Fresh Graduate Job Checklist for Vietnam: From CV to Your First Payslip
Ezlun Team9 min read
What should a fresh graduate in Vietnam prepare before starting work? Four things, in order: a CV that puts your studies, projects and activities in place of work experience; interview practice; a clear understanding of your first offer, especially gross versus net pay; and the basics of tax and social insurance once you start.
This checklist walks through each stage, with a free Ezlun tool and a detailed guide for every step.
A four-stage roadmap for your first job
The roadmap runs from the start of your job search to your first month's pay. Treat the order as a guide; some fields move faster or slower.
Stage | Goal | Main tasks | Ezlun tools |
|---|---|---|---|
1. CV | A tidy CV that fits your field | Pick a template, write education, projects and activities; check it before applying | CV Builder, CV Checker |
2. Interviews | Confidence with common questions | Practice role-specific questions, prepare your self-introduction | Interview Questions |
3. Offer | Know what you will actually take home | Convert gross to net, read every item in the offer | Salary Calculator |
4. Starting work | Understand tax and insurance basics | Read the deductions on your payslip, register dependants if you have any | PIT Calculator, Unemployment Insurance |
For the full set of documents you need when applying, the job application documents checklist goes into detail.
Stage 1: Write a CV with no work experience
A fresh graduate CV should lead with education, course projects, internships and extracurricular activities, because that is the evidence you have. One page is enough.
A suggested order for a one-page CV:
Contact details: full name, phone number, a professional email address, LinkedIn or portfolio link if you have one.
Career objective: two or three sentences on the role you want and the strengths that relate to it.
Education: university, major, graduation year; GPA if it is strong; courses relevant to the role.
Projects and internships: for each one, what you did, which tools you used and what came out of it.
Activities and skills: clubs, volunteering, languages and relevant certificates.
Ezlun's CV Builder has 23 templates, including Fresh Graduate, an education-first layout made for people starting out. Previewing is free. Downloading the PDF requires signing in and uses 7 energy, and you get 15 free energy every day.
The guide on how to choose a resume template helps you pick one for your field. For examples of each section when you have no experience, read how to write a CV for fresh graduates. Once it is written, run it through CV Checker to get scored against your field's criteria before you apply.
Stage 2: Practice for interviews
Graduates are usually asked about themselves, why they chose their field, a project they worked on and how they would handle a situation. Practicing these in advance helps you answer briefly and with concrete examples.
With Ezlun's Interview Questions:
Choose the role you are about to apply for.
Read each question and answer it out loud before looking at the hints.
Compare your answer with the answer framework and add real examples from your projects or internships.
Start by choosing the right role, so the questions match the job you are applying for.
If you already have an interview booked, the plan to prepare for an interview in 7 days splits the work by day. The guide to practicing interview questions by job role explains the question bank in more detail.
Stage 3: Understand your first offer
The figure in an offer is usually gross salary, meaning pay before insurance and tax. What lands in your bank account each month is net salary, which is always lower.
Using the Salary Calculator's method (region I, no dependants, insurance paid on the full salary):
Gross salary | Employee insurance (10.5%) | Personal income tax | Net salary |
|---|---|---|---|
VND 10,000,000 | VND 1,050,000 | VND 0 | VND 8,950,000 |
VND 20,000,000 | VND 2,100,000 | VND 120,000 | VND 17,780,000 |
At VND 10 million, income after insurance and the VND 15.5 million personal deduction is below zero, so no tax is due. At VND 20 million, taxable income is VND 2.4 million, taxed in the 5% bracket.
Enter the gross salary and region, and the tool returns net pay with each deduction.
Three questions to ask before accepting:
Is the offer gross or net? If it does not say, ask.
What salary is insurance based on? Some employers pay insurance on a lower amount than your real salary. The Salary Calculator has a separate field for the insurance salary so you can model this case.
What is the probation pay, and how long is probation? Under the 2019 Labor Code, probation pay must be at least 85% of the official salary for the job.
