What Vietnamese Professionals Want From Japanese Companies in 2026

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

65%   of Vietnamese workers are open to or actively considering working overseas within three years

Japan   leads as the most preferred overseas destination — ahead of Europe, Singapore, and Australia — with 66 mentions among those expressing interest

75%   prefer working for a foreign-owned employer — Japanese companies are already positioned on the right side of this preference

4 drivers   explain the foreign employer preference: clearer career structures, stronger governance, better working conditions, and international exposure

N2: +10–15%   salary premium for JLPT N2 holders — the level that enables meaningful communication with Japanese colleagues and clients

N1: +15–20%   salary premium for JLPT N1 holders — unlocking the highest-value bilingual roles in IT, manufacturing, and corporate functions

This International Friendship Day, it is worth looking at one of the most commercially significant data points in Reeracoen Vietnam's 2026 workforce research: 65% of Vietnamese professionals are open to or actively considering working overseas within three years. Japan is their top destination — cited by 66 respondents among those expressing overseas interest, ahead of Europe (40), Singapore (31), and Australia (22).

For Japanese companies operating in Vietnam, this alignment is not a footnote. It is a structural bilateral advantage that most Japanese employers in Vietnam are not actively using. Vietnamese workers are already oriented toward Japan as a career destination. The question is whether Japanese employers are building the kind of offer that converts that orientation into committed, long-term employment.

The Overseas Ambition Data — What It Actually Shows

The Vietnam Worker Sentiment Study 2026 (n=254, 1H 2026) provides specific breakdown of overseas work intentions:

Overseas Work Consideration (Within 3 Years) — % of Vietnamese Workers	Top Preferred Overseas Destinations — Mentions Among Interested Workers
Yes, actively considering: 21%	Japan: 66 mentions (clear leader)
Possibly, open to the idea: 44%	Europe: 40 mentions
Not considering: 34%	Singapore: 31 mentions
	Australia: 22 mentions

The 44% who are 'possibly open' to overseas work represent the highest-yield segment for Japanese companies recruiting in Vietnam. These workers are not actively searching for overseas opportunities, but they have not closed the door. A Japanese employer that makes the bilateral career pathway explicit, visible, and credible in its recruitment communication can convert this openness into genuine interest.

Why Japanese Companies Are Already Preferred — and What Undermines That Advantage

Seventy-five per cent of Vietnamese workers prefer foreign-owned employers, and the preference is driven by four specific factors: clearer career structures, stronger governance, better working conditions, and international exposure. On three of these four dimensions, Japanese companies have a genuine structural advantage — particularly governance, career structure, and international exposure.

THE UNDERUTILISED ADVANTAGE: The alignment between Vietnamese workers' overseas aspirations and Japan's talent needs represents a compelling bilateral opportunity that Vietnam's market is significantly underutilising. Most Japanese companies in Vietnam do not actively communicate the Japan-career pathway in their recruitment materials, job postings, or onboarding conversations. This silence is costing them candidates who would strongly favour that pathway if they knew it existed.

The most common failure points in Japanese company recruitment in Vietnam are not hard to diagnose. Salary offers that lag the market for bilingual roles — despite a stated JLPT premium that is not consistently applied. Recruitment processes that are slow relative to FDI competitors. Job descriptions written for a Japanese-market reader that do not communicate what working for the company actually looks like day-to-day in Vietnam. And employer brand materials that lead with company history rather than career opportunity.

What the JLPT Premium Signals — and What Japanese Employers Must Deliver on It

The Reeracoen Vietnam Salary Guide 2025 documents the Japanese language salary premium across Vietnam's market. The ranges are direct and consistent:

• N3: approximately +5–10% on basic salary, or VND 2–4M per month fixed allowance

• N2: approximately +10–15% on basic salary, or VND 3–6M per month — the most practically valuable level for most employment

• N1: approximately +15–20% on basic salary, or VND 5–8M per month — unlocking the highest-value bilateral roles

The premium exists because bilingual capability is genuinely scarce and genuinely valuable. But the premium alone does not make a Japanese employer compelling to a Vietnamese professional who is evaluating their options. The workers who are most open to Japanese companies — the 65% considering overseas, the 75% preferring foreign employers — are also the workers most likely to have multiple options. The premium is a hygiene factor. What converts interest into commitment is a credible career narrative.

