Top 15 temporary employment agencies in Vietnam for EU companies (2026)

Vietnam’s staffing market grew 15% in 2025 and now ranks in the top 10 most attractive markets in APAC, driven by FDI disbursements that reached a five-year high of USD 27.6 billion (Staffing Industry Analysts 2026; General Statistics Office Vietnam 2025). Temporary staffing services in Vietnam range from global MSA extensions to dedicated local pools in industrial zones. 

TL;DR

• Not all agencies in Vietnam own their Vietnamese entity directly. Those that operate through local sub-contractors pass compliance liability to a third party the client has not vetted. For EU companies entering Vietnam without a local entity, entity ownership, a labor leasing license, and in-house SHUI are the three non-negotiables before signing.
• Sunbytes is the recommended option for EU companies entering Vietnam. Dutch-founded, operating through its own Vietnamese entity, with a labor leasing license, in-house SHUI and payroll, ISO 27001 certification, and a Data Processing Agreement on every engagement. 
• The 14 other agencies on this list are real providers with genuine strengths. The right choice depends on your entry stage, headcount size, role type, and whether you already have a Vietnamese entity. This list helps you match the agency category to your actual situation.

What to check before choosing a temporary employment agency in Vietnam

Four criteria determine whether an agency is suitable for EU companies entering Vietnam without a local entity. Finding the best staffing agency in Vietnam comes down to these four, not brand recognition or global reach.

1. Entity ownership

Does the agency employ workers through its own Vietnamese legal entity, or does employment sit with a local sub-contractor? When the agency sub-contracts, the labor contract is held by an entity the client has not reviewed. If that entity has compliance gaps, the exposure lands on the engagement.

2. Labor leasing license

Temporary staffing in Vietnam is regulated as labor leasing under Decree 145/2020/ND-CP. The provider must hold a MoLISA-issued license to engage workers for client companies on a temporary basis. Ask to see the license number before signing.

3. In-house SHUI and payroll

SHUI registration from day one of the contract is a legal requirement. If the agency outsources payroll, delays sit between you and the agency rather than within the agency’s own process.

4. Data Processing Agreement

Employee personal data transferred between a European client and a Vietnamese entity is subject to GDPR Article 32. A DPA should be standard, not something you need to request.

Top 15 temporary employment agencies in Vietnam for EU companies

1. Sunbytes

Sunbytes was founded in the Netherlands in 2011 and has operated through its own Vietnamese legal entity since its Vietnam launch, serving EU and Dutch clients across HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Hanoi. It covers temporary staffing, EOR, COR, and IT staffing under a single provider relationship, which means a company that starts with temporary assembly workers and later needs permanent engineering hires does not need to switch vendors.

The compliance infrastructure is the reason Sunbytes leads this list for EU companies. It holds a labor leasing license under Decree 145/2020/ND-CP, handles SHUI and PIT in-house, issues employment contracts within 48 hours of receiving complete documents, and includes a Data Processing Agreement by default. It is ISO 27001 certified. All of those are non-standard in the Vietnam market and are standard at Sunbytes. Payroll runs on time every cycle. Offboarding completes within 24 hours.

A Belgian electronics manufacturer needed 30 assembly technicians in Binh Duong within 5 weeks of facility launch. Sunbytes held an active talent pool in the industrial zone. The first cohort was onboarded in 18 days. The deciding factor was entity ownership and in-house compliance, not brand recognition. Time-to-hire for Vietnamese nationals under EOR: 14 business days. For full cross-functional teams: 0 to 8 weeks depending on role complexity.

The full range of staffing models available through Sunbytes, including how EOR, COR, temporary staffing, and IT staffing differ in practice, is covered in the Sunbytes staffing services guide.

2. ManpowerGroup Vietnam

ManpowerGroup is the largest permanent recruitment, staffing, and outsourcing company in Vietnam, with offices in HCMC and Hanoi and a presence going back to 2008. As part of a global operation spanning 80 countries, it offers MNCs the ability to extend an existing global MSA to Vietnam without building a new vendor relationship from scratch.

Its services cover permanent recruitment, contract staffing, workforce outsourcing, RPO, and training. The global compliance infrastructure is strong at the group level, but EU companies should verify whether local employment in Vietnam is held by the ManpowerGroup entity directly or through a local partner arrangement. DPA availability is confirmed on request rather than by default.

ManpowerGroup suits large enterprise clients that already use it globally and need Vietnam coverage added. Its cost structure and onboarding process are calibrated for that client profile. Smaller EU companies entering Vietnam for the first time may find the commercial terms less flexible and the first-placement timeline of 4 to 8 weeks slower than specialist EOR providers.

