Timor-Leste 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
| Timor-Leste | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | $ 13 656 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | — | — |
| Parents | doable | — |
| Pets | — | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | 2 |
| Quarantine | — | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 274 · estimate | $ 617 |
| Basket | $ 20,6 | $ 24,7 |
| Life expectancy | 67.9 | 74.74 |
| Homicides/100k | 4.07 | 1.54 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 3.3 | 7.3 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Timor-Leste — 11, Vietnam — 14. Types present in both: work, study and investment. Vietnam adds: family.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Timor-Leste: fees range from 20 to 150 USD. Routes with a published decision deadline: 2; the shortest is 15 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: Timor-Leste after 10 years, Vietnam after 3 years. Citizenship: Timor-Leste after 10 years, Vietnam after 5 years. Timor-Leste allows a second citizenship, Vietnam does not.
Timor-Leste in brief
Timor-Leste is a state independent since 2002 that uses the US dollar as its official currency: the country has no currency of its own. The official languages are Portuguese and Tetum; Indonesian and English are recognised as working languages (Constitution of the RDTL, s. 159). A significant share of the state budget is financed by transfers from the Petroleum Fund (Fundo Petrolífero), managed by the Central Bank of Timor-Leste on revenue from the Timor Sea's oil and gas fields; according to the Central Bank, the fund's balance stood at US$18.75 billion as of 31 May 2026 (bancocentral.tl/en/petroleum-fund). The country lies in the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire — the INFORM index rates the country's earthquake risk at 5.8 out of 10 and tsunami risk at 3.9 out of 10. Malaria and dengue are endemic across most of the territory (World Health Organization). The legal framework for foreigners' temporary and permanent stay is the Migration and Asylum Law No. 11/2017 (as amended by Law No. 10/2021); the country belongs to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), but as of the date checked the declaratively adopted CPLP mobility agreement is not reflected in the migration authority's official list of visa exemptions.
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
Timor-Leste or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Vietnam or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: Timor-Leste · 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.