Should You Hire Local or Offshore Developers? A Practical Guide for Growing Companies | THIENTU BPO Vietnam

You're looking to scale your development team. But now you're faced with a critical decision: should you hire local developers at premium rates, or build your team offshore in Vietnam at 50-70% lower cost?

It's a question many businesses struggle with—and the answer isn't always straightforward.

At THIENTU BPO, we've helped companies navigate this decision for over 24 years. We'll examine both options so you can determine which approach—or which combination—makes sense for your specific situation.

Hiring Local vs. Offshore Developers: Which One Is Right for Your Business?

The choice comes down to three factors: budget constraints, collaboration requirements, and project complexity. Local hiring gives you face-to-face access and cultural familiarity, while offshore hiring unlocks global talent pools and significant cost savings through remote collaboration with developers in countries like Vietnam where salary expectations are substantially lower than Western markets.

When we talk about hiring locally, we mean building an in-office or local remote team in your home market—whether that's the US, UK, Australia, or Singapore.

Offshore hiring opens access to global talent pools and reduces development costs by working remotely with developers in countries like Vietnam, where cost of living is lower and professional salaries reflect local market economics rather than Western rates.

Both approaches have clear strengths for different business situations:

Local Hiring Makes Sense When You Need:

Core team members who drive strategic decisions:

• Technical leadership defining your architecture and technology strategy
• Senior architects making foundational platform decisions
• Principal engineers setting coding standards and best practices

Sensitive or IP-critical project handling:

• Projects involving proprietary algorithms or competitive advantages
• Early-stage product development where IP protection is paramount
• Compliance-heavy work requiring specific regulatory oversight

Direct leadership and mentorship:

• Engineering managers who need frequent face-to-face interaction with leadership
• Tech leads who mentor and develop other team members
• Roles requiring extensive stakeholder management and in-person collaboration

Regular in-person collaboration benefits:

• Complex projects where whiteboarding and spontaneous discussion drive innovation
• Team dynamics that genuinely benefit from physical co-location
• Company cultures that prioritize office presence for strategic roles

Local hiring also only makes sense when you have the budget to compete for top local talent. If you're a startup or growing company without enterprise-level compensation packages, competing for scarce local developers often means making compromises on experience level or team size.

Offshore Hiring Works Best When You Need To:

Scale your team quickly without premium salary overhead:

• Add 5-10 developers within weeks rather than months
• Build capacity to match project demands without long US hiring cycles
• Expand team size to 2-3x what your budget allows locally

Access specialized skills that are scarce or expensive locally:

• Specific technology stacks where local talent commands premium rates
• Emerging technologies where global talent pools are more diverse
• Niche expertise that's difficult to find in your immediate market

Build development capacity with better cost efficiency:

• Core product development that doesn't require physical presence
• Feature development and maintenance work
• Testing and QA operations
• API development and integration work

Leverage time zone advantages for extended coverage:

• Follow-the-sun development models for faster iteration
• Extended support windows covering multiple regions
• APAC market focus where Vietnam time zone is advantageous

Offshore hiring works particularly well for companies that already have remote work infrastructure in place or are ready to embrace distributed collaboration tools and practices.

The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds

Here's the critical insight: it's not an either/or choice. Many successful companies run a hybrid model combining local leadership with offshore development capacity.

This approach lets you maintain control of core strategic decisions and sensitive operations locally while leveraging global talent to scale faster, fill specific skill gaps, and achieve cost efficiency on the bulk of your development work.

Major tech companies have used this model for decades. They maintain technical leadership and strategic architecture decisions locally while building strong development teams in offshore locations like Vietnam, getting genuine advantages from both approaches.

At THIENTU, we've helped companies implement successful hybrid models:

• 2-3 senior local architects + 10-15 Vietnam developers for execution
• Local product management + offshore development teams
• US-based tech leads + Vietnam-based full-stack developers
• Regional presence (Singapore/Australia) + Vietnam development center

This strategy provides strategic control, cost efficiency, and scalability simultaneously.

Budget Considerations: The Real Cost Difference Between Local and Offshore Developers

A three-person development team costs $180,000-$200,000 more annually when hired locally in the US versus offshore in Vietnam—and that's before factoring in benefits, office overhead, and operational expenses.

