Moving to Vietnam from Canada
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Canada to Vietnam — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Canada to Vietnam, you would find that Vietnam is 62.4% cheaper than Canada overall. A CA$110,000 salary in Canada would need to be roughly ₫751,000,000 in Vietnam to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Vietnamese. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Hanoi averages 82°F vs 52°F in Ottawa, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Canada to Vietnam.
What does your salary buy?
CA$110,000 → ₫751,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Vietnam
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 80.1% less
Groceries
pay 49.6% less
Transportation
pay 51.0% less
Housing
pay 71.1% less
Childcare
pay 31.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 70.8% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Vietnam cost about 44% less than cities in Canada.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Canada to Vietnam, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Vietnam?
Top countries of origin for Vietnam's foreign-born residents.
- 12,192
- 11,796
- 8,325
- 8,288
- 7,334
- 3,335
- · · ·
-
14.1,532
Canada
Key Indicator Comparison
How Canada and Vietnam stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Canada generally does better on safety, though Vietnam leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Vietnam generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Canada leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Canada generally does better on environment, though Vietnam leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Canada performs better than Vietnam across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Canada generally does better on employment & economy, though Vietnam leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Canada performs better than Vietnam across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Canada Revenue Agency (2016), General Department Of Taxation - Ministry Of Finance (2016), The World Factbook (2008). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Ottawa | Hanoi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) | 71°/62°F (22°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) | 88°/75°F (31°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 90°/78°F (32°/26°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 79°/66°F (26°/19°C) |
View all months
| Month | Ottawa | Hanoi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) | 68°/58°F (20.0°/14.6°C) |
| Feb | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) | 70°/61°F (21.3°/16.2°C) |
| Mar | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) | 74°/66°F (23.5°/18.7°C) |
| Apr | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) | 82°/71°F (27.7°/21.9°C) |
| May | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) | 89°/76°F (31.7°/24.5°C) |
| Jun | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) | 93°/79°F (33.8°/26.3°C) |
| Jul | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) | 92°/80°F (33.3°/26.5°C) |
| Aug | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) | 90°/78°F (32.5°/25.8°C) |
| Sep | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) | 89°/76°F (31.6°/24.7°C) |
| Oct | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) | 85°/72°F (29.6°/22.4°C) |
| Nov | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) | 79°/67°F (26.3°/19.2°C) |
| Dec | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) | 72°/60°F (22.1°/15.4°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service of Canada,
Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Canada and Vietnam. To live, work, or study long-term in Vietnam, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Vietnam's immigration authority.
Canada passport holder visiting Vietnam
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Vietnam passport holder visiting Canada
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Vietnam than Canada?
Generally yes: Vietnam runs about 62% cheaper than Canada on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Vietnam?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CA$110,000 comparable salary, that's around ₫187,750,000 in Vietnam for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Vietnam?
With 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Canada and Vietnam.
Is Vietnam safe for expats?
Canada generally does better on safety, though Vietnam leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Vietnam is 1.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.0 in Canada.
How is healthcare in Vietnam compared to Canada?
Vietnam generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Canada leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Vietnam, compared to 28.2 in Canada. Vietnam scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Canada: 91).
What's the weather like in Vietnam compared to Canada?
The average high temperature in Hanoi is 82°F, compared to 52°F in Ottawa. Hanoi receives around 64.1 in of rainfall per year, while Ottawa gets 37.1 in.
What language do they speak in Vietnam?
The official language in Vietnam is Vietnamese. In Canada, the official languages are English and French.
