Before you start earning an income:
✈️ Flight to Vietnam: $300–800 (depending on origin and season)
📄 Visa:
Tourist visa: $25 (single entry) or $50 (multiple entry) — many teachers choose this to explore schools before signing a contract
Business visa: $150–250 — usually provided by the school if you get hired in advance
🏡 Accommodation:
Some employers offer a room, a shared flat, or a housing allowance (~$80–100/month)
If renting privately:
In major cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi): expect $250–350/month for a small furnished studio
In mid-size cities (Da Nang, Nha Trang): possible to find options for $150–250/month
Deposit = 1 month rent + 1st month upfront
🍜 Food and other expenses: $150–250/month (local food is affordable, Western products cost more)
🛵 Optional motorbike rental: $50–70/month
📱 SIM card & data: $5–10/month
🧮 Estimated minimum total before your first salary: $1,000–1,400
(not including plane ticket)
After you’ve secured a job and received your first 1–2 salaries:🗂️ Document translation & legalization: $300–500 (varies by nationality)
🧾 Work permit: ~$265
🪪 Temporary residence card: ~$120
Many employers cover 50–100% of these costs — especially if you commit to a 6–12 month contract.
🧠 Good to know:
Many teachers use the tourist visa to arrive and explore, visit different schools, talk to other expats, and then move forward with a job and business visa. This gives flexibility and helps you find a good fit.

💸 Hourly pay typically starts from 430,000–500,000 VND/hour (approx. $17–$21/hour) for new teachers in Ho Chi Minh City and other large cities. Beginners usually start with a single job (e.g. kindergarten, public school, or private center) offering 20–25 hours/week — that’s about 4–5 teaching hours per day, Monday to Friday.
🕐 Many teachers choose to pick up a second job or freelance gigs (evening or weekend shifts at training centers). These centers often offer flexible schedules and pay similar or slightly higher rates — which allows you to boost your monthly income significantly.
🧮 With one full-time position, teachers usually earn $1,200–1,800/month. By adding private students or a second part-time job, $2,500–$3,500/month becomes realistic. Some experienced teachers working independently with their own students earn up to $4,000–$5,000/month — and one member of our team earns over $10,000/month teaching private classes.
👣 Whether you want a light schedule or to hustle hard, Vietnam gives you the flexibility to shape your workload and income.

Absolutely. You do not need prior teaching experience to land a job in Vietnam – many first-time teachers start their careers here. Vietnam’s demand for English teachers is high, so schools are generally open to hiring newcomers as long as you meet the basic requirements (like speaking English well). In fact, previous teaching experience is not a legal requirement to work as an ESL teacher in Vietnam.
That said, walking into a classroom for the first time can feel daunting – but don’t worry. Our guide is designed with first-timers in mind. It will coach you on classroom basics, lesson planning tips, and cultural insights so you’ll feel prepared even with zero teaching background. Remember, everyone starts somewhere, and plenty of expats before you have successfully taught in Vietnam without prior experience. With enthusiasm and the guidance from the Vietnam Teaching Guide, you’ll quickly get the hang of it!

What qualifications or documents do I need to teach in Vietnam?To legally teach English in Vietnam, you’ll need a few essential documents and certifications in place:

• Bachelor’s Degree (in any field): A four-year college degree is required to obtain a work permit in Vietnam. (The degree doesn’t have to be in education or English – any major is acceptable.)
• TEFL/TESOL Certificate: You’ll need a teaching English certification. Most employers expect a TEFL or TESOL of at least 120 hours. If you don’t have one yet, it’s easy to obtain online and often very affordable. Our guide will even point you to reputable certification courses. (Note: In some rare cases, a few years of documented teaching experience can substitute for a degree or TEFL, but this is the exception rather than the norm.)
• Valid Passport: Your passport should have at least 6 months validity remaining (a common visa requirement).
• Clean Criminal Background Check: Vietnam requires an official police clearance from your home country showing you have no serious criminal record. It’s best to request this document at home and bring the authenticated copy with you.
• Health Check: A routine medical check is done in Vietnam as part of the work permit process. This isn’t something you obtain beforehand, but be prepared to undergo a basic health exam upon arrival.

If you’re missing something right now (for example, if you haven’t gotten your TEFL yet), don’t panic. The Vietnam Teaching Guide will walk you through how to quickly get any required certifications or paperwork. Tip: Many newcomers worry about the TEFL – but you can complete an accredited online TEFL course in a matter of weeks, so lack of a TEFL isn’t a deal-breaker to starting the process. However, a bachelor’s degree is a stricter requirement for the work visa, so if you don’t have a degree, your options will be more limited. (Vietnamese law technically mandates a degree for foreign teachers, so non-degree holders might need to consider volunteering or less formal teaching opportunities.) Overall, if you check off the items above, you’ll be set with all the credentials and documents you need to teach in Vietnam. The guide provides detailed instructions on preparing each of these so you won’t miss a step.