Let's examine the cost differences when hiring fully local, fully offshore in Vietnam, or implementing a hybrid setup.

Direct Compensation Comparison: Three-Person Full-Stack Development Team

US Local Team (San Francisco / New York):

• 1x Senior Full-Stack Developer: $170,000-$200,000
• 1x Mid-Level Full-Stack Developer: $130,000-$150,000
• 1x Junior Full-Stack Developer: $90,000-$110,000
• Total annual salaries: $390,000-$460,000
• With benefits, taxes, equipment (25-35% overhead): $488,000-$621,000

Vietnam Offshore Team (Ho Chi Minh City) through THIENTU:

• 1x Senior Full-Stack Developer: $36,000-$48,000
• 1x Mid-Level Full-Stack Developer: $24,000-$36,000
• 1x Junior Full-Stack Developer: $18,000-$24,000
• Total annual salaries: $78,000-$108,000
• Fully-loaded with infrastructure, support, compliance: $110,000-$145,000

Annual Savings: $343,000-$476,000 (70-77% cost reduction)

The Compounding Advantage of Cost Efficiency

These savings compound significantly when you consider strategic reinvestment options:

Option 1: Match team size, reinvest massive savings

Build the same 3-person team for $110K-$145K instead of $488K-$621K. Reinvest $343K-$476K annually into:

• Marketing and customer acquisition
• Product development and innovation
• Sales team expansion
• Extended runway (12-18 months additional for typical startup)

Option 2: Build substantially larger team, same budget

Your $500K budget gets you 3 US developers or 12-15 Vietnam developers—4-5x the development capacity for identical investment. This means:

• Parallel feature development across multiple workstreams
• Dedicated teams for different products or modules
• Specialized roles (frontend, backend, DevOps, QA) instead of generalists
• Faster time-to-market and competitive velocity

Option 3: Hybrid approach for strategic optimization

Maintain 1-2 senior local architects/leads ($200K-$300K) + 8-10 Vietnam developers ($350K-$400K) = $550K-$700K total

This delivers local strategic leadership while achieving 50%+ cost savings versus fully local equivalent capacity (which would be $1.2M-$1.5M for 10-12 people).

Why Vietnam Specifically?

While offshore development is possible in multiple markets, Vietnam offers specific advantages:

Cost leadership even among offshore options:

• 30-50% more affordable than India or Philippines
• 40-60% cheaper than Eastern Europe
• 50-70% below US/Western markets

Rapidly growing tech ecosystem:

• Government investment in STEM education and tech sector
• Growing startup scene in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
• Increasing number of developers with international company experience

Strong technical education:

• Universities producing well-trained computer science graduates
• Emphasis on practical coding skills and modern frameworks
• Growing community of self-taught developers with portfolio projects

APAC time zone positioning:

• Excellent coverage for Asia-Pacific markets (UTC+7)
• Reasonable overlap with US West Coast for some synchronous collaboration
• Strategic advantage for companies targeting Asian markets

Political and economic stability:

• Consistent government support for foreign investment
• Growing integration with global business ecosystems
• Stable operating environment for long-term team building

Why You Should Consider Vietnam for Offshore Development

You're probably already working with remote developers spread across different time zones. The jump to working with a team in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi is more manageable than you might think—especially with the right infrastructure and support.

What Vietnam Development Teams Bring to the Table

1. Strong technical capabilities and modern framework knowledge

Vietnam's education system emphasizes STEM fields, and the country's growing tech sector has created a workforce familiar with modern development practices:

• Popular frameworks: React, Angular, Vue.js, Node.js, Python, Java, .NET
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
• DevOps practices: CI/CD, containerization, infrastructure as code
• Mobile development: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter

2. Professional communication and English proficiency

English proficiency is strong across Vietnam's professional workforce, particularly in major tech hubs like Ho Chi Minh City. We conduct rigorous English screening including technical discussions, code review simulations, and written communication assessment.

