Comparing Indian and Vietnamese Talent
Choose between Indian and Vietnamese IT talent based on your immediate business needs, not nationality. Prefer Vietnamese talent if you need early-stage Japanese communication, reporting, and customer support. Prefer Indian talent if you work in English and prioritize deep expertise in AI, data, cloud, or large-scale web development. This is about strategic alignment—comparing language skills, IT certifications, and technical backgrounds—not national character.
Contents
※Please be noted that this blog is translated automatically by AI
Summary: Which should companies prioritize?
To simplify your initial comparison, consider this guide:
Your Situation | Recommended Market | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Hiring your first foreign engineer | Vietnam | Large Japanese-speaking pool; easy to find developers with Japan-market experience |
Able to manage teams in English | India | Large market of engineers who can discuss technology in English |
Need updates/requirements handled in Japanese | Vietnam | Easy to find Japanese language schools and learners |
Searching for AI, data, or cloud talent | India | Easy to source universities and careers in specific technical fields |
Urgent need to augment implementation staff | Compare Both | Measure talent flow by job role, language, and hiring deadline |
Seeking future leaders to handle client negotiations | Compare Both | Evaluate individual language, design skills, and ownership over nationality |
Avoid stereotyping Vietnamese for Japanese-use and Indian for English-use only.
For hiring strategy, set a hypothesis and verify it with the candidate's actual skills.
When to prioritize Vietnamese talent
Vietnamese talent is ideal for firms with many Japanese-language tasks from early hiring.
For example, companies that:
Need to read Japanese specs and check with internal engineers.
Might attend regular meetings with clients or PMs.
Want to hire their first foreign engineer to build internal acceptance.
Want candidates with Japan-focused offshore dev experience.
The Japan Foundation's 2024 survey reports 164,495 Japanese learners and 490 schools in Vietnam.
In India, the same survey reports 52,946 learners and 381 schools.
These figures do not guarantee each candidate's language skills.
Yet, Vietnam is a strong initial market to explore for rich Japanese-learning touchpoints.
For a first foreign hire, post-hire internal communication costs are crucial.
If on-site managers cannot give specs in English, onboarding slows despite high tech skills.
In this case, check these task scenarios in Japanese, beyond N2 or N3 certificates:
Scenario | Skill to Check |
|---|---|
Spec Checks | Can they ask about unclear points? |
Progress Reports | Can they explain delays and next steps? |
Issue Handling | Can they separate facts from guesses? |
Client Meetings | Can they hold off on immediate promises? |
Writing Docs | Are facts complete, beyond natural phrasing? |
Just hiring from Vietnam because they "might work in Japanese" is too vague.
If Japanese tasks are common and internal English is weak, prioritizing Vietnam is highly valuable.
When to prioritize Indian talent
Companies that discuss tech in English and define roles clearly can easily prioritize Indian talent.
For example, companies that:
Run spec checks & code reviews in English.
Can define tech areas like AI, Data, Cloud, or Backend.
Prioritize design judgment, coding, and learning speed over Japanese skill.
Plan to expand to a global dev organization.
The value of Indian talent is not just about the high number of English speakers.
It lies in easily finding candidates by mapping their university, research, career, role, and tech stack.
Particularly in AI, Data, and Cloud, actual hands-on work matters more than the number of candidates.
Even if Python, React, AWS, or LLM is on their resume, it could be just a tutorial or production-level ownership.
Confirm their actual depth of experience in interviews with these questions:
What was your final technical decision?
What did you first check during a production failure?
What is a typical example of your code being sent back in review?
What metrics did you measure when improving model accuracy or performance?
How did you resolve conflicts in requirements with clients or other teams?
To hire in India, your internal team must prepare in advance.
Just writing "Talented AI Engineer" on job descriptions won't help you filter quality candidates.
Clearly state the tech stack, expected deliverables, review ownership, English reporting frequency, and 90-day goals.
Companies that use English and conduct deep tech evaluations can leverage the Indian talent market best.
Comparing both countries
Some companies should not limit themselves to one country from the start.
Especially in the following cases:
Need Japanese and tech skills, undecided on priority.
Urgent hiring, need quick data on applicants/pass rates.
Mismatch in candidate profiles between HR and tech lead.
Plan to hire from multiple countries in the future.
In these cases, post identical job specs in both countries and screen small groups.
Compare applicant responses to the same criteria, not the countries.
Item | Metrics |
|---|---|
Sourcing | Number of qualified applicants |
Screening | Ratio meeting essential requirements |
Tech Assessment | Coding performance / design explanation |
Language | Task completion in business scenarios |
Declines | Pay, timing, family, job content |
Onboarding Load | Amount of translation, training, team support |
Relying on agency pitches alone will skew recommendation standards.