The visa process for teaching in Vietnam typically works like this: Once you have a job offer from a school, that employer will sponsor you for the appropriate visa and permits. Most teachers get an initial business visa (often 3 months) before or upon arrival, arranged by the hiring school. After you arrive in Vietnam and start work, the school will then help convert that into a work permit and a temporary residence card (usually valid for up to a year). This two-step process is normal – essentially, you enter on a short-term visa and then secure your long-term working status from within the country.
If you haven’t secured a job yet, it’s common to enter on a tourist visa to interview on the ground; once you get hired, your tourist visa can be transitioned to a work visa. (Do note that working on a tourist visa without conversion is illegal – it’s important to go through the proper work visa process to stay on the right side of the law.) The Vietnam Teaching Guide explains all these steps in plain language, so you’ll know exactly what to do.
Timeline: The journey from getting a job to landing in Vietnam can be relatively quick. Often it takes around 4–8 weeks in total – sometimes even faster. For example, after you interview and sign a contract, your school might obtain the official visa approval letter within a couple of weeks. With that letter, you get the visa stamped (at an embassy or on arrival), and you could be on a plane soon after. In many cases, teachers find themselves in a Vietnamese classroom roughly one month after securing a job offer. Of course, the exact timing can vary – factors like how fast you gather your documents, the time of year (peak hiring season vs. holidays), and processing times can affect it. Rest assured, our guide gives you a clear timeline of what to expect at each stage. We’ll prep you so that you can move through the visa and relocation steps as efficiently as possible. Before you know it, you could be packing your bags for Vietnam!

Yes, you can. Vietnam does hire non-native English speakers as teachers. In fact, recent policies in Vietnam have become more welcoming toward teachers from a variety of countries. The key is that you must demonstrate a high level of English proficiency – essentially, you should speak and write English almost like a native. If you can prove your English proficiency is near-native (for example, by having a high IELTS or TOEIC score, or a degree from an English-speaking program), you absolutely have a chance.
Many non-native speakers are successfully teaching in Vietnam right now. Schools will be looking at your practical English skills: Can you communicate clearly? Is your accent easy to understand? Do you have a strong grasp of grammar and pronunciation? If you can check those boxes, you’re in a good position. It can also help if you have any of the following: a degree in English or Education, prior teaching experience (even informally or volunteer), or a top-notch TEFL certification with classroom practice. These things help reassure employers that you’re capable of teaching the language effectively.
Our guide includes a section specifically for non-native English speaking applicants, full of tips on how to highlight your strengths. For example, it suggests obtaining an English proficiency certificate (if you haven’t already) and provides advice on polishing your résumé to showcase any bilingual advantages you bring to the table. Bottom line: being a non-native speaker is not a deal-breaker. As long as you’re fluent in English and meet the other requirements, you can pursue a teaching career in Vietnam. We’ll guide you on how to put your best foot forward and tackle any extra hurdles along the way.

English teachers in Vietnam earn a comfortable, livable salary. While exact pay can vary by city and your qualifications, a typical full-time salary ranges from about $1,000 up to $1,800 USD per month for new teachers. Many first-time teachers start around the $1,200–$1,500 per month range, which goes quite far given Vietnam’s low cost of living. To put it in perspective, that salary usually corresponds to roughly 20–25 classroom hours per week (often spread across weekdays and weekends), so you’re not working crazy hours. With that income, foreigners can afford a nice lifestyle in Vietnam – renting a comfortable apartment, eating out, and even saving a bit or traveling on weekends.
If you have some experience or advanced qualifications, you might earn on the higher end (schools have been known to pay $1,800 or more for well-qualified or experienced teachers). Certain positions, like at international schools or universities, can even reach around $2,000+ per month, though these often require specific credentials or experience. Additionally, many teachers supplement their income by offering private tutoring, which can fetch around $10–$20 per hour on the side.
It’s also worth noting that some employers provide benefits on top of salary. You might find job offers that include housing or a housing allowance, health insurance, or paid holidays. For example, some language centers give a monthly housing stipend, and some public schools might offer a contract completion bonus or cover your work permit fee. The Vietnam Teaching Guide includes a breakdown of typical salaries and living costs, so you can budget realistically. We’ll also give you pointers on salary negotiation and what benefits to look out for, to ensure you get a fair deal. Overall, teacher pay in Vietnam is more than enough to live well and enjoy your experience abroad

Think of the Vietnam Teaching Guide as your personal mentor for this journey. It’s not just a generic info packet – it’s a comprehensive resource packed with actionable support to help you at every stage of moving to Vietnam to teach. Here’s what you can expect from our guide:

