Vietnam Reading Guide: Business, Work and Culture

New to The Viet Media? Start with the question you want answered. We have grouped our reporting into four reading paths, each with three articles and a note on how they connect.

For the latest news, go to the homepage. To put a single story in fuller context, read the articles below in order. Prices, policies and operating figures in our reporting are tied to a point in time, so check the publication date when reading older pieces.

Companies and industries: operations first, then growth

Entering Vietnam and making money in Vietnam are two different questions. These articles look at restaurants, manufacturing and banking. As you read, compare revenue with profit, group figures with those of the Vietnamese subsidiary, and note the limits companies themselves disclose.

1. Vietnam Is Haidilao's Fastest-Growing Major Market
   How a restaurant chain measures the Vietnamese market, and which operating figures it still does not report separately.
2. Memory Chip Prices Are Squeezing Samsung's Vietnam Phone Plants
   Read phone assembly and semiconductors side by side to see how one cost shift affects different divisions.
3. Thailand's KBank Has Lost Money in Vietnam for Five Straight Years
   A foreign bank's investment, business mix and path to profit show the long-term challenges after market entry.

Working and living in Vietnam: take the conditions one at a time

When weighing a move to Vietnam, separate the right to work, income and living costs. Salary reporting describes the labor market; cost-of-living articles reflect a particular lifestyle. The two are not interchangeable. Read these in order: can you work, how does pay compare, and how will you live.

1. Vietnam Work Permit Requirements: How Many Years of Experience After University? Can Fresh Graduates Work in Vietnam?
   The education and experience requirements for a work permit, and how to tell the general rule from the exceptions.
2. Vietnam Salary Guide 2026: Average Pay, Minimum Wage, and How It Compares to Taiwan
   The difference between average pay, the minimum wage and job-specific conditions, as a basis for comparing income.
3. Thinking of Retiring in Vietnam? Read This Saigon Cost-of-Living Breakdown First
   Use Ho Chi Minh City living costs as a starting point to check your own housing and spending needs.

Rules and technology: announcement, implementation and results

New laws, technology partnerships and product usage data describe different kinds of change. For a policy, check the effective date and who it applies to. For a company announcement, separate plans from actual operations. For research, look at the sample and how each measure is defined. These articles untangle information that is easy to mix up.

1. In Vietnam, Closing a Company Costs 20 Times More Than Opening One
   The difference between suspending and dissolving a business, and the procedures that remain after a company stops operating.
2. Vietnam's Crypto Fines Are Here, but the Clock for Binance Users Hasn't Started
   When the decree takes effect, when providers are licensed and when penalties apply are three different dates.
3. Vietnam Uses Claude at Half the Expected Rate, and Mostly for Coding
   How the research measures AI usage, and why one product's data is not a national census.

Culture and daily life: the context behind what you see on the street

Vietnamese culture is not only found in landmarks and festival guides. It is also in shop names, ancestor offerings and the streets after a football match. These articles start from everyday scenes and explain where names come from, how customs differ by region and why people take part. They are a good fit for readers new to Vietnam.

1. Why Are Vietnamese Restaurants Called Phở 10, Phở 24, and Bánh mì 362? Three Sources of the Numbers
   The numbers on restaurant signs, from street addresses to brand stories and naming habits.
2. Vu Lan and Ghost Month in Vietnam: North, South, and the Three Altars
   Religious holidays, folk customs and north–south differences, each in its own context.
3. Vietnam Retain the ASEAN Cup and the Whole Country Hits the Streets: What Is Đi Bão?
   What đi bão means, through the street celebrations after a football win.

Keep exploring

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