How to Vet Remote Developers in Vietnam: 7-Step Process

Vietnam offers a growing pool of skilled developers at competitive rates, making it a popular choice for US-based engineering teams. However, hiring remote talent requires a structured vetting process to ensure technical skills, communication abilities, and team compatibility align with your business needs. Here’s a quick overview of the 7-step process:

1. Define Job Requirements: Be specific about technical skills, project expectations, and English proficiency levels. Include tools, methodologies, and work schedule details.

2. Find Pre-Screened Talent: Use trusted networks, staffing services, or developer communities for candidates with verified skills and experience.

3. Run Technical Skills Tests: Conduct coding challenges, system design evaluations, and pair programming sessions tailored to your project needs.

4. Test Communication and Team Fit: Assess English fluency, written communication, and collaboration style through interviews and real-world scenarios.

5. Run Background and Legal Checks: Verify work history, references, and ensure compliance with labor laws, contracts, and IP protection.

6. Onboard and Integrate: Align workflows, establish core overlap hours, and use tools like Slack, Jira, and Confluence to bridge time zone gaps.

7. Track Performance and Feedback: Set clear KPIs, monitor code quality and delivery timelines, and provide regular feedback for continuous improvement.

This approach ensures you hire developers who not only meet technical requirements but also work effectively within your team. By following these steps, you can build a reliable, productive remote team in Vietnam while managing costs efficiently.

Step 1: Define Job Requirements and Target Candidate Profile

Start by clearly outlining the job requirements. This step sets the tone for every interaction with potential hires and ensures Vietnamese developers fully understand what your US-based team expects.

Include both technical skills and soft skills in your list. Developers who succeed in US teams typically combine technical expertise with strong communication and adaptability. By detailing these expectations, you help candidates align with your team’s standards, from technical abilities to collaboration styles.

Writing Clear Job Descriptions

Your job description is more than just a list of duties - it’s your first line of communication with potential candidates. Vietnamese developers value detailed technical information, so be as specific as possible.

• Be precise about the tech stack. Instead of just mentioning React, specify requirements like React 18+ with hooks, TypeScript integration, and familiarity with Next.js 13 or later. Exact versions and skills help candidates assess their fit.

• Focus on relevant experience. Practical expertise often outweighs the number of years on a resume. For instance, a developer with three years of intense React experience might be a better fit than someone with five years of mixed frontend work. Vietnamese tech education emphasizes hands-on skills, so many developers build deep knowledge quickly.

• Clarify project expectations. Whether the role involves creating features from scratch, maintaining legacy systems, or architecting new solutions, outline the complexity. This helps candidates gauge their suitability and prepares them for the role.

• List collaboration tools and methodologies. Mention if you use Scrum, Kanban, or other agile frameworks. Tools like Jira, Linear, or Azure DevOps are often familiar to Vietnamese developers, but specifying them ensures candidates know what to expect.

• Define work schedule requirements. Vietnam’s time zone overlaps well with US hours, but clarify core collaboration times. Let candidates know if availability during specific US hours is essential or if asynchronous work is acceptable for certain tasks.

Once you’ve nailed down the technical details, shift your focus to communication requirements, particularly English language proficiency.

Setting English Language Requirements

Effective communication is critical for remote teams, especially when working across cultures and time zones. English fluency levels can vary among Vietnamese developers, so it’s essential to set clear expectations.

• Be upfront about communication needs. Specify whether the role requires active participation in video calls, leading technical discussions, or primarily written communication. Some positions might involve presenting to stakeholders, while others focus on tasks like code reviews or documentation.

• Highlight the importance of written communication. Remote work often relies on clear documentation, concise pull request descriptions, and timely reporting of blockers. Candidates with strong writing skills will thrive in these roles.

• Assess speaking and listening skills. These are especially important for activities like code reviews, sprint planning, and problem-solving sessions. While many Vietnamese developers understand English well, they may need encouragement to speak up during meetings. Consider whether your team culture supports diverse communication styles.

• Acknowledge technical vocabulary strengths. Vietnamese developers often excel in technical English due to their familiarity with English-language tools and documentation. However, informal and business-related communication might require a bit more adjustment. Be realistic about this learning curve while setting minimum standards.

