How to be an expat working in South East Asia : local or international companies

How much we can except as expat living and working in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand



In the steel and metallurgy companies the salary is around 10,000,000 dongs per month

The banking sector is also interesting with salaries of 7,900,000 dongs/month

Pharmacies 7,000,000,000 dongs/month, very popular IT professions such as the design of responsive websites or the creation of applications for mobiles also offer high remuneration.

The food, textile, hotel and office automation sectors offer salaries from 2 to 2,500,000 dongs/month.



Teach english in Vietnam or Cambodia for an attractive salary

What does it take to be able to work in South East Asia ?



Your diplomas (very important)



Experience in your field



Speak at least English



Be in good health (medical examination required)





130 Sương Nguyệt Anh, Bến Thành, 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Tel +84 854 041 373

7th floor, V-building 125-127 Ba Trieu street, Nguyen Du Ward, Hai Ba Trung district Hanoi Tel +84 439 743 033



The first thing we ask ourselves as foreign expat people wanting to move to Vietnam or Cambodia or Laos is how much will I earn?Well before asking yourself this question, you should know that depending on the occupations, skills but also the cities in which you will work, salaries will be very different and may vary without really understanding why.There are two scenarios, your French company sends you to Vietnam or Cambodia for a short or long period of time, your salary will be the same as in France because you will have an expatriate contract (big advantage because your monthly budget will be well above the real need) unless you have signed a specific contract that may include accommodation for example.It should be noted that the average salary in Vietnam is 3,200,000 dongs (just over 110 euros) per person. The same average salary in Cambodia is about 200$ (American Dollar). As an indication, the average salary is 409 euros in Thailand, 445 euros in China, 1780 euros in South Korea, 2500 euros in Singapore and 3760 euros in Japan.In reality it is an average in large cities, in the countryside or in small towns, it is about 70 euros (2,000,000 dongs).As you can see, these are just numbers, the same office work in the administration and in a private company can be 3 to 5 times less paid.English in foreign companies is a considerable asset, so many Vietnamese or Cambodian resumes are not even read because they do not have the sesam to speak at least one additional language.It is not uncommon to see positions requiring fluent spoken and written English, sometimes even French with salaries ranging from 1500 to 2000 USD.Private sector salespeople also have significant salaries ranging from 900 to 1700 USD.A native english will find it very easy to find even partial work in a school or language centre with high salaries (1500/2000USD for 30h/week)Cambian or Vietnamese companies have more difficulty hiring foreigners because the administration will ask them why they need these people and will have to prove that employing a foreigner is a necessity.In other words, if you do not have specific skills in particular areas, your task of finding a job will be more difficult.Specialized sites will also allow you to find jobs (sites often in English) :Vietnamworks 2 addresses in Vietnam one on Ho Chi Minh and the other on HanoiNavigosSearch for vietnamese and cambodian market jobs board of GOAbroad is the best place to find a job in Cambodia if you are an expat, a student looking for an internship. Book from Movetoasia.com to find a job and work in Cambodia as an expatBut some forums attract both employers and job seekersThis website made by a french expat about working in Vietnam is a source of practical information and an active network, the advantage also is its French-speaking community composed of expatriates who easily respond to various requests.I will end this article with a short sentence "take your time before going on an adventure", Vietnam is a country that is developing very quickly but which is struggling a little with the openness of minds and foreign languages, coming to live in this country can be an advantage but it should not be forgotten that if you are alone without a Vietnamese to help you, there will be many difficulties to fully understand the habits and customs of the inhabitants.