Your Vietnam-based developers can participate effectively in:

• Daily standups and sprint planning
• Technical architecture discussions
• Code reviews and pair programming sessions
• Documentation and technical writing
• Stakeholder communication (with appropriate context)

3. Cultural alignment and adaptability

Vietnamese professionals generally demonstrate:

• Respect for structure and clear processes
• Willingness to ask questions and seek clarification
• Commitment to continuous learning and skill development
• Strong team orientation and collaborative working style
• Adaptability to different management approaches and methodologies

4. Career orientation and stability

Vietnam-based developers view roles with international companies as significant career opportunities. This perspective translates to:

• 90%+ retention rates in our operations vs. 30-40% typical in US tech markets
• Genuine investment in understanding your codebase and business logic
• Long-term thinking about architecture and technical debt
• Reduced turnover costs and accumulated institutional knowledge

5. Work ethic and commitment

We consistently see Vietnam developers demonstrate:

• Ownership mentality toward their work
• Persistence through complex technical challenges
• Responsiveness to feedback and coaching
• Willingness to go beyond assigned tasks when needed
• Pride in code quality and professional craftsmanship

The 50-70% Cost Savings Enable Strategic Growth

The cost advantage isn't just about spending less—it's about strategic capability expansion.

Companies that adopt Vietnam offshore development can:

• Hire 2-3 developers for the price of one US developer
• Reinvest savings into product innovation, marketing, or additional hiring
• Scale tech teams faster than competitors limited to expensive local markets
• Maintain cash reserves for longer runway (critical for startups and growth-stage companies)
• Build specialized roles (dedicated QA, DevOps, security) that smaller budgets can't support locally

This is why companies across technology, fintech, e-commerce, and SaaS sectors are building development capacity in Vietnam. They recognized that the combination of cost efficiency, technical capability, and operational stability creates genuine competitive advantage.

How THIENTU Makes Vietnam Offshore Development Seamless

Building an offshore development team yourself is possible—but do you have 3-6 months to learn the Vietnam market, establish legal entities, develop recruitment networks, and refine your assessment processes while your product roadmap stalls?

What 24+ Years in Vietnam Gets You

We're headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City at 145B Nguyen Dinh Chinh Street. We know what salary levels attract top technical talent, how to assess actual coding capability beyond resume credentials, and which candidates have the genuine problem-solving skills and cultural fit to succeed with international companies.

We've built technical teams for 24+ years across multiple domains. Our experience spans customer support, digital operations, business intelligence, and technical roles—giving us deep understanding of what separates high performers from mediocre candidates.

We pre-screen for technical capability and cultural fit. Before you invest time in interviews, we've already:

• Conducted technical assessments (coding challenges, architecture discussions, past work review)
• Verified English fluency through technical conversations and written communication tests
• Evaluated problem-solving approaches and learning orientation
• Assessed cultural compatibility with Western business practices and remote collaboration

You interview candidates who can actually solve your technical challenges and integrate with your team—not just people with decent resumes.

Complete Infrastructure, Not Just Recruitment

Unlike traditional recruiters who disappear after placement, we provide enterprise-grade operational infrastructure:

Technical infrastructure:

• High-speed internet connectivity and backup systems
• Secure VPN access and network configuration
• Development workstations and equipment
• Collaboration tools and software licensing support

Operational support:

• 24/7 IT support for technical issues
• HR administration and employee relations
• Performance management consultation
• Compliance and legal management for Vietnam operations

THIENTU Cloud platform integration:

• Secure communication and collaboration infrastructure
• Project management and tracking capabilities
• Performance monitoring and reporting

Employer of Record (EOR) services:

• Full employment compliance for Vietnam
• Payroll processing and tax management
• Benefits administration
• Contract management and legal protection

Your Vietnam team launches with the same capabilities as any enterprise development organization—no makeshift home office setups or connectivity issues that undermine productivity.

180-Day Replacement Guarantee

We back every technical placement with our 180-day replacement guarantee—twice the industry standard. If any developer doesn't meet performance expectations during this period, we find a replacement at no additional cost.

Our rigorous technical screening means this rarely happens, but you're fully protected when building your team.

Real Results: Companies Building High-Performing Development Teams in Vietnam

Case Study: SaaS Platform Product Development

Challenge: A Series B SaaS company needed to expand their engineering team from 8 to 20 developers to accelerate product roadmap, but couldn't justify $3M+ annual cost increase for US hiring.

Solution: We built a 12-person Vietnam development team over 60 days including full-stack developers, frontend specialists, backend engineers, and QA automation specialists, integrated with their existing US-based technical leadership.