To ensure alignment, you might include a communication assessment as part of the hiring process. This could involve writing a technical explanation, participating in a brief video call, or reviewing code with verbal feedback. These activities not only help you evaluate candidates but also give them a clear sense of your expectations.

The goal isn’t flawless English but effective collaboration. Developers who can clearly communicate technical issues, ask thoughtful questions, and provide regular updates often integrate seamlessly into US teams, even if their grammar or accent isn’t perfect.

Step 2: Find Pre-Screened Talent in Vietnam

Skip the hassle of sorting through endless resumes by using pre-screened talent sources. This approach lets you focus on evaluating how well candidates fit your project and team dynamics, saving time and effort.

Using Trusted Networks and Platforms

To find the right talent, rely on sourcing channels that meet global standards. These should ensure candidates meet technical requirements and align with your team’s work culture. Look for sources that conduct detailed technical evaluations, verify employment history, and assess English communication skills.

• Professional staffing services: These services go beyond the basics, conducting multi-stage interviews to test coding skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication. They also verify employment history and references, taking care of background checks so you don’t have to.

• Developer communities and tech hubs: Groups in cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi often provide referrals. Since developers in these communities stake their reputation on their recommendations, you can trust the credibility of their suggestions.

• University partnerships: Schools like Vietnam National University and FPT University produce graduates who are prepared for international work. Many of these programs include English training and exposure to US development practices.

When choosing a source, dig into their vetting processes. How do they test technical skills? What’s their approach to evaluating English proficiency? What are their candidate rejection rates? Watch out for vague screening methods, overly optimistic promises, or services that prioritize low costs over quality.

Avoid platforms offering “quick and cheap” pre-screening. The best sources are transparent about their methods, share success stories from previous placements, and even provide guarantees for replacements in case a hire doesn’t work out during the initial period.

Checking Time Zone and Work Style Alignment

Once you’ve identified pre-screened candidates, the next step is ensuring they can align with your team’s work style and schedule. Vietnam’s time zone can overlap with US working hours, but it’s important to confirm candidates’ familiarity with US work practices.

Building on earlier communication requirements, check if candidates are comfortable with US agile workflows. Prior experience working with US companies is a plus - it means they’re likely familiar with meeting norms, progress tracking, and proactive communication.

Assess their ability to handle US meeting schedules and work asynchronously using tools like Slack, GitHub, or Jira. Strong candidates should provide detailed written updates and ask clarifying questions, even during non-overlapping hours. Reliable internet and backup power are also must-haves to ensure uninterrupted work despite any local infrastructure challenges.

Cultural adaptability is another key factor. Developers who succeed in US teams tend to speak up during meetings, ask questions, and give honest feedback about timelines. This is especially important as it contrasts with the hierarchical work environments typical in Vietnam, where international experience helps bridge the gap.

Finally, think about your team’s collaboration style. If your team can work asynchronously with limited overlap, you’ll have more flexibility. But if real-time collaboration is crucial, make sure candidates are available during US hours.

Step 3: Run Technical Skills Tests

To truly gauge a candidate’s technical abilities, structured assessments are essential. This step builds on earlier evaluations by diving deeper into the technical expertise required for the role. It acts as a bridge between initial screenings and more comprehensive technical evaluations.

Creating Job-Specific Coding Tests

Generic coding tests often fail to reflect the actual demands of a job. Instead, design assessments that closely simulate the tasks candidates would face in your company. Start by identifying the core technical challenges your team regularly encounters.

For example, if you’re hiring for backend roles, create challenges based on your real database schema or API architecture. Platforms like HackerRank and Codility can be particularly useful here. They allow you to craft custom tests that align with your technical needs while providing automated scoring and analytics to evaluate candidates’ problem-solving approaches.

When reviewing submissions, pay close attention to code clarity, structure, naming conventions, and comments. Including debugging exercises is also valuable - these tests reveal a candidate’s troubleshooting skills and their ability to spot and fix issues in flawed code.