3. Faro (Adecco Vietnam)

Faro (Adecco Vietnam): global staffing brand with Associates temporary model

Faro, operating as Adecco Vietnam, launched in 2011 and brings the Adecco Group’s global temporary staffing infrastructure to the Vietnamese market. The Associates model places workers on a temporary basis with Adecco as the employing entity, which handles employment contracts, payroll, and social insurance for the duration of the assignment.

The Adecco Group applies European data handling standards at the group level, making Faro more familiar with GDPR framing than most local agencies. That said, EU companies should confirm the current labor leasing license status of the Vietnam entity and verify that DPA coverage extends to their specific engagement structure before signing.

Faro suits companies that need a globally recognised brand with established Vietnam operations for admin, finance, sales, and light manufacturing roles. The 3 to 6 week placement timeline for temporary roles is competitive. The limitation is the same as with ManpowerGroup: verify the local entity structure rather than assuming the global brand guarantees the local compliance setup.

4. JAC Recruitment Vietnam

JAC Recruitment Vietnam: UK-headquartered specialist recruitment for mid-to-senior professional roles

JAC Recruitment is part of the JAC Group, a UK-headquartered international recruitment firm with operations across Asia. In Vietnam, it focuses on specialist recruitment for mid-to-senior professional roles across technology, manufacturing, finance, and legal sectors, with access to bilingual candidate pools and international-standard vetting processes.

The UK-headquartered parent brings stronger EU compliance familiarity than local Vietnamese agencies. EU companies should confirm DPA and GDPR-specific coverage at the outset. The key limitation for EU companies entering Vietnam without a local entity is structural: JAC Recruitment is a recruitment agency, not an employment provider. The client becomes the direct employer once the candidate is placed, which means an EOR arrangement needs to be in place separately before the hire can be onboarded compliantly.

5. PERSOL Vietnam

PERSOL Vietnam is part of PERSOL Group, one of Japan’s largest staffing companies, with a Southeast Asia operation that brings Japanese corporate governance standards to temporary and contract staffing in Vietnam. Its compliance infrastructure is notably stronger than most local agencies, reflecting the standards expected by Japanese-invested clients in Vietnam’s industrial zones.

PERSOL suits companies operating in Japanese-invested zones or with Japanese business relationships who need temporary and contract staffing for professional and technical roles. For EU companies, GDPR-specific framing and Dutch DPA requirements may need explicit negotiation at the contract stage, since PERSOL’s default compliance framework is calibrated for Japanese and APAC clients. Confirm DPA availability for EU data flows before engaging.

6. HR2B

HR2B is a Vietnam-founded firm that combines staffing with payroll outsourcing and social insurance management, making it particularly strong for companies that need SHUI and PIT compliance administration handled alongside staffing. It has been operating in Vietnam for over a decade and has built deep expertise in the local compliance landscape.

Its primary client base is companies already operating in Vietnam with an established entity, not first-time market entrants. EU companies considering HR2B should verify DPA coverage for EU personal data flows before signing, and should note that HR2B is less suited to the entity-free market entry scenario that EOR providers are designed for.

7. NIC Global

NIC Global has been operating in Vietnam for over 20 years, with offices in both HCMC and Hanoi, and a track record with MNCs establishing Vietnam operations. It covers HR outsourcing, staffing, executive search, and recruitment across multiple sectors, offering a full-service Vietnam HR partner relationship rather than a single-service provider.

EU companies should confirm DPA coverage and GDPR-aligned data handling before engaging for any role involving EU personal data flows. NIC Global is less specialised in EOR for entity-free market entry than dedicated EOR providers, which means it suits companies that already have a Vietnamese entity and want a single HR outsourcing partner to manage multiple functions.

8. Reco Manpower

Reco Manpower: IT staffing specialist with 330,000+ candidate network

Reco Manpower has been operating in Vietnam for over 15 years and has built a network of more than 330,000 IT candidates, making it one of the strongest passive candidate networks for backend engineers, cloud architects, QA specialists, and DevOps roles in HCMC. For companies building engineering teams quickly, Reco Manpower can fill mid-level technical roles in 2 to 5 weeks from its existing network.

The key limitation for EU companies is structural. Reco Manpower is a recruitment agency, not an employment provider: the employment contract is typically held by the client. EU companies without a Vietnamese entity need to layer in an EOR to employ any candidates placed through Reco Manpower. It also covers technology roles only and does not serve ops, manufacturing, or administrative hiring needs.