The gross to net salary formula for Vietnam explains every step. If you have more than one offer, see how to compare job offers on gross and net pay fairly.
Stage 4: Tax and insurance once you start work
Once you are working, it pays to understand each deduction on your payslip so you can check it and know your rights.
Social, health and unemployment insurance: employees pay 10.5% of their insurance salary in total (8% social insurance, 1.5% health insurance, 1% unemployment insurance). Your employer pays its own share on top, and that share is not taken from your pay.
Personal income tax: calculated on a 5-bracket progressive table, on income left after insurance and deductions. If you support a dependant (for example a parent past working age with no income), you can register them for an extra deduction. The guide to personal income tax deductions in Vietnam covers who qualifies and how to register.
Unemployment insurance: the 1% you pay each month is what supports you if you lose your job later and meet the conditions. The guide to unemployment benefits eligibility in Vietnam explains how long you must contribute and how to estimate the benefit.
You can work these out yourself with Ezlun's PIT Calculator and Unemployment Insurance tools.
Common mistakes fresh graduates make
Mistake | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
Sending one CV to every job | It does not match each employer's requirements | Adjust the objective and skills for each job ad |
Looking only at the gross figure | Take-home pay is noticeably lower | Convert to net before comparing or accepting |
Not asking about the contract and insurance | You can lose benefits when you leave or fall ill | Ask about contract type and insurance salary before signing |
Memorizing sample answers | You sound scripted and struggle with follow-ups | Learn the answer framework and use your own examples |
Skipping the cover letter | You miss the chance to explain why you fit | Write a short one when the ad asks or when you are switching fields |
Limits of the tools
Salary, tax and insurance results are estimates. The tools apply the general rules; a real payslip also depends on allowances, non-taxable items and how your employer files.
Rules can change. The figures in this guide follow what the tools apply as of the last update (10/2026).
AI suggestions and answer frameworks need your input to reflect your real experience.
Legal basis: Personal Income Tax Law No. 109/2025/QH15, Decree 253/2026/ND-CP, Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 and the 2019 Labor Code (Article 26 on probation pay); updated October 2026.
Figures are for reference only; please check them against official sources. This article is not tax or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a CV with no work experience?
Replace the experience section with course projects, your thesis, internships, clubs and part-time jobs. For each item, say what you did, which skills you used and what the result was. The guide on how to write a CV for fresh graduates has concrete examples.
Do interns in Vietnam get social insurance?
It depends on what you sign. Under the Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15, people working under a labor contract of one full month or longer must be covered by compulsory social insurance. An agreement with a different name, including an internship agreement, can still be covered if you are paid and your work is managed and supervised the way it would be under a labor contract. An unpaid internship is usually not covered. Ask HR before you start.
Is probation pay taxed?
It depends on the contract. With a labor contract of 3 months or longer, probation pay is taxed on the progressive table like normal pay, and at typical graduate salaries there is often nothing to pay. With a contract under 3 months or no contract, the employer withholds 10% on payments of VND 5 million or more each time (below that, only if you ask). You can file a year-end tax finalization to get it back if your total income is low. For your own case, ask the company's accountant.
Should I accept my first offer or wait for a better one?
There is no single answer. Weigh the offer on three things: what you will learn, whether take-home pay covers your living costs, and whether the environment suits you. If you are waiting on another company, you can ask for a few extra days to reply. The guide to comparing job offers on gross and net pay helps you compare with real numbers.
Do fresh graduates need a cover letter?
Write one when the job ad asks for it, when you are applying outside your field, or when you want to explain why you fit despite limited experience. Keep it short and tie it to the requirements in the ad. The guide on how to write a cover letter from a job description walks you through it.
Summary
A fresh graduate job search checklist for Vietnam comes down to four stages: a CV that highlights your studies and projects, interview practice by role, converting your offer to net pay before you decide, and understanding the tax and insurance lines on your payslip. Follow the order and you avoid most surprises in your first month at work.
Start now with Ezlun's CV Builder and the Fresh Graduate template, designed for people starting their careers.