Testing Problem-Solving and System Design Skills

Once you’ve confirmed a candidate’s coding proficiency, it’s time to evaluate their problem-solving and system design skills. These higher-order abilities are crucial for developers, especially when tackling complex challenges. Live coding sessions are a great way to observe how candidates think through problems. Use real-world scenarios your team has faced to gain insight into their reasoning and adaptability, rather than relying solely on abstract algorithms.

For senior positions, include a system design component. Ask candidates to design an architecture for a system similar to what your company builds. For instance, if you’re operating a SaaS platform, you might have them design a multi-tenant system that addresses data isolation and scalability. Assess how they handle trade-offs and whether they can justify their decisions effectively.

Pair programming sessions are another excellent tool. Pair candidates with one of your engineers to work on a small feature or resolve a bug. This not only tests their technical skills but also evaluates their ability to collaborate, communicate, and integrate into a team environment.

Finally, take the time to review their GitHub portfolios. Look for consistent coding practices, evidence of continuous learning, and well-documented projects. These details can provide a clearer picture of their overall technical capabilities.

Step 4: Test Communication Skills and Team Fit

Once you’ve evaluated technical skills, the next step is to assess how well candidates communicate and fit within your team. Technical expertise alone isn’t enough - developers also need to collaborate effectively, explain complex ideas clearly, and adapt to your team’s workflows.

Testing English Communication Skills

Video interviews are a great way to evaluate real-time communication abilities. Platforms like Zoom or Google Meet let you assess how candidates express themselves, including their verbal fluency, pronunciation, and confidence. During these interviews, pay attention to how they handle on-the-spot questions and whether they can explain technical concepts in a clear and concise way.

To gauge listening skills, ask candidates to walk you through their approach to solving a complex bug. This not only highlights their technical thought process but also shows how well they understand and respond to detailed English instructions.

For written communication, assign tasks that mimic real-world scenarios. For example, have them draft a project update email, document a technical decision, or write a code review comment. These exercises reveal their ability to communicate clearly and use an appropriate tone in writing.

You can also test asynchronous communication by giving candidates unclear project requirements and observing how they seek clarification. Strong remote team members ask thoughtful questions to resolve ambiguity rather than making assumptions that could lead to delays.

Finally, consider collaborative coding sessions where candidates solve problems while explaining their thought process. This approach helps you evaluate both their technical expertise and their ability to communicate effectively during teamwork.

Checking Team Compatibility

Good communication is essential, but it’s also important to ensure candidates align with your team’s culture. Behavioral interviews with scenario-based questions are particularly useful for this. Ask about times they worked with diverse teams, resolved conflicts, or adapted to new workflows. Look for examples that demonstrate flexibility, openness to feedback, and a collaborative mindset.

Explore how well they can adapt to US work culture by asking questions about direct feedback, challenging ideas in meetings, and managing time zone differences. While many Vietnamese professionals excel in global work environments, individual comfort levels can vary.

To assess conflict resolution skills, ask candidates to share a time they disagreed with a colleague’s technical approach. Strong candidates will show they can present alternative ideas respectfully, remain open to compromise, and prioritize team decisions over individual preferences.

You can also simulate real team interactions by involving your current team members in the interview process. For example, include candidates in a mock sprint planning session or a code review discussion. This reveals how they contribute to conversations, ask questions, and adapt to your team’s dynamics.

Evaluate their communication style further by presenting unclear project requirements and observing their response. Effective remote developers will identify areas of ambiguity and ask for clarification instead of making risky assumptions.

When assessing cultural adaptability, focus on practical scenarios rather than general knowledge. Ask how they would handle missing a deadline, receiving critical feedback, or addressing unrealistic timelines. Their answers will give you insight into how they manage common workplace challenges in a US business setting.

The best candidates often show a genuine interest in collaboration and team integration. Look for those who ask thoughtful questions about your team’s communication preferences, meeting formats, and feedback processes. This curiosity signals their commitment to becoming a valuable part of your team.

Step 5: Run Background and Legal Checks

Once you’ve completed technical assessments and team-fit evaluations, it’s time to verify candidates’ work history and ensure legal compliance. This step helps establish trust and safeguards your company from potential risks before bringing new talent on board.