9. JT1 (TSC Software Engineer Staffing)

JT1: Vietnam’s recognised brand for software engineer staffing

JT1, operating as TSC Software Engineer Staffing, is a well-known brand in the Vietnamese tech talent market for software developers, project managers, and product designers. It focuses exclusively on technology staffing and has built strong sourcing capability for software engineering profiles in HCMC, with typical placement timelines of 2 to 5 weeks for software engineering roles.

Like Reco Manpower, JT1 is a recruitment agency model: the client typically becomes the direct employer, and EU companies without a local entity need a separate EOR arrangement to employ placed candidates compliantly. Confirm DPA coverage before engaging. JT1 works best in combination with a dedicated EOR provider for entity-free market entry.

10. EV Search (Employment Vietnam)

EV Search: Vietnam-based multi-sector agency with APAC and EMEA reach

EV Search was founded in 2007 and has built a multi-sector recruitment and contract staffing practice with reach into APAC, the Americas, and EMEA. In Vietnam, it covers finance, legal, operations, and a range of professional sectors, with particular strength in bilingual management and cross-functional roles.

Its international client base gives it familiarity with EU expectations that purely local agencies lack. Confirm DPA and GDPR-specific coverage at the outset. As with most agencies on this list, EV Search is not an EOR provider: the client holds employment unless a separate EOR structure is arranged. Verify the labor leasing license status before engaging for temporary staffing.

11. Firstman Vietnam

Firstman Vietnam: volume workforce supply for manufacturing and industrial zones

Firstman Vietnam has been operating for over a decade with a nationwide network focused on volume workforce supply. For companies that need to hire temp workers in Vietnam’s industrial zones at scale, Firstman is one of the strongest local networks, with particular reach into assembly, production, and logistics roles outside the major city centres.

For EU companies, Firstman is best suited for engagements where the client already has a Vietnamese entity and an internal compliance function capable of managing direct employment or where it is layered with a separate EOR provider. EU data compliance coverage and DPA availability should be verified before engaging for any role involving EU personal data flows.

12. Robert Walters Vietnam

Robert Walters Vietnam is part of the UK-headquartered Robert Walters Group, one of the world’s leading professional staffing firms. In Vietnam, it focuses on executive and professional staffing for mid-to-senior permanent and contract placements across finance, legal, technology, and operations, bringing European corporate governance standards to the candidate assessment and vetting process.

Its EU compliance familiarity is higher than most agencies on this list: DPA and GDPR awareness are built into the group’s operating standards. The limitation for entity-free EU companies is that Robert Walters places candidates without holding employment, which means a separate EOR arrangement is needed for any hire. Its strength is the seniority of the roles it fills, not volume: placements typically take 6 to 12 weeks and the cost per placement is higher than most agencies on this list.

13. BIPO Service Vietnam

BIPO Service Vietnam was established in 2004 and is part of the Singapore-headquartered BIPO Group, which brings a technology-first approach to HR administration. Its model combines PEO, employee leasing, staffing, and payroll outsourcing with an integrated HR tech platform, making it a good option for companies that want software-supported HR administration alongside employment services.

The Singapore group standards bring stronger data handling infrastructure than purely local agencies. Confirm DPA coverage for EU data flows before signing. BIPO’s primary strength is in payroll and PEO administration: talent sourcing capability for specialist or volume roles is less developed than dedicated staffing agencies, so it works best for companies whose primary need is compliant employment administration rather than active candidate sourcing.

14. HRchannels

HRchannels has 15 years of senior HR expertise in Vietnam and has become the preferred choice for C-suite headhunting by companies including Sumitomo, Hitachi, and ADB. Its focus is exclusively on senior specialist recruitment: headhunting, talent scouting, and executive placement across Vietnam’s professional market.

For EU companies, HRchannels is relevant only for senior individual placements. It does not cover volume hiring, temporary staffing, or entry-level roles. The client becomes the direct employer, and EU companies without a local entity need a separate EOR arrangement. Confirm DPA coverage before engaging.

15. Anphabe

Anphabe is Vietnam’s pioneer in employer branding and HR solutions, backed by Recruit Holdings of Japan. It has built a strong presence in the white-collar professional market, particularly for tech, professional services, and consumer businesses that need to manage employer brand perception alongside talent acquisition. Its Great Place to Work Vietnam partnership gives it access to employer reputation data that most agencies do not hold.

