Malaysia or Vietnam
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Malaysia | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 22 760 | $ 13 656 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | doable | — |
| Pets | difficult | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | 2 |
| Quarantine | 7 days | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 784 | $ 617 |
| Basket | $ 31,2 | $ 24,7 |
| Life expectancy | 76.82 | 74.74 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.69 | 1.54 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.6 | 7.3 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Malaysia — 39, Vietnam — 14. Types present in both: work, study, family and investment. Malaysia adds: remote work, talent, repatriation and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Malaysia: fees range from 60 to 200,000 MYR. Routes stating an income threshold: 9; the lowest is 2,000 MYR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 7; the shortest is 3 days. Vietnam: fees range from 100 to 165 USD. Routes with a published decision deadline: 14; the shortest is 5 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Vietnam after 3 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Malaysia after 10 years, Vietnam after 5 years. Neither recognises a second citizenship.
Malaysia in brief
Malaysia is a non-EU country with work visas tied firmly to the employer (Employment Pass) and a separate long-term MM2H status that carries no right to work. Permanent residence is effectively out of reach for employed specialists; citizenship takes 10+ years, is decided at discretion and rules out dual citizenship. English is widely used in business and the cost of living is below neighbouring Singapore. The main natural hazards are annual monsoon flooding and seasonal transboundary haze.
Vietnam in brief
Vietnam is relatively accessible on a work visa (work permit + TRC) for an employee with a degree and an employer, but long-term status is hard to reach: permanent residence requires at least 3 continuous years on a TRC, citizenship another 5 plus a discretionary decision going up to presidential level, and dual citizenship is restricted. Local IT salaries are substantially below the developed Asian hubs, which is typical of a market with a large outsourcing sector. Natural hazards cluster in the typhoon and monsoon flood season (May–December); seismic and volcanic threats are practically absent.
Other comparisons
Malaysia or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Azerbaijan
Vietnam or… Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka
More on each: Malaysia · Vietnam. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.