254, 1H 2026)

73%   of Vietnam employers identify digital and AI competency as their single most urgent upskilling priority in 2026

31%   cite IT and AI specialists as one of their three hardest roles to fill — the 4th most difficult category

VND 31.5M   median monthly basic salary for a senior Software Engineer in IT/Telecommunications

VND 67.5M   median monthly basic salary for an IT Project Manager at manager level

VND 62.5M   median monthly basic salary for a senior Bridge Engineer (bilingual Japanese-Vietnamese IT liaison)

VND 60M   median monthly basic salary for a Sales Manager in IT/Telecommunications — the highest Sales Manager median across all industries

Vietnam's IT and Telecommunications sector entered the second half of 2026 under sustained talent pressure from every direction. Demand is strong and cross-sector: digital transformation has spread the requirement for IT and AI talent from pure technology companies into manufacturing, banking, logistics, and construction — effectively multiplying the demand pool against a supply base that has not kept pace.

The Vietnam Employer Hiring Study 2026 confirms the picture: 73% of employers identify digital and AI competency as their most urgent upskilling priority, and 31% cite IT and AI specialists as one of their hardest roles to fill. For employers hiring or trying to retain IT and Telecom professionals in Vietnam, this article provides the current salary benchmarks and a framework for competing effectively in a tight market.

IT/Telecommunications Salary Benchmarks: Market Data

All figures are from the Reeracoen Vietnam Salary Guide 2025 (September 2024–August 2025). Values are basic monthly salary in millions of VND (P25–P75 range, median in brackets). Bonuses, allowances, and non-cash benefits are excluded.

 

IT / Telecommunications — Full Role Benchmark (VND M/month, basic salary)
Role / Position	Junior (VND M/mo)	Senior (VND M/mo)	Manager (VND M/mo)
Software Engineer	12–20 (16.0)	23–40 (31.5)	40–70 (55.0)
System Engineer	11–18 (14.5)	20–35 (27.5)	30–55 (42.5)
Service Engineer	11–25 (18.0)	16–38 (27.0)	40–60 (50.0)
Tester	10.5–15.5 (13.0)	17–28 (22.5)	30–45 (37.5)
Project Manager	—	35–55 (45.0)	50–85 (67.5)
Bridge Engineer (bilingual)	—	30–50 (40.0)	45–80 (62.5)

 

IT/Telecommunications Sector — Common Function Benchmarks (VND M/month)
Role / Position	Junior (VND M/mo)	Senior (VND M/mo)	Manager (VND M/mo)
Sales	13–22 (17.5)	23–38 (29.0)	40–80 (60.0)
Administrative	11–16 (13.5)	16.5–26.5 (21.5)	28–44 (35.0)
HR	13–18 (15.5)	20–30 (25.0)	35–60 (47.5)
Accounting	— (no data)	16–24 (20.0)	30–52 (41.0)
Engineering (IT context)	—	20–40 (30.0)	35–80 (57.5)
Marketing	10.5–16.5 (13.5)	18–30 (24.0)	32–55 (43.5)

Source: Reeracoen Vietnam Salary Guide 2025. Basic monthly salary only. Values in millions of VND.

Reading the Data — Key Observations for IT Employers

BROAD P25–P75 RANGE: The wide spread in the Software Engineer senior category (VND 23–40M, median 31.5M) reflects genuine skill heterogeneity within 'senior software engineer.' AI/ML engineers, cloud specialists, and backend engineers with six or more years of experience at the P75. General-purpose developers with three to four years at the P25. Assessing which segment your role needs before setting an offer saves both time and budget.

Bridge Engineers — Japanese-Vietnamese bilingual IT professionals who manage communication between local development teams and Japanese clients or HQ — command some of the highest salaries in the IT/Telecom sector. The senior median of VND 40M and manager median of VND 62.5M reflect the genuine scarcity of profiles combining Japanese language proficiency (typically N2 or N1) with IT project management or development experience. For Japanese companies operating IT operations in Vietnam, this is one of the most commercially significant talent categories to understand.

IT Sales at the manager level — median VND 60M — is the highest Sales Manager median across all industries in the Salary Guide. This reflects the premium placed on commercial talent that can articulate technical solutions to enterprise clients. IT Sales managers who combine industry knowledge, relationship capital, and the ability to manage a technical sales cycle are rare and priced accordingly.

Where the Talent Gaps Are Widest — and How to Compete

The skills scarcity the market is facing in IT/Telecom is not uniform. Three sub-segments are under the most acute pressure:

• AI and machine learning specialists — demand has extended beyond pure technology companies into manufacturing automation, logistics optimisation, and financial services. Supply has not kept pace with this cross-sector spread.
• Cybersecurity and DevSecOps — particularly in Banking and Financial Services, where regulatory requirements are driving sustained demand. The Banking & Finance Security/DevSecOps senior median is VND 34.5M; at manager level, VND 51.5M.
• Bilingual IT professionals (Bridge Engineers and technical project coordinators who interface with Japanese HQ) — scarcity is structural and is not resolving. Japanese JLPT premium + IT skills = the most competitive combination in this market.