Results:

• 12 developers deployed in 60 days across three hiring waves
• $650K annual cost for 12 Vietnam developers vs. $2.4M for equivalent US team (73% savings)
• $1.75M annual savings reinvested in product features and marketing
• Feature delivery velocity increased 2.8x with expanded capacity
• 94% retention after 24 months—Vietnam team became core contributors
• Platform scaling challenges resolved through dedicated DevOps and infrastructure focus

The CTO reported: "We initially thought of our Vietnam team as 'additional capacity,' but they've become absolutely core to our technical organization. Some of our best architectural decisions have come from Vietnam team members who deeply understand our codebase."

Case Study: Fintech Mobile Application Development

Challenge: A fintech startup needed experienced mobile developers (iOS and Android) to build their consumer app but faced intense competition for mobile talent in their San Francisco headquarters market.

Solution: We recruited a specialized 6-person mobile development team in Vietnam with fintech and consumer app experience, supported by our ISO-certified security infrastructure for handling sensitive financial data.

Results:

• 6 mobile developers hired in 35 days (iOS, Android, React Native specialists)
• $280K annual cost vs. $1.1M+ for equivalent SF Bay Area mobile team (75% savings)
• App launched 4 months ahead of schedule due to dedicated focus
• 100% retention after 18 months—team expanded to 10 developers based on success
• ISO-certified security infrastructure ensured regulatory compliance from day one
• 4.8 star app rating reflecting quality of development work

The founder said: "Our Vietnam mobile team doesn't just write code—they think about user experience, performance optimization, and long-term maintainability. The quality is absolutely comparable to the $200K/year iOS developers we interviewed in San Francisco."

Case Study: E-Commerce Platform Scaling

Challenge: A rapidly growing e-commerce platform needed to scale development team from 5 to 25 engineers within 90 days to handle technical debt, platform performance, and new feature demands—impossible timeline and budget in their Australian market.

Solution: We deployed 20 Vietnam-based developers in multiple specializations over 75 days: full-stack developers, DevOps engineers, QA automation specialists, and frontend performance specialists.

Results:

• 20 developers operational in 75 days vs. 12+ months projected for Australian hiring
• $950K annual cost vs. $3.5M+ for comparable Sydney/Melbourne hiring (73% savings)
• Platform performance improved 340% through dedicated optimization focus
• Technical debt reduced by 60% within six months through parallel workstreams
• 92% retention after 12 months during critical growth phase
• Time zone advantage: Vietnam team handled APAC customer support and morning deployments

Case Study: Hybrid Model for B2B SaaS Company

Challenge: A B2B SaaS company wanted to maintain strategic technical leadership in the US while scaling execution capacity cost-effectively.

Solution: Hybrid model with 3 US-based senior architects/tech leads ($600K) + 15 Vietnam developers across full-stack, QA, and DevOps ($750K) = $1.35M total team cost.

Results:

• 18-person total team for $1.35M vs. $3.2M+ for fully US-based equivalent (58% savings)
• US leadership maintained strategic oversight while Vietnam team handled execution
• Daily overlap of 3-4 hours sufficient for standups and synchronous collaboration
• Vietnam team productivity matched US team benchmarks within three months
• Hybrid model scaled to 30+ people over two years based on success

The VP of Engineering noted: "The hybrid model gives us the best of both worlds. Our US architects set direction and make strategic decisions, while our Vietnam team—who are absolutely top-tier developers—build, test, and ship features. The cost efficiency lets us build a much larger organization than our budget would allow with all-US hiring."

How to Build Your Vietnam Development Team with THIENTU

We combine 24 years of operational expertise with proven technical recruitment methodologies to deliver pre-qualified developers who can contribute immediately.

Step 1: Technical Requirement Analysis (Days 1-3)

We conduct detailed consultation focused on your specific technical needs:

• Technology stack and framework requirements
• Architecture patterns and development methodologies
• Experience level requirements by role
• Team size and composition
• Timeline and ramp expectations
• Cultural fit priorities and working style preferences

Unlike generalist recruiters, we understand technical nuances and can accurately assess candidate capabilities against your real requirements.

