According to the “In-depth Analysis Report of Costs Borne by Vietnamese Workers for Employment Abroad: Statistical Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 10.7.1” from the National Statistics Office (NSO) at the Ministry of Finance and based on data from the 2025 Labour Force Survey and the 2025 In-Depth Survey of Migrant Workers, the average amount workers paid to secure employment abroad fell 23.8 per cent, from VND164.9 million ($6,367) in 2021 to VND125.7 million ($4,854) in 2025.
But the report also makes clear that a cheaper route overseas does not automatically mean a better migration experience. More than half of surveyed migrant workers still borrowed to finance their migration, while some continued to face difficulties at work and financial pressure after returning home. The next challenge, therefore, is not simply reducing the cost of going abroad but building a migration system that delivers better outcomes throughout the entire journey.
Behind the numbers
The scale of overseas employment remains substantial. The 2025 Labour Force Survey recorded around 412,000 Vietnamese workers who had gone abroad for employment during the previous three years. The workforce was predominantly rural, at 84.6 per cent, with a median age of 27. Men accounted for 59 per cent, while the proportion of women increased significantly from the 31.4 per cent posted in 2021.
The geographical profile of migration is also becoming more diverse. Vietnamese workers were present in 42 countries and territories, though Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (China) remained the dominant destinations, together accounting for around 76.7 per cent of the total.
At the same time, the workforce is relatively well educated, with 79.6 per cent having completed at least upper secondary education. Yet employment remains concentrated in elementary occupations, craft and related trades, plant and machine operation, and personal services and sales, which together accounted for 88.1 per cent of migrant workers.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General of the NSO, said the value of the new data goes beyond measuring costs. “Statistical data provides a more comprehensive picture of Vietnamese workers employed abroad, their migration journeys, and the factors influencing their migration decisions,” she said. “In doing so, it provides evidence to support research and analysis as well as the monitoring of development goals.”
The decline in migration costs is substantial, but the financial burden remains significant for many workers. The In-Depth Survey found that workers spent an average of around six months preparing before departure. Payments to recruitment agencies or individual intermediaries accounted for 52.8 per cent of total migration costs, making recruitment the largest single component.
More than half of migrant workers - 53.9 per cent - borrowed money to finance their migration, and many borrowed more than 70 per cent of their total migration costs. For workers migrating to countries outside Asia, the average loan reached VND193 million ($7,452).
The financial burden can also persist after workers return. While most returned workers had repaid their migration loans, 8.7 per cent still had outstanding debt. The proportion reached 12.4 per cent among workers returning from Taiwan (China) and 26.8 per cent among those returning from countries outside Asia.
The Consular Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), represented at the workshop held to release the report by Deputy Director General Phan Thi Minh Giang, outlined a range of measures already being used to protect Vietnamese workers abroad. These include monitoring workers’ situations overseas, establishing citizen protection procedures and a 24/7 citizen protection hotline, expanding information and assistance, maintaining dialogue with authorities and employers in destination countries, and strengthening international cooperation.
The Department also pointed to a more proactive approach in the future. Priorities include developing an online system to manage and support workers abroad, strengthening legal assistance, and publicly disclosing clear information on overseas labor markets, job opportunities, costs, and workers’ rights and obligations.
Particular attention is also being paid to fraudulent recruitment and brokerage activities, especially those conducted through social media and online platforms.
Beyond the point of departure
The need for stronger protection becomes clear from the experience of workers abroad. The In-Depth Survey found that 18.5 per cent of migrant workers encountered at least one difficulty during their time overseas.
When difficulties arose, workers relied overwhelmingly on personal networks. Some 86.7 per cent turned to friends and relatives and 16 per cent to online social communities. By comparison, only 3.2 per cent sought assistance from Vietnamese representative offices abroad and 1.8 per cent from labor management authorities.
This gap reinforces MoFA’s emphasis on improving formal protection mechanisms. Its presentation calls for stronger coordination in managing and protecting workers abroad, greater use of information technology and digital transformation, and more proactive research into destination countries’ labor market conditions, regulations, and policies.
The Ministry also sees stronger international cooperation as part of that effort, including more effective implementation of programs and cooperative agreements for sending Vietnamese workers and experts abroad, labor market research and forecasting, and the development of new cooperative agreements.
For the EU, the issue similarly extends beyond employment numbers. “Migration is not only a labor issue, but also a development issue that requires cooperation across institutions, sectors, and borders,” said Mr. Gonzalo Serrano De La Rosa, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam. Through a Team Europe approach, he said, the EU and its member states are committed to working with Vietnam and its partners to strengthen the evidence and institutional capacity needed for effective migration governance.
That means treating labor migration as part of a wider development system, one in which worker protection, institutional capacity, and informed policymaking are closely connected.
From mobility to value
The quality of migration is ultimately measured not only by what workers earn abroad, but also by what they bring home. Among returned migrant workers surveyed, 65 per cent were working at the time of the survey. Their jobs were concentrated mainly in craft and related trades, personal and protective services and sales, and elementary occupations.
Seventy-two per cent considered the skills and experience they had acquired abroad as relevant to their current employment. But a significant share did not see a strong connection between their overseas experience and their job upon returning.
The report therefore recommended strengthening vocational, technical, and language training, expanding cooperation in skills recognition, and creating more opportunities for Vietnamese workers to access higher-skilled employment abroad.
It also called for a shift in the way the diversification of destination markets is approached. Rather than simply opening more markets, Vietnam should assess whether new destinations offer lower migration risks, better working conditions, stronger worker protections, stable labor demand, higher incomes, and meaningful career development opportunities.
The Swedish perspective reinforces this emphasis on quality. “Reliable data is essential for understanding where progress is happening and where further action is needed,” said Ms. Emelie Rennerfelt, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Vietnam. “Behind every statistic is a worker making a life-changing decision about their future.”
She added that as Vietnam works to reduce the cost of migrating for work and strengthen protections for its workers, “decent working conditions and ethical recruitment practices across supply chains can reinforce these gains,” she added.
That is increasingly the central policy challenge. Vietnam has made measurable progress in reducing the financial barrier to overseas employment. But the next phase will require a broader system: one that combines transparent recruitment, accessible financing, effective protection abroad, stronger skills development, and better reintegration after return.
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