Moving to Vietnam from Maldives
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Maldives to Vietnam — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Maldives to Vietnam, you would find that Vietnam is 48.9% cheaper than Maldives overall. A MVR1,200,000 salary in Maldives would need to be roughly ₫1,030,000,000 in Vietnam to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Vietnamese. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 60.5% less
Groceries
pay 35.1% less
Transportation
pay 41.6% less
Housing
pay 63.3% less
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 73.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Vietnam?
What does your salary buy?
MVR1,200,000 → ₫1,030,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Vietnam
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Maldives to Vietnam.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Maldives performs better than Vietnam across all safety metrics.
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 Maldives 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
Maldives performs better than Vietnam across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Maldives generally does better on infrastructure, though Vietnam leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Vietnam generally does better on employment & economy, though Maldives leads in gdp per capita.
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
percentage of adults who can read and write
Maldives performs better than Vietnam across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Can you move from Maldives to Vietnam?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Maldives 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.
Maldives passport holder visiting Vietnam
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Vietnam passport holder visiting Maldives
Visa on ArrivalData: 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 Maldives?
Yes — Vietnam is on average about 49% cheaper than Maldives. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Vietnam?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly ₫257,500,000 in Vietnam on a MVR1,200,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Vietnam?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Vietnam safe for expats?
Maldives performs better than Vietnam across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Vietnam is 1.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Maldives.
How is healthcare in Vietnam compared to Maldives?
Vietnam generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Vietnam, compared to 22.4 in Maldives. Vietnam scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Maldives: 61).
What language do they speak in Vietnam?
The official language in Vietnam is Vietnamese. In Maldives, the official language is Maldivian.
