Vietnam’s IT Services Market: Nearshore and Offshore Outsourcing Opportunities

Posted by Written by Vu Nguyen Hanh Reading Time: 6 minutes

Vietnam’s IT services market is rapidly expanding through digital transformation, skilled engineering talent, competitive costs, and growing demand for nearshore and offshore outsourcing services.


Vietnam’s IT services market is quickly scaling up as rising demand for digital transformation, outsourcing inflows, and government-led technology modernization continue to attract both domestic and international investment.

The country is increasingly viewed not only as a cost-efficient outsourcing destination, but also as a regional hub for cloud services, cybersecurity, platform engineering, and digital consulting.

Vietnam’s IT services market continues rapid expansion

According to Modor Intelligence, Vietnam’s IT services market is projected to grow from approximately US$2.37 billion in 2025 to US$2.63 billion in 2026, before reaching US$4.39 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.82 percent over the 2026–2031 period.

This growth is supported by several structural drivers, including accelerated cloud adoption, strong digital government spending, and rising nearshore outsourcing demand from markets such as Japan and the United States.

Insights from Modor’s report show further upbeat projections across different aspects of the industry:

  • IT outsourcing remained the largest segment of Vietnam’s IT services market in 2025, accounting for 39.05 percent of the total market share.
  • Cloud and platform services are projected to grow at an 11.86 percent CAGR through 2031, reflecting rising enterprise cloud migration demand.
  • Large enterprises represented 67.72 percent of market demand in 2025, although SMEs are expected to grow faster at a 12.74 percent CAGR through 2031.
  • The BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance) sector accounted for 26.55 percent of total IT services revenue in 2025, while healthcare and life sciences are forecast to record the fastest expansion at a 12.15 percent CAGR through 2031.

Why is Vietnam emerging as a top choice for IT outsourcing?

Vietnam has rapidly evolved from a low-cost outsourcing destination into a strategic technology partner for global businesses.

A combination of skilled talent, competitive operating costs, flexible development capabilities, and strong government support is helping position the country as one of Asia’s fastest-growing IT outsourcing hubs.

Young and rapidly growing technology talent pool

Vietnam produces tens of thousands of IT and engineering graduates each year, creating a large and expanding workforce for software development, digital services, and emerging technologies. The country currently has over 73,800 IT businesses in operation, with an IT labor force of approximately 1,26 million.

Vietnamese engineers are gaining recognition for their strong technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and frameworks. The government has a clear goal to enhance the quality of its IT workforce, aiming to graduate around 100,000 students annually from ICT training programs between 2030 and 2035, with at least 15 percent earning master’s or doctoral degrees.

These talents are mainly concentrated in three key hubs:

  • Ho Chi Minh City: The city dominates 55 percent of the IT workforce. It has the largest talent pool and a vibrant startup scene, and it houses Quang Trung Software City and Saigon Hi-Tech Park.
  • Hanoi: Accounted for 35 percent of Vietnam’s IT talent pool, Hanoi excels in deep-tech R&D, supported by government initiatives, including a US$24 million venture capital fund focused on AI and semiconductors.
  • Da Nang: With a rapidly growing number in its IT labor force, Da Nang offers the most cost-effective option and is emerging as a promising third hub for distributed software teams.

In addition to English-language proficiency, the number of engineers capable of working in Japanese and Korean has grown significantly in recent years. This has strengthened Vietnam’s appeal to clients in demanding regional markets such as Japan and South Korea, where communication capabilities and long-term collaboration are critical.

Competitive costs with improving service quality

Vietnam’s outsourcing advantage extends beyond labor cost savings alone. The country offers an increasingly attractive balance between cost efficiency, technical quality, and long-term operational scalability.

Compared with North America, Europe, and several East Asian markets, software development and IT service costs in Vietnam remain substantially lower.

At the same time, local firms are improving their capabilities in cybersecurity, project governance, quality assurance, and compliance with international standards, enabling businesses to access more sophisticated outsourcing partnerships without significantly increasing operational expenses.

Median Monthly Salary of Vietnam’s IT Workers By Position (VND million)

Position / Years of experience

Total

<1 year

1–2 years

3–4 years

5–8 years

>8 years

Software development

Back-end developer

37.8

12.4

25.35

30.1

39.9

54.9

Front-end developer

34.8

30.8

41.8

46.3

Full-stack developer

37.25

10.1

20.35

34.5

41.8

44.8

Mobile developer

36.85

14.15

28.8

29.05

37.35

45.7

Game developer

33.35

26.5

40.4

57.85

Embedded engineer

34.35

21.4

23.9

28.4

39.4

60.65

Product management

Product owner/Product manager

50.1

25.3

42.7

60.4

75

Business analyst

30

12.2

14

28

37.4

41.35

Management and consulting

Project leader/Project manager

50.1

17.2

29.85

48.4

58.45

Tech lead

51.8

45.3

53.85

68.45

IT manager

50.25

46.4

50.3

CTO/CIO/VPoE

101.25

100.3

Testing

Tester

28.8

14.15

14.2

20.7

25.3

36.5

QA – QC

31.2

18

24.4

29.75

38.5

Data analytics

Data analyst/Data scientist/BI analyst

40.65

23.8

42.5

Data engineer

41.3

56.9

Others

ERP engineer/ERP consultant

30.2

15.2

16.1

19.5

35.6

IT support / helpdesk

20

8.6

18.7

22.5

Source: IT Salary & Recruitment Market Report 2025-2026

Agile development culture and fast deployment capabilities

Agile, Scrum, and DevOps methodologies are now widely adopted across Vietnam’s technology sector. Local development teams are often characterized by their flexibility, responsiveness, and ability to scale projects quickly in response to client requirements.

