Have you ever considered the benefits of hiring programmers from Asia? This trend is becoming increasingly popular in the IT industry, thanks to the numerous advantages it offers. In November 2022, Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a document expanding the cooperation between Vietnam and Germany in the recruitment and training of human resources. Vietnam has now become Germany’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

In this article, we want to introduce you to the advantages of hiring programmers from Vietnam and provide solutions to the challenges associated with this trend. Get ready to discover new opportunities for your company’s development!

Advantages of Hiring Programmers from Vietnam

Vietnam is a country with a rapidly developing economy and a strong base of IT specialists in Asia. Therefore, hiring employees from this country is becoming an increasingly popular option for Western software houses looking for qualified developers.

One of the most significant advantages of hiring programmers from Vietnam is the low cost of employment. Vietnam is a country with a developing economy, which translates into lower living costs and lower salaries for employees. This means that you can hire a qualified developer for less money than in Western countries.

Eastern programmers are also highly valued for their impressive level of qualifications and experience. Vietnam has a unique level of education where programming skills are taught from an early age. Many universities in this country offer specialized IT courses that educate developers at the highest level.

Asian programmers often have knowledge of foreign languages, which facilitates communication and remote work coordination. Many people from Vietnam are fluent in English, making it easier to communicate with foreign clients and business partners.

Flexibility and readiness to work remotely are another advantage of hiring programmers from the East. Vietnam is a country that eagerly uses modern technological solutions and is open to remote work. Programmers from Vietnam are flexible and ready to work with teams from different parts of the world.

Vietnam is a country where programmers use a wide range of programming languages and frameworks. In addition to popular languages such as Java, C#, or JavaScript, Vietnam also commonly uses C++, Python, or PHP, which are used in various projects and applications. Frameworks such as Spring, .Net, AngularJS, ReactJS, VueJS, Laravel, or Ruby on Rails are also widely used. Thanks to the wide range of languages and frameworks used by Asian programmers, they can more easily adapt to the different needs and requirements of various projects and industries.

Challenges related to hiring programmers from Vietnam and their solutions

Of course, hiring programmers from Vietnam comes with certain challenges, such as cultural differences, language barriers, or issues related to payments and accounting, but with the right approach and solutions, it can be very beneficial for your software house.

One of the most important aspects is building good relationships and communication. By creating appropriate communication processes, you can ensure that your Vietnamese programmers are aware of their responsibilities and communicate their needs, and as a result, are able to work effectively.

Another important aspect is providing adequate support and tools for remote work. Remotely employed developers must have access to the necessary tools and software to seamlessly coordinate their work with the Polish part of the team. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the appropriate resources and technical support to work efficiently and effectively.

Another challenge is the language barrier, which can lead to difficulties in communicating and understanding the specifics of a given project. Cultural differences can also be a problem, especially when it comes to differences in customs and traditions.

The solution to these challenges may be to use the services of an agency specializing in hiring programmers from Asia. Such an agency has experience in recruiting specialists from Vietnam and knows the local market, traditions, and customs. This agency can help overcome language and cultural barriers, as well as solve problems related to onboarding employees from overseas.

Flash Recruitment – accelerate your success

If you are looking for a solution to your problems related to hiring Vietnamese programmers, Flash Recruitment is the perfect choice for you. Our unique combination of specialists from various fields allows us to effectively conduct recruitment and support in the onboarding process.

Linh, a specialist in the field of law in her home country, will ensure that all contracts are in compliance with Vietnamese regulations, so you can avoid potential problems related to international cooperation.

Andrzej, with his knowledge of the Vietnamese market, culture, and experience in remote work, will help you discover the best talents.

Patrycja, an HR expert, will ensure that your new employee feels at home.

Rafał, with his extensive experience in the IT industry, will be able to advise you on the best solutions so that your company can fully benefit from Vietnamese developers.

Don’t wait any longer and contact us to hire qualified specialists from Vietnam and improve your business results! Flash Recruitment – accelerate your success!

Flash Recruitment Case Study

In today’s IT industry, many companies face challenges in recruiting qualified specialists. One solution to this problem is to search for talent abroad. Our client, a Polish software house employing several dozen people, decided to hire programmers from Vietnam and was happy to share their decision-making process and recruitment process with us. What challenges did they encounter, and how did they overcome them? Did their decision prove to be successful? We invite you to read our case study, which presents our client’s story and shows how IT specialists can be effectively recruited from outside Poland.

Why did you decide to recruit programmers from the Vietnamese market?

The development of our software house not only requires staying up-to-date with new technologies and innovative solutions but also necessitates expanding the team responsible for delivering projects. The growing number of new clients and ambitious cooperation proposals also meant that we needed to hire new developers. When we began our recruitment efforts, we quickly realized that the recruitment process in Poland is time-consuming and expensive – finding a qualified employee in Poland required at least 4 to 6 months of effort. Faced with this situation in the domestic market, we decided to search for experienced specialists in other countries. While exploring information about the state of the industry abroad, we noticed that Vietnam is a place where a particular emphasis is placed on learning programming from the beginning of education in schools. This is what mainly led us to become interested in this market.

What obstacles did you face when hiring programmers from Asia?