Standardize job posts, screening, interviews, and scoring across targeted countries.
Using objective data in hiring
Numbers are not to rank nationalities, but to form initial recruitment hypotheses.
The number of Japanese learners does not guarantee candidates who can work in Japanese.
However, in countries with strong Japanese education, it is easier to find Japanese-speaking candidates.
Exams like ITPEC also do not guarantee the candidate's practical skills.
ITPEC is an Asian common exam based on IPA's test; the Vietnamese body also participates.
The English ITPEC exam is held twice a year, covering FE topics like algorithms, networks, DB, security, and programming.
Therefore, ITPEC passes can serve as auxiliary proof of basic knowledge for Vietnamese candidates.
However, a pass alone cannot verify design responsibility, client facing, team dev, or troubleshooting.
Use numbers and credentials for initial screening, and make final decisions based on individual job fit.
Related articles
How much does it actually cost to hire one Indian talent? You cannot get approval without knowing the total cost, not just the introduction fee.
Focus on total hiring costs, not salary
You cannot compare hiring costs between India and Vietnam by salary alone.
Rates vary greatly by job type, experience, city, contract type, exchange rate, and relocation terms.
Compare the total cost from hiring to onboarding.
Cost Item | Details | Key Points |
|---|---|---|
Salary | Base, variable, allowances | Compare on the same basis |
Recruiting | Agency fee, job boards, research | View total cost per hire |
Selection | Interviews, tests, translation | Include internal man-hours |
Relocation | Visa, flights, housing | Factor in delay risks |
Retention | Training, life & work support | Estimate up to 90 days |
Choosing cheaper candidates can increase total costs if misaligned and forced to rehire.
Conversely, higher initial salary may prevent business loss if they start delivering quickly.
Related articles
How much does it actually cost to hire one Indian talent? You cannot get approval without knowing the total cost, not just the introduction fee.
Pre-create same ruby scorecard
To compare countries fairly, keep evaluation methods consistent across agencies and nations.
Before interviews, map skills, language, ownership, motivation, and fit to the same rubric.
Item | Method | Pass Criteria Example |
|---|---|---|
Skills | Coding, design review | Can justify their output |
Ownership | Deep dive interview | Distinguishes own decisions |
Language | Reports, Q&A, docs | Handles key business tasks |
Motivation | Expectations, family ok | Has explicit timeline to move |
Culture fit | Team interview | Mutual expectations align |
In the rubric, do not merge language and technical skills into a single score.
This prevents rating technical skills low just because explanations in English take longer.
Also, avoid high ratings for fluent English speakers if their ownership or results are vague.
Compare individual evidence against the job spec, rather than country stereotypes.
Related articles
Failed recruitment of Indian talent is not just about nationality or culture. It often stems from fragmented Japanese hiring processes: requirement design, evaluation, job offers, and onboarding.
5 steps to choose hiring countries
Steps to use country comparison for hiring decisions:
Define one key deliverable for the first 90 days.
Separate criteria for Japanese, English, tech skills, and scope.
Choose to start with Vietnam, India, or both compared.
Use identical tasks, questions, and rubrics for both.
Determine the target market based on time, cost, and onboarding load.
For IT hires in Japan, the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" visa is typical.
Screening focuses on job-education match, contract, pay, and corporate documents, not nationality.
foreign documents need Japanese translations; check naming, degree, grade, and work certs per candidate.
Visa eligibility under the system does not guarantee individual approval.
Always verify current document requirements with ISA official updates and experts.
Related articles
Hiring from India requires more than just posting jobs. You must simultaneously design hiring criteria, local sourcing, tech interviews, offers, visas, and onboarding.
Summary
Comparing Indian and Vietnamese talent is not about ranking countries.
It's about finding which candidate pool best fits your job requirements for hiring success.
If you need Japanese specs/client support early, or want lower onboarding friction for your first foreign hire, explore the Vietnamese market first.
If you develop in English and prioritize deep technical skills in AI, data, or cloud, start with the Indian market.
In either case, base your final decision on individual skills via standard evaluations, not on nationality.
Phinx helps you build a bias-free hiring process. Leveraging our Indian network and tech screening, we align job requirements, candidate evaluations, visa support, and onboarding design for true hiring success.
Sources
Japan Foundation "Survey on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2024" https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/japanese/survey/result/information.html
ITPEC "About ITPEC" https://itpec.org/about/itpec.html
ITPEC "About ITPEC Common Examination" https://itpec.org/about/itpec-common-exam.html
Immigration Services Agency of Japan "Status of Residence: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/gijinkoku.html
Latest Articles
Stay up-to-date
Related articles
Comparing Indian and Vietnamese Talent
