A fast-scaling SaaS company needed to more than double its engineering capacity in Vietnam — against a 90-day board deadline and without a local entity. With group HQ watching every hire, they couldn’t afford a single compliance gap. They partnered with Talent JDI and never had to worry about it again.
Industry:
SaaS / B2B Technology
|
Headquarter:
Austin, Texas (USA)
|
Vietnam Team Size:
10 Developers
|
Engineers Hired Timeline:
28 Days
|
|
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
0
Compliance incidents across 14 months
10
Developers placed without entity setup
28
Days from brief to first developer onboarded
ABOUT THE CLIENT
Our client is a US-headquartered B2B SaaS company with more than 120 employees globally. After securing a major enterprise contract across Southeast Asia, the company needed to scale its engineering capacity quickly to support product delivery and long-term regional growth.
Rather than continuing to hire locally in the US, where senior engineering talent had become increasingly expensive and difficult to secure at speed, the CTO began evaluating offshore markets across Asia. Vietnam quickly stood out as the strongest option due to its growing pool of backend engineering talent, strong technical capabilities, competitive salary levels, and time zone alignment with the company’s regional operations.
As a result, they made the decision to rapidly expand their engineering team from 3 to 10 Vietnam developers under 30 days. However, the business had no legal entity in the country, no local HR or payroll infrastructure, and strict group HQ governance requirements that demanded full labour-law compliance from day one.
THE CHALLENGE
Roadblocks Need to Be Solved Before a Single New Hire
No Vietnam Legal Entity
The company had no registered legal entity in Vietnam and couldn't legally employ staff directly. Setting up a local entity would take 6–12 months and cost upward of USD 20,000 — a non-starter given the board's timeline.
A Hard Product Deadline
The board had committed to an enterprise client with a delivery milestone 90 days away. Every week without engineers was a direct contract risk. Internal HR had no Vietnam hiring pipeline, no local market knowledge, and no compliant employment vehicle to plug candidates into.
High Risk Aversion from Group HQ
Group headquarters expected full labour-law compliance and consolidated monthly reporting. Any employment arrangement that couldn't withstand a governance audit was off the table — regardless of how fast it moved.
THE SOLUTION
Fix the Foundation First. Then Hire Fast.
Talent JDI implemented a four-part solution designed to help the client scale quickly without compromising compliance, governance, or operational control.
01
Step 01 · EOR Structure
EOR Structure Deployed in 72 Hours
Instead of spending months setting up a Vietnam entity, the client used Talent JDI's Employer of Record (EOR) service. Talent JDI handled the legal employment structure, allowing the company to start hiring almost immediately.
02
Step 02 · Talent Network
Candidates Sourced from 30,000+ Pre-Vetted Developers
Talent JDI quickly tapped into its network of more than 30,000 pre-vetted developers across Vietnam. Candidates were already screened for technical skills and English communication, so the client only interviewed qualified engineers — helping reduce hiring time significantly.
03
Step 03 · Compliance
Full SHUI Compliance from Day One
Talent JDI managed employment contracts, payroll, and all required social insurance contributions from day one. Every developer was hired under Vietnam labour law standards, giving the client full compliance without needing an internal HR team in Vietnam.
04
Step 04 · Reporting
Clear Monthly Reporting for HQ
Each month, Talent JDI provided a simple report covering payroll, insurance contributions, and employment status for the full engineering team. The client's headquarters team had full visibility into operations in Vietnam without extra administrative work.
THE RESULTS
From Compliance Risk to the Gold Standard — in 28 Days
0
Compliance incidents
across 18 months
10
New developers placed
in 28 days
22
Developers now under
one EOR partner
Product Deadline Met
After onboarding 10 developers in just 28 days, the client's tech team stayed on track and delivered on time, securing their enterprise contract as planned. Any risk of project delays was resolved before it became a real issue.
Zero Compliance Exposure
From day one, Talent JDI handled employment contracts, payroll, and all SHUI contributions. 14 months later, the client has had zero compliance issues, even after completing two internal governance reviews at group HQ.
USD 20,000+ in Setup Costs Avoided
By choosing an EOR model instead of setting up a legal entity in Vietnam, the client avoided more than USD 20,000 in legal and administrative costs, while saving 6–12 months to focus on product development and growth.
Talent JDI Retained as Permanent Vietnam HR Arm
Fourteen months later, Talent JDI continues to manage employment, payroll, and compliance for the full team. As the company grows toward 20 developers, Talent JDI remains their trusted HR partner on the ground in Vietnam.
WHY TALENT JDI
Why Enterprise Clients Choose Talent JDI Over Others
|
Talent JDI |
Glints TalentHub |
Deel |
AYP Group |
| Vietnam-only specialist |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Recruitment + EOR bundled |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Pre-vetted tech talent pool |
30,000+ devs |
10M+ (generic) |
— |
— |
| Ministry licensed & compliant |
✓ |
Partial |
✓ |
✓ |
| Dedicated account manager |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
| Time to first hire |
< 2 weeks |
3–4 weeks |
No recruitment |
No recruitment |
| EOR monthly cost |
Market-competitive |
$299+/mo + 18% |
$599/mo |
Flat fee |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Vietnam Engineering Hiring: What Companies Ask Most
Can a foreign company hire engineers in Vietnam without setting up a local entity?
Yes. A foreign company can legally employ engineers in Vietnam without a registered local entity by using an Employer of Record (EOR) service. The EOR — such as Talent JDI — acts as the legal employer, handling employment contracts, payroll, and statutory contributions (SHUI) on behalf of the foreign company.
How long does it take to hire engineers in Vietnam through an EOR?
With Talent JDI's combined recruitment and EOR service, the typical time from brief to first engineer onboarded is under 28 days. This compares to 6–12 months required to set up a Vietnam legal entity independently.
What is SHUI in Vietnam, and who pays for it?
SHUI refers to Social Insurance, Health Insurance, and Unemployment Insurance — the statutory employer contributions required under Vietnam's Labour Code. When using an EOR, the EOR provider manages and remits all SHUI contributions on behalf of the foreign employer, ensuring full compliance with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLSW).
Hiring Vietnamese Developers Without a Local Entity?
Whether you need your first Vietnam developer or you're scaling to 50, Talent JDI handles employment, compliance, and payroll under one contract. No entity setup required.
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