• Step-by-Step Guidance: The guide walks you through the entire process of becoming an English teacher in Vietnam, from day one. It’s organized in clear steps – starting with preparing your resume and documents, applying for jobs, navigating the visa process, all the way to tips for your first week of teaching. You can follow along step by step, almost like a checklist for your move.
• Insider Tips & Practical Advice: This guide isn’t theoretical. It’s written by experienced teachers and recruiters who have done this themselves. We include tons of real-world tips – for example, how to ace your Skype interview with a Vietnamese school, how to create a great self-introduction video (a common requirement here), and how to avoid common pitfalls (like spotting sketchy job offers or housing scams). We keep it real and tell you the things we wish we knew before starting.
• Document Prep and Visa Support: One of the hardest parts of moving abroad is the paperwork. The guide provides straightforward instructions on obtaining and authenticating your documents, getting your visa, and meeting all legal requirements. We break down bureaucratic processes into plain English. You’ll know what documents you need, how to get them, and how to keep the visa process on track. It’s almost like having someone hold your hand through the boring but important stuff.
• Cultural & Classroom Support: Beyond the job hunt, we prepare you for life in the Vietnamese classroom and culture. The guide offers advice on classroom management techniques that work well with local students, cultural do’s and don’ts, and even a crash course on what to expect in Vietnamese work culture. This helps you step into your new job confidently, knowing a bit about how things operate and how to make a good impression at your school.
• Resources and Templates: We include sample templates and resources wherever possible. For instance, you’ll get a sample English teacher CV format that Vietnamese employers prefer, a lesson-plan outline for your first week of classes, and a list of trusted job sites/recruiters in Vietnam. These resources save you time – instead of starting from scratch, you can model your materials on proven examples.

In short, the guide is designed to provide end-to-end support. It’s like having an experienced friend coaching you through each step – from the moment you decide “I want to teach in Vietnam” to the moment you’re confidently stepping into a classroom. And if anything in the guide isn’t clear or you have a unique question, we’re just an email away. We’re happy to clarify details or give additional advice even after you have the guide. Our goal is for you to feel supported and empowered, not just sold a book. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have a clear game plan and the confidence to make it happen.

Yes – the guide will definitely help you find a job, though it’s not a direct placement service. What does that mean? The Vietnam Teaching Guide gives you all the knowledge and tools you need to secure a job on your own. We provide extensive guidance on the job search process: how to update your CV for the Vietnamese market, where to look for reputable job openings (including specific websites and Facebook groups popular for ESL jobs), and how to apply in a way that gets you noticed. We even cover how to prepare for interviews and demo lessons so that schools will want to hire you on the spot. In essence, the guide teaches you how to get hired.
Many of our guide users successfully land jobs very quickly by following our advice – often without needing any middleman. That being said, we understand that searching for a job in a new country can be intimidating. So, we’re here to support you during that process too. If you’re working through the guide and feel stuck or unsure at any point, you can reach out to us for extra pointers. For example, if you want an extra eye on your resume or have questions about a contract offer, we’re available to help. We can’t guarantee you a job (and you should be wary of anyone who does!), but we’ll equip you with everything to dramatically increase your chances.
Also, while the guide is meant to make you self-sufficient, we do maintain a network of contacts in Vietnam. If appropriate, we can connect you with reputable recruiters or schools we know, especially if you have specific needs or if hiring season is slow. Think of it this way: by purchasing the guide, you’re not entering a transactional one-and-done deal – you’re gaining a support system. Our priority is that you succeed in finding a teaching job you love. We give you the roadmap and the safety net: you put in the effort to follow it, and we’ll be there to assist if you stumble. Ultimately, you’ll come out of this process not only with a job, but with the confidence that you earned it (with a little backup from us when needed!).

Once you decide to invest in the Vietnam Teaching Guide, the next steps are quick and straightforward. Here’s what will happen right after your purchase:

1. Instant Access: You’ll receive an email confirmation within minutes, which contains a secure download link to your Vietnam Teaching Guide. (Make sure to check your inbox and spam folder, just in case.) Click that link to download your guide.
2. Download Your Guide: The guide is provided as a PDF e-book that you can read on any device – your computer, tablet, or phone. Download and save it so you can refer to it anytime, online or offline. You’ll have lifetime access to this file, meaning you can read and reread sections as needed.
3. Start Reading: Now the fun part begins! We recommend you start with the first section, which helps you get organized and prepared. The FAQ section you’re reading now is just the tip of the iceberg – the guide itself goes into much more detail. Feel free to go at your own pace. You might jump straight to sections that interest you most (e.g. Visa Process or Job Hunting Tips), or read it cover to cover. It’s totally up to you.
4. Take Action: As you go through the guide, you’ll find practical steps to take (for example, making a list of documents to gather, or setting up a demo lesson plan). We encourage you to follow along and actually implement those steps. The guide is meant to be interactive – it’s your workbook for moving to Vietnam. By the end, you’ll have a checklist of things done and a clear path forward.
5. Ongoing Support: Purchasing the guide isn’t the end of our relationship – it’s the beginning. If at any point you have questions about the content or hit a roadblock, reach out to us (you can reply to the download email or use our contact page). We’re here to help clarify anything in the guide and provide additional advice if needed. We genuinely want to see you succeed. There are no extra fees for asking questions or getting guidance; it’s all part of the service we provide to our community of new teachers.

No hidden strings attached – after buying the guide, it’s yours to keep, and you’ll have our support as you use it. We aim to make the whole experience as smooth as possible. Our mission is to guide you from the moment you purchase to the moment you’re confidently teaching in Vietnam. So, once you have the guide in hand, get comfortable, dive in, and let’s start planning your adventure! You’ll be amazed at how much clarity and confidence you’ll gain right after that first read-through. Safe travels, and happy teaching ahead!