Checking Work History and References

Start by confirming job titles, employment dates, and responsibilities listed on the candidate’s resume. When reaching out to previous employers, ask targeted questions about the candidate’s technical skills, dependability, and ability to meet deadlines.

Reference calls can provide insights that go beyond what a resume reveals. Ask former managers about the candidate’s problem-solving methods, how they managed difficult projects, and their communication style, especially when working with international teams. Be mindful of any hesitation or vague answers during these calls, as they might signal red flags.

For freelance candidates, request client testimonials or project portfolios. Many Vietnamese developers have established strong reputations on global platforms, so look for patterns of consistent positive feedback across multiple projects.

If language barriers arise during reference calls, consider following up via email to ensure clarity.

For senior developers, take time to verify their portfolios. Ask them to explain specific projects they’ve worked on, detailing their role, the technologies used, and the challenges they faced. Developers who have genuinely contributed to projects can discuss their decisions and trade-offs in depth, while those exaggerating their experience may struggle to provide specifics.

Meeting Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Once work history checks are complete, shift your focus to legal and compliance matters.

Criminal background checks typically take 5-10 business days and are especially important for roles involving sensitive data or financial systems. Make sure candidates meet local labor law requirements for work authorization.

Contract compliance is another critical area. Employment agreements should clearly outline work hours, intellectual property ownership, confidentiality clauses, and termination procedures. Since hiring across US and Vietnamese jurisdictions can be complex, consult legal experts to navigate the specifics of both countries’ labor laws.

Data protection is essential when hiring developers who will handle customer information or proprietary systems. Ensure candidates are familiar with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, or any others relevant to your business.

Clarify employment status - whether the developer will work as a contractor or an employee. This distinction affects taxes, benefits, and other legal obligations. Many companies rely on international payroll services to simplify these processes.

Intellectual property (IP) protection should be addressed upfront. Employment contracts must specify that all work products, including source code and patents, belong to your company. Clear confidentiality agreements are also crucial to safeguard proprietary information.

Insurance and liability considerations may require additional coverage for remote international workers. Check with your insurance provider to address potential gaps, particularly for professional liability and cybersecurity incidents.

The legal framework for hiring remote international talent is constantly evolving. Stay informed about changes that could impact your practices, and consult with legal professionals familiar with US-Vietnam employment law to maintain compliance as your remote team expands.

Step 6: Onboard and Integrate Remote Developers

After completing the vetting process, the next step is to ensure a smooth onboarding experience for your remote team in Vietnam. This phase is crucial for aligning your new developers with your engineering team’s workflows and culture.

Managing Time Zone Differences and Communication

Vietnam operates 12–15 hours ahead of US time zones, which can make real-time collaboration tricky without proper planning. To bridge this gap, it’s important to establish a clear strategy for communication and scheduling.

Set up core overlap hours, such as 7–9 AM EST or 6–8 AM PST, to create windows where both teams can connect in real time. Use these periods for synchronous activities like standups, sprint planning, or urgent discussions. Keep these meetings concise and focused to respect everyone’s time.

Outside of these overlap hours, rely heavily on asynchronous communication. Encourage daily written updates from Vietnamese developers, summarizing their progress, blockers, and next steps. US team members can then provide feedback, reviews, or guidance by the end of their workday, ensuring Vietnamese developers have clear directions when they start their next shift.

Strong documentation practices are essential when real-time interactions are limited. Use detailed commit messages, pull request templates, and centralized documentation to keep everyone on the same page. Vietnamese developers are often highly skilled in documentation, so take advantage of this strength to enhance knowledge sharing across the team.

Establish emergency communication protocols early on. Define what constitutes an after-hours issue and provide multiple channels, like Slack, WhatsApp, or phone numbers, for urgent matters that can’t wait until the next business day.

To maintain fairness, consider rotating meeting times. Occasionally schedule calls during US evening hours so Vietnamese developers aren’t always required to join early morning meetings. This small adjustment shows respect for their work-life balance and fosters a more collaborative environment.

These strategies for managing time zones and communication naturally tie into your choice of project management tools.

Setting Up Project Management Tools for Team Integration

Once you’ve aligned communication schedules, the next step is to implement tools that streamline collaboration and workflow management. The right tools can help bridge the distance between teams and keep projects on track.