Step 2: Targeted Technical Talent Sourcing (Days 3-10)

We leverage our 30,000+ candidate database and active recruitment channels to identify professionals with:

• Specific technical expertise in your exact stack and frameworks
• Proven development experience validated through portfolio projects and references
• Problem-solving capability assessed through technical challenges
• Communication skills verified through technical discussions
• Cultural compatibility with distributed team collaboration

Step 3: Rigorous Technical Screening (Days 7-14)

Every developer candidate undergoes comprehensive evaluation:

Technical assessment:

• Coding challenges specific to your stack
• Architecture and design discussion
• Code review of past projects
• Problem-solving scenarios and debugging exercises
• Technical depth interview with senior technical evaluator

Communication evaluation:

• Technical discussion in English (can they explain complex concepts clearly?)
• Written communication samples (documentation, code comments, technical writing)
• Collaboration scenario assessment (code review participation, stakeholder communication)

Cultural fit assessment:

• Working style preferences and management expectations
• Remote collaboration experience and practices
• Learning orientation and response to feedback
• Career goals and long-term commitment signals

You receive 3-5 pre-qualified candidates per role with:

• Detailed technical assessment reports
• Portfolio projects and code samples
• Recorded technical interviews
• Reference verification results
• Our recommendation and cultural fit analysis

Step 4: Infrastructure and Integration Setup (Days 14-21)

Once you select your team members, we handle complete operational setup:

Technical environment:

• Development workstation procurement and configuration
• Network setup with secure VPN access
• Tool licensing and software installation
• Repository access and development environment replication

Operational infrastructure:

• THIENTU Cloud platform provisioning
• Communication channel setup (Slack, Teams, Zoom)
• Project management tool integration
• Time tracking and productivity monitoring (if required)

Employment and compliance:

• EOR services for Vietnam employment
• Payroll and tax setup
• Benefits administration
• Workspace and equipment provision

Your developers launch with enterprise-grade infrastructure from day one.

Step 5: Comprehensive Technical Onboarding (Days 21-35)

We support structured onboarding covering:

• Your codebase architecture and structure
• Development workflows and branching strategies
• Code review processes and quality standards
• Testing practices and CI/CD pipelines
• Team communication protocols and meeting cadence
• Technical documentation and knowledge base orientation

Most developers reach initial productivity within 3-4 weeks and full velocity within 8-10 weeks—comparable to US hiring timelines but at 50-70% lower cost.

Step 6: Ongoing Operational Excellence

Unlike recruiters who disappear after placement, we provide continuous support:

• Infrastructure maintenance and IT support (24/7)
• HR administration and employee relations
• Performance management consultation
• Team expansion coordination as you scale
• Conflict resolution and escalation support
• Compliance monitoring and legal updates
• 180-day replacement guarantee for any role

Two Flexible Engagement Models for Development Teams

Offshore Staffing: You Manage Your Developers Directly

Best for: Companies with established development processes, experienced technical leadership, and clear engineering practices.

You maintain complete control over daily management, code review, sprint planning, and technical decisions. We provide recruitment, infrastructure, compliance management, and operational support. Your developers are fully dedicated to your organization.

What's included:

• Customized technical recruitment to your specifications
• Enterprise development infrastructure and workspace
• EOR services for employment compliance in Vietnam
• Equipment, connectivity, and IT support
• HR administration and employee relations
• 24/7 operational support
• Performance documentation and consultation

Pricing: Transparent, all-inclusive monthly rate per developer covering compensation, infrastructure, and support services.

Full-Service Development Team Management

Best for: Companies who want dedicated development capacity without building internal offshore management, or those testing Vietnam market with lower risk.

We assemble, onboard, and manage your development team based on agreed deliverables, sprint commitments, and quality standards. This model works well for companies without experience managing distributed technical teams.

What's included:

• Complete team recruitment and technical onboarding
• Project management and sprint coordination
• Code quality monitoring and technical leadership
• Performance management and developer coaching
• Technology platform and development infrastructure
• Comprehensive reporting on progress and velocity

Pricing: Team-based monthly rates or project-based pricing depending on your preference and risk tolerance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I decide between local and offshore developers?