1. Set your offer based on the specific sub-category, not the general title.

A 'Software Engineer' offer set at the overall median (VND 31.5M senior) may underprice an AI/ML specialist (P75 territory) and overprice a general web developer (P25 territory). Define the specific skill profile you need before setting the offer range.

2. Compete on the full employment package — not just base salary.

The Vietnam Employer Hiring Study 2026 shows that 75% of Vietnamese workers prefer foreign employers partly because of better working conditions and international exposure. For IT professionals especially — who have strong market alternatives — the quality of the work, the learning environment, the flexibility policy, and the career pathway are all factors in offer evaluation. Companies that cannot match the P75 salary can still win candidates who value these dimensions.

3. Move faster than the competition.

The Vietnam Employer Hiring Study 2026 shows 80% of employers want faster shortlisting from their recruitment partners. For IT/Telecom candidates who are genuinely competitive, the clock starts ticking at first contact. A process that takes more than four to six weeks from first interview to offer will regularly lose its preferred candidates to companies that move in two to three weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How does Vietnam's IT salary market compare to Singapore and other ASEAN markets?

Vietnam's IT salaries have been rising steadily but remain materially lower than Singapore in absolute terms. This is partly why Vietnam has attracted significant IT outsourcing investment — but it also means that Vietnamese IT professionals who develop strong technical credentials and JLPT proficiency have real overseas earning potential. The 65% of Vietnamese workers open to working overseas, with Japan as the top destination, is partly driven by this calculation.

Q2: Should we adjust our salary offer when recruiting remotely for IT roles?

For roles that are genuinely remote (no Vietnam entity, no on-site requirement), compensation is typically anchored to the candidate's local market — Vietnam — rather than the employer's home market. However, for remote roles offered by foreign companies directly, candidates sometimes negotiate a hybrid rate. The Salary Guide benchmarks apply most directly to roles based in Vietnam, including hybrid and in-office roles at companies with Vietnam entities.

Q3: Is the Bridge Engineer role relevant only to Japanese companies?

The Bridge Engineer role originated in the Japan-Vietnam IT outsourcing relationship, but the underlying need — a bilingual technical coordinator who manages communication between two teams in different languages — exists in other contexts. Some Western and Korean companies use similar roles under different titles (bilingual PM, technical account manager, etc.). The JLPT-qualified Bridge Engineer benchmark is specifically relevant to Japan-affiliated IT operations.

Q4: We cannot match the P75 for Software Engineers. What can we offer instead?

The most effective alternatives to salary at the upper end are: a clear technical development programme (access to new technologies, supported certification, structured upskilling); a higher degree of technical autonomy than candidates typically find at larger employers; and a strong international exposure narrative. Younger IT professionals in particular often prioritise learning and growth over salary premium, especially in their first three to five years.

Q5: How can Reeracoen Vietnam help with IT and Telecom hiring?

Reeracoen Vietnam has an active placement record across IT, technology, and digital roles in Japanese-invested companies, Western FDI technology firms, and domestic IT enterprises. We can provide market mapping for hard-to-fill roles, bilingual candidate sourcing for Bridge Engineer and liaison profiles, and compensation benchmarking aligned to the Salary Guide data.

Find IT and Technology Talent With Reeracoen Vietnam

Reeracoen Vietnam works with employers across manufacturing, IT, banking, logistics, and Japanese-invested companies. If you would like to discuss your hiring or retention challenges, our advisory team is available.

Speak with a Reeracoen consultant →

Related Articles

• Vietnam Salary & Job Market Outlook 2025: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead
• How Cybersecurity Hiring Is Fueling the Tech Skills Boom in Vietnam
• The Future of Hiring in Vietnam: How AI and Data Are Reshaping Recruitment

About the Author

Valerie Ong, Regional Marketing Manager, Reeracoen Group. Valerie leads content and market insights for Reeracoen across Southeast Asia. She works closely with Reeracoen's specialist recruitment consultants to translate hiring data, salary benchmarks and labour market trends into practical guidance for Vietnam's employers and professionals. Her work draws on Reeracoen's proprietary research including the annual Salary Guide, Hiring Pulse, and Hiring Manager Survey.

Language note: This article is published in English. Reeracoen Vietnam also publishes selected content in Vietnam and Japanese for our Vietnamese and Japanese-speaking professional community.

References

• Vietnam Worker Sentiment Study 2026. Reeracoen Vietnam Co., Ltd. n=254 workers, 1H 2026. Published July 2026.
• Vietnam Salary Guide 2025. Reeracoen Vietnam Co., Ltd.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for general reference purposes only. It is based on Reeracoen Vietnam's proprietary research and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Reeracoen Vietnam Co., Ltd. makes no representations or warranties regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information provided. Readers are advised to seek independent advice where appropriate. Reproduction or citation of survey data is permitted with appropriate attribution to Reeracoen Vietnam Co., Ltd.