This adaptability makes Vietnam suitable for both startups seeking rapid minimum viable product (MVP) development and large enterprises implementing complex digital transformation projects. Faster deployment cycles and closer collaboration also help companies reduce time-to-market and manage project risks more effectively.

Long-term government support for the digital economy

Vietnam’s government has identified digital technology as a strategic pillar of long-term economic development. National initiatives promoting digital transformation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and the “Make in Vietnam” strategy are helping strengthen the country’s technology ecosystem.

These policy directions provide greater confidence for foreign companies seeking long-term outsourcing partnerships, regional development centers, or technology investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Explore Vietnam’s Digital Economy Opportunities

Vietnam’s policy support for digital transformation continues to create new opportunities for foreign investors and technology businesses. Dezan Shira & Associates’ Government and Economic Development Services help companies navigate market entry, government engagement, and long-term investment planning in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s positioning in the global outsourcing landscape

Vietnam is increasingly differentiating itself by striking a balance among affordability, engineering capability, and operational flexibility.

The country appeals to companies seeking smaller, agile development teams and closer collaboration models. It offers significantly lower operating costs while continuing to improve technical quality and international delivery standards.

At the same time, Vietnam has developed stronger momentum in software engineering, digital product development, and emerging technology services.

Comparative Matrix: Vietnam vs Major IT Outsourcing Markets

Criteria

Vietnam

India

Eastern Europe (Poland/Romania)

Philippines

Primary strengths

Software development, product engineering, agile teams

Large-scale enterprise IT outsourcing

Advanced engineering and EU proximity

BPO, customer support, voice services

Cost competitiveness

Low-to-mid cost with strong value balance

Low cost at scale, though wages are rising

Higher cost than Asian markets

Competitive for BPO operations

Talent pool

Young and rapidly expanding engineering workforce

Largest global IT talent pool

Highly specialized technical talent

Strong English-speaking workforce

Engineering quality

Strong in coding, adaptability, and product delivery

Mature enterprise delivery experience

High technical specialization

Strong service-oriented operations

English proficiency

Improving steadily

High in IT sector

High

Very high

Time zone advantages

Ideal for APAC and East Asia collaboration

Suitable for Europe and APAC overlap

Strong alignment with Western Europe

Strong alignment with US and APAC support

Best suited for

Agile software development, digital products, regional engineering hubs

Large-scale enterprise outsourcing and legacy modernization

Complex engineering and EU-focused projects

Customer service, BPO, shared service centers

Scalability

Medium-to-high, growing rapidly

Very high global scalability

Medium

High for BPO operations

Challenges

Senior talent shortages, infrastructure bottlenecks, data governance evolution

Rising labor costs and intense market competition

Higher operational costs

Smaller software engineering ecosystem

Competitive positioning

Balanced mix of cost, engineering quality, and regional accessibility

Global scale and enterprise maturity

High-end engineering capability

Service and support specialization

Selecting the right IT outsourcing model: Nearshore vs Offshore

As Vietnam’s IT outsourcing industry expands, businesses must determine which outsourcing model best aligns with their operational priorities.

The two most common approaches are nearshore outsourcing and offshore outsourcing, each offering different advantages in cost, collaboration, and scalability:

  • Nearshore outsourcing is typically preferred for projects requiring real-time communication, agile collaboration, and faster feedback cycles. Vietnam increasingly serves as a nearshore destination for companies across Asia-Pacific due to its geographic proximity, overlapping time zones, and growing multilingual workforce.
  • Offshore outsourcing, meanwhile, is often chosen for long-term cost optimization and scalable development capacity. For businesses in North America and Europe, Vietnam offers a competitive offshore destination with lower development costs, expanding engineering talent, and improving technical capabilities.

Criteria

Nearshore outsourcing

Offshore outsourcing

Main advantage

Collaboration and speed

Cost efficiency and scalability

Time-zone overlap

High

Limited

Communication

Easier real-time coordination

More asynchronous workflows

Cost savings

Moderate

Higher

Best suited for

Agile and collaborative projects

Large-scale long-term development

Vietnam’s role

Regional APAC technology partner

Global offshore outsourcing hub

Bottom line

Vietnam is transitioning from a cost-focused outsourcing destination into a strategic technology partner for global businesses. Supported by a growing engineering workforce, competitive operating costs, agile delivery capabilities, and long-term government investment in digital infrastructure, the country is strengthening its position across both nearshore and offshore outsourcing models.

As demand for cloud services, cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation continues to rise, Vietnam is increasingly positioned to become one of Asia’s most important IT services and software development hubs over the coming decade.

Mia Pham
DSA
quote

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