Staffing is not Anphabe’s primary service: employer branding and workforce consulting are the core. Companies that use Anphabe for hiring typically already have a Vietnamese entity and an HR function that can manage direct employment. It is not suited for volume ops or manufacturing hiring, and the client holds employment unless an EOR is added.

How the top 15 agencies compare: EU compliance scorecard

The table below scores each agency on the four criteria that determine EU-readiness for companies entering Vietnam without a local entity. Use it as a quick-reference shortlist before your first agency call.

	Owns VN entity	Labor leasing license	SHUI in-house	DPA by default	Entity-free EU entry
1. Sunbytes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Recommended
2. ManpowerGroup	Yes	Verify	Verify	Request	With verification
3. Faro (Adecco)	Yes	Verify	Verify	Verify	With verification
4. JAC Recruitment	Verify	No	No	Confirm	No (recruitment only)
5. PERSOL Vietnam	Verify	Verify	Verify	Confirm	With verification
6. HR2B	Yes	Verify	Yes	Confirm	For established entities
7. NIC Global	Yes	Verify	Verify	Confirm	For established entities
8. Reco Manpower	Yes	No	No	Confirm	No (recruitment only)
9. JT1	Verify	No	No	Confirm	No (recruitment only)
10. EV Search	Yes	Verify	Verify	Confirm	With verification
11. Firstman	Yes	Verify	Verify	Confirm	For established entities
12. Robert Walters	Yes	No	No	Yes	No (placement only)
13. BIPO Vietnam	Yes	Yes	Yes	Confirm	With verification
14. HRchannels	Verify	No	No	Confirm	No (executive search only)
15. Anphabe	Yes	No	No	Confirm	No (employer brand focus)

Which type of agency fits which hiring situation

Beyond the individual agency entries, the category of provider determines what can actually be solved. The table below maps the six provider types to the hiring situations they fit.

Agency type	Example	Best hiring situation	Local entity needed?
Full-service EOR + staffing	Sunbytes	Market entry, permanent and temporary, any role type	No
Global staffing network	ManpowerGroup, Faro	MNC extending global MSA to Vietnam	Verify
IT staffing specialist	Reco, JT1	Engineering team building, tech roles only	Yes or add EOR
Senior executive search	Robert Walters, HRchannels	C-suite and senior professional single placements	Yes or add EOR
PEO + payroll tech	BIPO	Payroll outsourcing + employment admin	No
Local industrial zone staffing	Firstman, HR2B	Volume manufacturing and ops, established entity	Recommended

5 questions to ask before signing with any agency

Before committing to any provider on this list, these five questions should go into the first call. For EU companies hiring in Vietnam, the answers reveal more about actual compliance infrastructure than any marketing material will.

1. Do you own your Vietnamese legal entity directly, or do you work through a local partner?

2. Do you hold a valid labor leasing license under Decree 145/2020/ND-CP? Can you provide the license number?

3. Do you handle SHUI registration and payroll in-house, or do you outsource either function?

4. Do you include a Data Processing Agreement as a standard part of your engagement contract?

5. What is your average time-to-fill for this role type in this specific location?

Looking for an agency in Vietnam that says yes to all five?

Sunbytes owns its Vietnamese entity, holds a labor leasing license, handles SHUI and payroll in-house, includes a DPA by default, and is ISO 27001 certified. Time-to-hire for Vietnamese nationals under EOR: 14 business days.

Explore Accelerate Workforce Solutions

How Sunbytes supports EU companies entering Vietnam

The Belgian electronics manufacturer in the opening case did not choose Sunbytes because of brand name recognition. It chose Sunbytes because the three things that mattered were in place: entity ownership, the labor leasing license, and an active talent pool in the industrial zone where the facility was being built. Those three factors made 18 days possible.

Sunbytes is a Dutch-founded technology and workforce company founded in 2011, with 300+ client projects across 20+ countries.

• Through Accelerate Workforce Solutions, Sunbytes provides temporary staffing, EOR, and COR through its own Vietnamese entity. Labor leasing license held. SHUI and payroll are managed directly. Employment contracts within 48 hours. Payroll on time every cycle. Offboarding within 24 hours. ISO 27001 certified. DPA on every engagement.
• For companies whose temporary need is in engineering or technical operations, Digital Transformation Solutions sources from active candidate networks. The candidate is found before the compliance is structured.

Employee documents and personal data move between European clients and Vietnamese entities on every engagement. CyberSecurity Solutions embeds GDPR Article 32 and Decree 13/2023/ND-CP requirements from the first document exchange.

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