Decision framework:

• Budget-constrained? Offshore delivers 50-70% savings, letting you build 2-3x larger team
• Need strategic architecture leadership? Keep senior architects local, build execution capacity offshore
• Sensitive IP or regulatory requirements? Start with hybrid model—keep sensitive work local, general development offshore
• Rapid scaling needed? Offshore recruitment (10-15 days) much faster than US hiring (4-6 months)
• Already have remote infrastructure? Offshore adds minimal complexity beyond existing distributed team practices

Most companies benefit from hybrid approach: strategic leadership local + execution capacity offshore.

Q: What's the actual cost difference between US and Vietnam developers?

Senior Full-Stack Developer:

• US (SF/NYC): $170K-$200K + benefits = $210K-$270K fully-loaded
• Vietnam (HCMC) through THIENTU: $36K-$48K + infrastructure = $50K-$65K fully-loaded
• Savings: $145K-$220K per senior developer annually (73-77%)

Mid-Level Full-Stack Developer:

• US: $130K-$150K + benefits = $165K-$200K fully-loaded
• Vietnam: $24K-$36K + infrastructure = $35K-$50K fully-loaded
• Savings: $115K-$165K per mid-level developer annually (70-75%)

Multiply by your team size to calculate total savings potential.

Q: Will Vietnam developers have the technical skills I need?

Vietnam's technical education and growing tech sector produce developers with modern framework knowledge:

• Frontend: React, Angular, Vue.js, TypeScript, Next.js
• Backend: Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby
• Mobile: iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), React Native, Flutter
• DevOps: AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD
• Data: SQL, NoSQL, data pipelines, analytics

We conduct rigorous technical screening including coding challenges, architecture discussions, and portfolio review to ensure candidates meet your specific requirements.

Q: How do you ensure English communication quality?

Every candidate undergoes comprehensive English assessment:

• Technical discussion in English (explaining architectural decisions, debugging approaches)
• Code review simulation (can they explain code clearly?)
• Written communication samples (documentation, code comments, pull request descriptions)
• Stakeholder communication role-play (explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences)

We only present candidates with strong professional English—you won't waste time interviewing people who can't communicate effectively.

Q: What about time zone differences with Vietnam?

Vietnam operates in ICT (UTC+7). Time zone considerations:

Works well for:

• APAC market focus (excellent coverage for Australia, Singapore, Japan, India)
• US West Coast afternoon overlap (2-3 hours for synchronous collaboration)
• Asynchronous development workflows (code review, pull requests, documentation)
• Follow-the-sun models combining US and Vietnam teams
• Extended support coverage (24-hour windows)

Requires adaptation for:

• US East Coast real-time collaboration (minimal overlap)
• European markets (opposite schedules)
• Synchronous-heavy workflows requiring constant meetings

Recommended approach: Structure work for asynchronous collaboration with strategic synchronous touchpoints (daily standup, weekly sprint planning). Most successful teams establish 2-3 hour daily overlap window for critical discussions.

Q: How do you maintain code quality and standards?

Quality comes from clear expectations, proper tools, and effective processes—not geographic proximity.

We support quality through:

• Rigorous technical screening (only strong developers reach your interview stage)
• Clear coding standards and style guides established upfront
• Code review processes and pull request workflows
• Automated testing and CI/CD pipelines
• Performance monitoring and error tracking
• Regular technical retrospectives and improvement cycles

Companies with distributed teams often report equal or better code quality from offshore developers because remote work forces documentation and clear communication that benefits everyone.

Q: What about data security and IP protection?

Data security is fundamental to everything we do.

Our triple ISO certification provides enterprise-grade assurance:

• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 – Information Security Management
• ISO 27701:2019 – Privacy Information Management
• ISO 27001:2013 – Data Protection & Risk Compliance

Security measures include:

• Secure VPN access and network segmentation
• 24/7 monitoring and intrusion detection
• Comprehensive access controls and audit trails
• Strict confidentiality agreements and IP assignment clauses
• Regular security audits and compliance verification

We work with fintech, healthcare, and enterprises with stringent security requirements. Your code and data are protected with enterprise-grade security infrastructure.

Q: How quickly can I build my Vietnam development team?