Entering the Vietnamese market presented us with many challenges that we had to overcome in order to establish effective and mutually satisfactory working conditions. First and foremost, we had to understand both the culture and the work model that is typical for this part of Asia. We encountered difficulties such as:

• cultural differences – understanding the Vietnamese work culture made it necessary for us to develop different standards of cooperation in relation to employees from Asia and Europe;
• communication – although the level of English spoken by Vietnamese residents can be considered communicative, there are certain details (such as pronunciation or the creation of so-called “language calques”) that affect difficulties in professional contacts;
• time control – since employing workers from Asia usually involves remote work, we realized the need to use time measurement tools such as DeskTime;
• work organization – our projects are executed according to standards defined by us as well as by our clients. Therefore, it is necessary to provide support for Vietnamese teams in terms of their understanding, such as assigning tasks.

How did you solve the aforementioned problems?

Initially, the decision to open up to the Vietnamese market was not an easy one. Cultural differences, recruitment process organization, and the development of a completely remote onboarding process for developers are just some of the areas in which we lacked experience. Therefore, the support of an external agency proved to be essential in starting our foreign operations. Using the services of a recruitment company brought us benefits not only in terms of streamlining and speeding up the technical recruitment process (which affected the ease of scaling teams according to current needs), but also in terms of support in the following areas:

• employee adaptation process in a new workplace,
• conducting regular (every 6 months) feedback conversations in accordance with the Vietnamese work culture,
• organization of work for foreign teams.

What benefits have you achieved by using the Vietnamese job market?

Collaborating with Vietnamese developers in recent months has strengthened our belief that working in an international team positively impacts our work organization, which has allowed us to achieve the following benefits:

• Accelerated start of work on individual projects
• Improved quality of delivered products and services
• Minimized time spent on tasks
• Optimized employment costs for developers

The decision to start working with foreign developers not only benefits our projects and company operations, but it has also been positively received by a wide range of employees and our clients. What do they specifically say about this change?

“Thanks to collaborating with Vietnamese developers, we are able to better support clients under SLA care.”

“I appreciate that in our daily cooperation, we use English, which perfectly reflects the IT industry’s specifics.”

“We can learn from each other and solve problems faster in this way.”

Conclusion:

Finding experienced IT specialists on the market is crucial for the effective development of a software house. Especially in times of a shortage of developers on the domestic market, the decision to start international recruitment may prove to be one of the best solutions to achieve the set goals. In our case, using a recruitment agency has helped us achieve measurable benefits in this aspect and, therefore, not only build a dedicated team but also create the proper conditions for future development.

4 main differences between Asian and European work culture

Work culture is one of the key factors that affects the way a company operates and its success. When western companies recruit IT specialists from Vietnam, they often have to deal with cultural differences that can affect their effectiveness. In this article, we will discuss these differences and provide tips on how to deal with them.

1. Hierarchy

The culture of hierarchy is more prevalent in Vietnam than in western countries. Respecting hierarchy is very important in Vietnamese culture and has a big impact on communication and decision-making. Vietnamese employees often expect instructions from their superiors and do not feel comfortable making decisions without their approval. In western companies, however, employees are expected to be more independent and make decisions based on their own judgment.

It is important for western managers to be clear in their expectations and also to provide a work environment that encourages Vietnamese employees to express their opinions. It is worth considering onboarding training in autonomy to encourage decision-making directly by employees.

2. Communication

Vietnamese tend to avoid conflicts and criticism, which means they do not always speak directly about their problems or concerns. In western companies, however, open and direct communication is crucial.

How to deal with this: Western managers should show openness and invite Vietnamese employees to have honest conversations. They should also encourage them to share their thoughts and expectations, as well as to ask questions when they have doubts. It is worth verbally rewarding them for expressing their own opinions and reporting their mistakes, to break the eastern upbringing

3. Time Management:

In Vietnam, the work culture is less “time-oriented” than in Western countries. This means that employees may be more inclined to stop and chat with colleagues or set aside a project to help with another task. In Western firms, time is usually treated as a valuable resource, and time planning and control are crucial. To deal with this cultural difference, clear and precise schedules and expectations should be established to minimize misunderstandings and ensure proper time management.

4. Group Work:

In the Vietnamese work culture, working in a group is valued more than individual work. Employees usually value their relationships with other team members and strive to maintain a positive atmosphere in the workplace.

However, the approach to group work in Vietnam may differ from Western standards. For example, in Asia, it may be more acceptable for one team member to take on the majority of the project or make most of the decisions, while in Western firms, work is typically expected to be evenly distributed among all team members, and decisions are made through discussion and consultation. Therefore, it is essential to discuss issues related to the approach to group work during the recruitment process and clarify expectations to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the future.

Summary:

In summary, cultural differences between East and West can affect the way people work and the relationships between employees. It is essential to understand these differences and learn to adapt to both cultures to succeed in recruiting Vietnamese programmers and retaining them long-term in the company. Paying attention to aspects such as hierarchy, communication, working time, interpersonal relationships, and initiating changes in the company’s organizational culture can help facilitate the integration of Asian employees and build positive relationships within the team. It is also important to provide cultural difference training and implement an integration policy to ensure that all employees feel comfortable and valued in their work. Ultimately, using strategies that consider cultural differences can help increase employee engagement and satisfaction, leading to greater productivity and company success.