Five Things Japanese Employers in Vietnam Must Do to Win and Keep the Talent They Want

1. Make the bilateral career pathway explicit in every recruitment communication.

The Japan-Vietnam career pathway is your most powerful differentiator and your most underused one. If working for your company creates a credible path to Japan-based roles, regional liaison opportunities, or collaboration with the Japan HQ team — say so, specifically. Not in the company history section. In the job description, in the interview conversation, and in the onboarding experience.

2. Apply the JLPT premium transparently and consistently.

Vietnamese candidates researching salaries before applying know what the market premium for their JLPT level looks like. A job offer that does not include a clear bilingual premium — or that offers one below the market range — signals to the candidate that their language investment is not being valued. Transparent, consistent premium application is a retention tool, not just a recruitment tool.

3. Define and communicate a clear career pathway within the Vietnam organisation.

The preference for foreign employers is partly driven by the perception of clearer career structures. For Japanese companies, this means making the progression from junior to senior to management — and the conditions for each transition — explicit, documented, and discussed at the point of hire. Ambiguity about advancement is one of the most common reasons employees at Japanese companies in Vietnam cite when they leave.

4. Accelerate your hiring process.

The Hiring Study shows that 80% of employers want faster candidate shortlisting from their recruitment partners. Vietnamese candidates who are genuinely competitive — bilingual, technically skilled, and motivated by the Japan opportunity — are also in demand from other employers. A Japanese company hiring process that takes 8–12 weeks to move from first interview to offer is regularly losing its preferred candidates to companies that move in 3–4 weeks.

5. Invest in onboarding that builds cultural bridges, not barriers.

The factors that cause Vietnamese professionals to leave Japanese companies — after accepting an offer — are almost always cultural rather than financial. Unclear expectations around communication style, decision-making hierarchy, and working culture are consistent exit interview themes. Onboarding that explicitly addresses these differences, with Japanese managers who are prepared to adapt as well as Vietnamese employees, produces significantly better retention outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How many Japanese companies currently operate in Vietnam?

Estimates from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and industry associations put the number of Japanese-invested enterprises in Vietnam at over 4,000. They are concentrated in manufacturing (particularly electronics, automotive components, and precision engineering), trading, IT services, and financial services, with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as the primary locations.

Q2: Is the preference for Japanese employers among Vietnamese workers genuine, or driven by salary expectations?

The Worker Sentiment Study data is clear: the preference for foreign-owned employers (75%) is driven by perceptions of stronger career structures, better governance, superior working conditions, and international exposure — not primarily by salary expectations. This suggests the preference is real and persistent, and is most effectively activated by communicating on those four dimensions specifically.

Q3: How should a Japanese company that has not previously prioritised employer branding in Vietnam begin?

Start with the bilateral career story. Identify specific, real examples of Vietnamese employees who have gone on to Japan-based roles, participated in regional projects, or advanced within the company structure. These stories are your employer brand. They are more credible than any produced marketing material and require only willingness to tell them.

Q4: What JLPT level should Japanese companies in Vietnam require as a baseline for bilingual roles?

N2 is the most practical minimum for roles requiring independent communication with Japanese clients, colleagues, or HQ teams. N3 is sufficient for roles where Japanese is used occasionally and interpretation or support is available. N1 should be required or strongly preferred for roles involving legal, financial, or complex technical communication where precision is critical — Bridge Engineer, compliance advisor, corporate planning roles.

Q5: How can Reeracoen Vietnam help Japanese companies build a stronger talent pipeline?

Reeracoen Vietnam specialises in Japanese-invested business recruitment and has direct relationships across the Vietnamese market for Japanese-affiliated companies. We provide targeted sourcing of JLPT-certified candidates, salary benchmarking aligned to the Salary Guide data, and advisory support for companies looking to improve their employer brand and hiring process in Vietnam.

Build Your Vietnam Talent Strategy With Reeracoen

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

• Japanese Language Premium in Vietnam: Why Bilingual Talent Earns More
• Recruiting Challenges and Opportunities for Japanese Companies in Vietnam
• The Ultimate Guide to Working in a Japanese Company in Vietnam After JLPT

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, data collection 1H 2026. Published July 2026.
• Vietnam Salary Guide 2025. Reeracoen Vietnam Co., Ltd.
• Vietnam Employer Hiring Study 2026. 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.