Standard timeline: 10-15 days from engagement to first developers operational

• Days 1-3: Technical requirement analysis and role definition
• Days 3-10: Candidate sourcing from our 30,000+ database
• Days 7-14: Technical screening, assessment, shortlist delivery
• Days 10-14: Client technical interviews and selection
• Days 14-21: Infrastructure setup, onboarding, and launch

Scaling timeline: Add 3-5 developers every 2-3 weeks as needed

This is dramatically faster than 4-6 month US developer hiring cycles—critical advantage when technical roadmap demands are urgent.

Q: What if a Vietnam developer doesn't perform as expected?

We provide 180-day replacement guarantee—twice the industry standard. If any developer doesn't meet technical or performance expectations during this period, we find a replacement at no additional cost.

Our rigorous technical screening (coding challenges, architecture discussions, past work review) means underperformance is rare. Most issues stem from unclear requirements or inadequate onboarding rather than candidate capability.

Q: Should I hire all Vietnam developers or use hybrid model?

Both approaches work—depends on your specific situation:

All-Vietnam approach:

• Maximum cost efficiency (70-75% savings)
• Consistent team culture and processes
• Single time zone simplifies coordination
• Works well for: APAC-focused companies, startups with limited budgets, fully remote organizations

Hybrid approach:

• Maintain 1-3 senior local architects/tech leads for strategic decisions
• Build 10-20 Vietnam developers for execution
• Combines local control with cost-efficient scaling
• Works well for: Companies with local presence, complex compliance requirements, preference for onsite leadership

Most clients start with small Vietnam pilot (2-3 developers), validate performance and workflow, then scale aggressively once they see results.

Q: How does THIENTU differ from freelancer platforms or other offshore options?

Freelancer platforms (Upwork, Toptal):

• Independent contractors working on multiple projects
• Limited commitment and availability
• No infrastructure or operational support
• Project-based, not team-building

Generic offshore recruiters:

• Find resumes, conduct basic screening
• No technical depth or development expertise
• No ongoing support after placement
• Transactional relationship

Traditional development agencies:

• Staff augmentation with contractor rotation
• Developers employed by agency, not dedicated to you
• Higher costs due to agency overhead
• Limited long-term stability

THIENTU:

• 24+ years operating in Vietnam (deep market knowledge)
• Technical screening by experienced developers (we understand your stack)
• Complete enterprise infrastructure (not DIY setup)
• Dedicated developers employed through our EOR (they're your team members)
• Ongoing operational support and performance consultation
• 180-day guarantee backing every placement

We build sustainable technical teams that create long-term value, not just fill temporary needs.

Final Thoughts: Strategic Team Building in a Global Talent Market

Finding the right development approach for your company comes down to understanding what your business actually needs right now versus what sounds ideal in theory.

If you're building core technical architecture, handling highly sensitive IP, or have unlimited budget to compete for scarce local talent, keeping those roles local makes sense.

But here's what we've seen with hundreds of companies over 24 years: the either/or mindset misses the biggest opportunity.

Smart companies use a hybrid approach. They keep technical leadership and sensitive projects local while leveraging offshore talent in Vietnam for the bulk of their development work.

This gives you:

• Strategic control through local technical leadership
• Cost efficiency through Vietnam execution capacity (50-70% savings)
• Scalability unavailable with local-only hiring
• Access to specialized skills at sustainable costs

The math is straightforward: You can hire 2-3 skilled Vietnam developers for the cost of one US developer, reinvest those savings into product development or growth initiatives, and scale your team faster than competitors limited to expensive local talent pools.

At THIENTU BPO, we've helped enterprises like Samsung and Shopee build world-class operations in Vietnam. We deliver 50-70% cost savings with technical capabilities that match expensive Western markets. We deploy complete development teams in 10-15 days, not months. And we back every placement with proven infrastructure, operational excellence, and our 180-day guarantee.

Whether you're a startup needing to stretch limited runway, a growth-stage company scaling rapidly, or an established enterprise optimizing costs, Vietnam offshore development offers compelling advantages.

The question isn't whether offshore development works—hundreds of successful companies prove it does. The question is whether you're ready to leverage global talent markets strategically to build the technical capacity your business needs.

Let's discuss how Vietnam development teams can strengthen your technical organization while keeping costs manageable. Contact THIENTU BPO to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation.

📧 info@thientu.vn | 🌐 thientu.vn | 📍 145B Nguyen Dinh Chinh Street, Ho Chi Minh City