Labor export companies are only allowed to collect training and development fees after workers have been selected according to regulations.

Moving towards a model that eliminates recruitment fees for overseas employment.

A comprehensive analysis report on the costs incurred by Vietnamese workers to work abroad, recently published by the General Statistics Office, shows that in 2025, Vietnamese workers will spend an average of nearly 126 million VND per person to work abroad, equivalent to 4.5 months of income.

The costs are divided into four groups: completing the application and meeting the requirements for emigration; payments to the recruitment organization or broker; travel; and other expenses. Of these, the payment to the recruitment organization or broker is the highest, nearly 53 million VND.

Japan and South Korea are the most attractive markets for Vietnamese workers, but also the most expensive. In 2025, workers going to work in Japan had to spend an average of nearly 141 million VND, South Korea over 139 million VND, while other markets cost nearly 86 million VND.

During the same period, the average first-month income of Vietnamese workers going to work abroad under contract increased from 22.4 million VND to over 28 million VND. The lower the educational level, the higher the cost of going to work abroad under contract.

Based on skill level, workers with average skills need to spend approximately 143 million VND, those with low skills 109 million VND, while those with high skills only need nearly 68 million VND.

First-month income also varies significantly depending on educational level. Workers with a college degree or higher receive an average of 42.6 million VND/month, those with a primary or secondary school diploma earn 27.6 million VND, high school graduates earn 26 million VND, and those with a junior high school diploma earn around 22 million VND.

Although expenses have decreased significantly compared to 165 million VND in 2021, approximately 53% of those surveyed still had to borrow money to cover their costs, with an average loan amount of 122 million VND.

Many believe that although costs have decreased compared to previous years, current levels are still high, given that the majority of those working abroad under contract come from rural areas and more than half of those surveyed had to borrow money to afford the trip.

These figures also highlight the need to continue reducing costs, increasing transparency in revenue collection, controlling informal expenses, and improving the skills of workers going abroad under contract.

Regarding this issue, a representative from the Legal Department of the Department of Overseas Labor Management ( Ministry of Interior ) stated that recruitment and brokerage fees account for a large proportion of the total cost. The actual expenses mainly arise from unofficial intermediary and brokerage stages before workers depart. The recently passed Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract further tightens the total amount of fees other than service fees to reduce the financial burden on workers.

Authorities said they will continue bilateral negotiations to encourage partners and foreign employers to share recruitment costs, airfare, and training, gradually moving towards a model where workers do not have to pay recruitment costs when working abroad under contract.

Training fees may only be collected after the workers have been selected.

The amended and supplemented Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract includes several notable revisions and additions. Significantly, from March 1, 2027, enterprises sending Vietnamese workers abroad will only be allowed to collect training and development fees after the workers have been selected according to regulations.

Accordingly, service businesses are prohibited from charging fees for vocational training and language skills development during the labor preparation phase before workers are selected by foreign parties and sign contracts to work abroad. This regulation applies to labor preparation activities carried out by service businesses under Article 18 of the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract.

In addition, the amended Law also stipulates that service enterprises must sign a written agreement with workers regarding their participation in preparing the workforce. This document must include the following contents: the fees for training, skill development, foreign language training, and other fees (if any); projected market, industry, occupation, standards, and recruitment time; a commitment to prioritize the recruitment of workers who have participated in preparing the workforce; and the responsibilities of the parties in case the worker is not accepted by the foreign employer or terminates their participation in preparing the workforce before the deadline.

Service businesses are only allowed to collect fees for vocational training and language skills development after the worker has been selected by the foreign employer and a contract has been signed for sending Vietnamese workers abroad.

The Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Vietnamese workers going to work abroad under contract will take effect from March 1, 2027.

_Collect_