• Jira: Use Jira as your central hub for managing tasks. Customize it for distributed teams by creating detailed user stories with acceptance criteria, mockups, and technical diagrams. Add labels for priority and dependencies so Vietnamese developers can start tasks without waiting for clarifications.

• Slack: Treat Slack as your virtual office. Organize channels by project, announcements, and team-building activities. Use threaded conversations to keep discussions organized, enabling Vietnamese developers to catch up on updates when they log in.

• GitHub/GitLab: Adjust workflows to suit distributed teams. Use pull request templates that require clear descriptions, testing steps, and deployment notes. Automated testing pipelines can also provide immediate feedback, reducing delays in code reviews.

• Confluence: Maintain a centralized knowledge base. Create onboarding guides tailored to Vietnamese developers, covering company processes, coding standards, and team expectations. Keep technical documentation up to date for quick reference when live support isn’t available.

• Calendar Tools: Use platforms like Google Calendar or Outlook to manage schedules across time zones. Shared calendars showing US and Vietnamese business hours, holidays, and planned time off help everyone stay aligned.

• Screen Recording Tools: Tools like Loom are invaluable for asynchronous learning. US developers can record walkthroughs, architecture overviews, or debugging sessions, allowing Vietnamese developers to review them at their own pace.

• Status Dashboards: Implement simple tools to display team members’ availability and focus areas. This transparency helps build trust and keeps everyone informed about who’s working on what.

The success of these tools depends more on how consistently they’re used than on the tools themselves. Stick to platforms your team is already comfortable with and adapt workflows to support asynchronous collaboration. This approach ensures both US and Vietnamese teams can work effectively, despite the time difference.

Step 7: Track Performance and Give Regular Feedback

Once onboarding and integration are complete, the next step is to keep an eye on performance to ensure your team’s long-term success. Implement an outcome-focused KPI system to monitor progress effectively. Studies have shown that setting measurable goals can increase achievement by 33%. For remote teams working across various time zones, tracking measurable outcomes ensures that everyone’s efforts remain aligned with your business objectives.

Setting Clear Performance Metrics for Remote Engineers

When evaluating remote engineers, focus on metrics that reflect the actual value of their work rather than superficial measures like lines of code. Here are some key areas to consider:

• Code Quality: Look at metrics like test coverage percentages and defect rates. These indicators help assess how reliable and maintainable the code is.

• Delivery Performance: Track sprint velocity, cycle time (how long it takes to complete tasks), and consistency in meeting project deadlines. These metrics give you a clear picture of productivity and timeliness.

• Communication & Customer Impact: Evaluate how effectively team members communicate updates and how their work impacts user satisfaction. This includes monitoring user feedback and system performance to ensure the team is building features that truly benefit customers.

Here’s a quick breakdown of these metrics:

Conclusion: Building a Strong Remote Team in Vietnam

Using a structured 7-step vetting process transforms the challenges of remote hiring in Vietnam into a practical advantage for US-based engineering teams. By setting clear requirements, conducting technical assessments, and providing ongoing feedback, companies can create a solid foundation for high-quality work while managing costs effectively. The steps outlined earlier directly contribute to stronger team performance and measurable results.

This multi-step approach has proven its value, with a 92% engagement success rate and 43% cost savings. These numbers highlight that thorough vetting isn’t just about avoiding risks - it’s about assembling high-performing teams that drive real business outcomes.

As emphasized in the performance tracking stage, having clear metrics and consistent feedback is essential for long-term success. With the right framework, challenges become manageable. Combining technical evaluations, communication assessments, and compatibility checks ensures that remote developers can align smoothly with US work styles and expectations.

The effort invested in proper vetting delivers lasting rewards. Teams that adopt these thorough evaluation methods report better retention rates, faster project delivery, and the capacity to scale engineering resources with confidence. When clear goals and regular feedback are part of the process, remote developers in Vietnam can seamlessly become integral to your engineering team.

The long-term advantages - cost savings, access to exceptional talent, and steady growth - make this systematic approach a must for US engineering organizations aiming to expand their capabilities in 2025 and beyond.

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