Expanding into Vietnam without a local entity requires navigating strict labor laws, including mandatory Social, Health, and Unemployment Insurance (SHUI) contributions and complex Personal Income Tax (PIT) withholding. An Employer of Record (EOR) acts as the legal employer, managing localized payroll and compliance while you retain day-to-day operational control of your team.
For this scenario, the key choice is usually: * Entity model: Providers use either their own localized Vietnamese entities or a network of in-country partners to assume legal employer liabilities. Vendors with owned entities often position this model as providing more direct control over the compliance chain. * Pricing structure: EOR fees generally take the form of fixed monthly rates (providing cost predictability for higher-salary roles) or percentage-based fees (scaling proportionally with the economic footprint of the hire).
The market offers a range of solutions, from globally scaled platforms covering 150+ countries to specialized regional providers tailored explicitly for Southeast Asian expansion. The right choice depends on your hiring volume, salary bands, and broader international roadmap.
> Trust & Verification Note > * Pricing accuracy: Vendor pricing and fee structures have been verified against official vendor documentation where available. > * Data accurate as of: August 2026. > * Unverified: Skuad's exact per-employee pricing within its estimated range; Teamed's specific entity infrastructure model for Vietnam — confirm these details directly during vendor scoping.
This evaluation is built for: * Founders and Finance Managers making their first strategic hires in Vietnam. * People Operations Leads prioritizing rapid onboarding and localized benefits. * Teams seeking clear separation of EOR management fees from statutory costs. * Organizations looking for the structural capacity to scale across the broader Southeast Asian region.
A strong EOR partner for this scenario should deliver: * Accurate statutory calculations: Automated handling of the ~23.5% employer statutory burden.[01] * Cap management: Systemic updates to reflect insurable salary caps, such as the VND 46,800,000 limit for social insurance.[03] * Compliant contracts: Generation of bilingual employment contracts that align with the Labor Code 2019. * Transparent pricing: Clear delineation between the vendor's software/service fee, the employee's gross salary, and mandatory government contributions.
Unified platform for contractors and employees with broad global scale
100% direct EOR infrastructure globally
Highly competitive pricing for early hires with deep APAC expertise
Cost-conscious startups needing flat-fee EOR and contractor support
Middle-ground pricing with owned-entity compliance
Enterprise-grade payroll consolidation and cross-border payments
Foreign exchange (FX) transparency
Mature compliance posture and local statutory benefits
| Vendor | Best for | Countries | Entity model in Vietnam | Typical EOR price | Primary strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unified platform | 150 | Owned entity | $599/mo | Massive global scale | |
![]() | Direct infrastructure | 160+ | Owned entity | $599/mo | 100% direct EOR globally |
RecruitGo | Early APAC hires | 40+ to 130+ | Owned entity | 10% (capped at $250) | Highly competitive entry pricing |
![]() | Cost-conscious startups | 140+ | Not specified | $199/mo | Budget-friendly flat fee |
Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) | Middle-ground pricing | 150+ | Owned entity | $199 - $599/mo | Flexible pricing floor |
![]() | Payroll consolidation | 160+ | Partner network | $499/mo | Enterprise-grade payment OS |
Teamed | FX transparency | Global | Not specified | $599/mo | Zero markup on FX rates |
![]() | Mature compliance | 187+ | Hybrid | $499/mo | Established compliance posture |
Vietnamese employment relationships are governed primarily by the Labor Code 2019. The standard workweek is 40 hours with regulated overtime rates (150% on weekdays, 200% on weekends, 300% on public holidays).[02]
A critical factor for Finance leads is the mandatory statutory contribution (SHUI), which totals approximately 23.5% of an employee's gross salary.[01] Crucially, these contributions are capped. Social insurance calculations are capped at VND 46,800,000,[03] while unemployment insurance calculations are capped at VND 99,200,000.[04] Minimum wages vary by region from VND 3,450,000 to VND 4,960,000.[05] Furthermore, taxable income applies personal deductions of VND 11M plus VND 4.4M per dependent.[06]
Establishing a formal Foreign-Invested Enterprise (FIE) to handle this internally requires securing an Investment Registration Certificate and an Enterprise Registration Certificate. Local entity setup costs can exceed VND 906,636,920 and take months to finalize,[07] making the EOR model a highly practical alternative for rapid market entry.
EOR pricing structures generally fall into two categories: flat-fee (Per-Employee-Per-Month) and percentage-based pricing. Flat-fee models provide cost predictability for highly-compensated technical roles, whereas percentage-based models offer a lower barrier to entry for junior or administrative roles. In all cases, the EOR management fee is entirely separate from the ~23.5% statutory employer burden and the employee's gross salary.
Rule of thumb: * Premium Flat-Fee: Expect to pay around $499 to $599 per employee per month for globally scaled platforms with owned entities (e.g., Deel, Atlas HXM). * Budget Flat-Fee: Emerging platforms offer EOR services starting around $199 per month (e.g., Gloroots). * Percentage-Based: Providers like RecruitGo charge around 10% of gross payroll, often with a monthly cap (e.g., capped at $250).
This page is a scenario-specific ranking based on the shared research and the criteria most relevant to this buying situation.
We weighted: * Vietnam compliance: Ability to accurately handle SHUI calculations, salary caps, and PIT withholding under the Labor Code 2019. * Pricing transparency: Clear, publicly available pricing structures that separate management fees from statutory burdens. * Entity model: Preference for providers utilizing owned-entity infrastructure in Vietnam for direct compliance control. * Regional scalability: Structural capacity to support broader Southeast Asian or global expansion. * Fit Score: A 0–1 scale reflecting how closely a vendor aligns with the scenario's specific needs, driven by pricing clarity, entity ownership in Vietnam, and regional coverage capabilities as detailed in the source research.
Important limitations: * Pricing and feature availability can change; always verify exact quotes and entity structures directly with the vendor during scoping. * This is not legal advice.
Next step: personalize this to your exact Vietnam expansion plan. When scoping providers, clearly define your target salary bands to determine whether a flat-fee or percentage-based model is more cost-effective. Confirm the vendor's specific entity structure in Vietnam, and ensure their platform automatically handles the latest SHUI caps and regional minimum wage updates to keep your operations compliant as you scale.
Our experts continually monitor the HR software space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.