Guide for Vietnamese People Who Want to Work in Japan: Common Jobs, Areas, and Life Preparation

Last updated: June 2026

Vietnamese workers are one of the largest groups among foreign workers in Japan.

According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 681,100 Vietnamese nationals were living in Japan at the end of 2025. This was the second-largest foreign nationality group after China, and the number increased by 46,739 from the end of the previous year.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s foreign employment notification data, there were 605,906 Vietnamese workers in Japan as of the end of October 2025. Vietnamese workers were the largest group by nationality and accounted for 23.6% of all foreign workers in Japan.

This article summarizes common jobs, areas where many Vietnamese people live, points to check before coming to Japan, and official information available in Vietnamese for people who want to work in Japan.

Common jobs for Vietnamese people in Japan

The largest employment field for Vietnamese workers is manufacturing. Common jobs include factory work, food processing, automotive parts, machinery, metals, electronic components, inspection, assembly, and packaging.

Other major fields include services, construction, wholesale and retail, accommodation and food services, and medical and welfare work.

Field	Vietnamese workers	Share	Examples of jobs
Manufacturing	226,914	37.5%	Food processing, machinery, metals, automotive parts, inspection, assembly, packaging
Services	76,124	12.6%	Staffing, contract work, cleaning, factory-related services, logistics support
Construction	74,471	12.3%	Construction sites, interior work, equipment, construction support
Wholesale and retail	71,623	11.8%	Stores, warehouses, sales, shelf stocking, logistics
Accommodation and food services	64,039	10.6%	Restaurants, hotels, kitchens, customer service
Medical and welfare	24,820	4.1%	Care work, welfare facilities, nursing support

When choosing a job in Japan, do not decide only because many Vietnamese people work in that field. Check salary, overtime, dormitory fees, commuting time, Japanese-language support, and whether it will be easy to change jobs later.

More long-term career options are growing

In the past, Vietnamese workers in Japan were often associated with the Technical Intern Training Program. Recently, however, more people are working under statuses of residence in professional and technical fields.

As of the end of October 2025, Vietnamese workers were spread across categories such as professional and technical fields, technical intern training, and part-time or other work performed with permission outside their status of residence.

Engineering, interpretation, design, IT, office work, hotel management, care work, and Specified Skilled Worker jobs are also becoming options for building a longer career in Japan.

However, the jobs and working hours allowed depend on your status of residence. If you are unsure whether you can do a certain job, do not rely only on the company. Check with a public consultation service or a qualified specialist.

Areas where many Vietnamese people live

Areas with many Vietnamese residents often overlap with areas that have many jobs. Aichi, Osaka, Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Hyogo are especially large Vietnamese community areas.

Prefecture	Features
Aichi	Strong manufacturing base, including automobiles, parts, and machinery
Osaka	Many jobs in restaurants, services, manufacturing, and schools
Tokyo	Many jobs in IT, restaurants, schools, professional work, and services
Saitama	Many factories, logistics jobs, and work near Tokyo
Kanagawa	Manufacturing, logistics, services, and urban jobs
Chiba	Logistics, food, factories, and airport-related work
Hyogo	Manufacturing, port-related work, restaurants, and access to the Kansai area
Shizuoka	Many manufacturing, food, and automobile-related jobs
Ibaraki	Factories, agriculture, food processing, and logistics
Fukuoka	A major Kyushu hub with restaurants, services, and schools

Large cities offer more job types, but rent and living costs tend to be higher. Regional and suburban areas may be cheaper, but you may need a car depending on the location.

When choosing an area, check not only jobs but also rent, commuting, hospitals, municipal office access, Vietnamese grocery stores, local communities, and Japanese-language support.

Things to check before coming to Japan

The first thing to check before coming to Japan is your status of residence.

Technical Intern Training, Specified Skilled Worker, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Student, and Dependent statuses have different rules about what work you can do and how many hours you can work. Students need permission to engage in activities outside their status of residence, and working hours are limited.

Next, check your employment contract. Important points include the following:

Salary amount
Base salary and allowances
Overtime pay
Working hours
Days off
Dormitory fees or rent
Social insurance
Rules when leaving the job
Support provided by the company

Be careful if a company or broker asks to keep your passport or residence card for a long time. As a general rule, you should manage your important documents yourself.

Life preparation you may need soon after arrival

After arriving in Japan, you will often need housing, a phone number, internet access, a bank account, and municipal office procedures.

A phone number is especially important for bank accounts, work communication, housing contracts, and administrative procedures. If you start life in Japan using only a short-term SIM card or overseas roaming, you may have problems later.

After arrival, check the following:

Whether your place to live is decided
When you will register your address
Whether you have a phone number usable in Japan
How to prepare Wi-Fi or internet access
Whether you can open a bank account
Whether you understand health insurance and pension procedures
Where to consult if you have problems

If you want to check your own situation, you can also use these check tools:

Useful official information for Vietnamese people

Public agencies in Japan provide multilingual information for foreign residents. Some information is available in Vietnamese.

Information	What you can check
Foreign Residents Support Portal Site	Basic information for living in Japan in multiple languages
Guidebook on Living and Working	Work, housing, medical care, taxes, pension, disasters, education, and more
Specified Skilled Worker support site	System information and procedures for people working under SSW
Consultation service for foreign workers	Labor conditions, unpaid wages, contract problems, and other work issues

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare lists 0570-001-706 as a Vietnamese-language consultation number for foreign workers. Consultation days and hours may change, so check the official page before using the service.

Japanese language matters for both work and daily life

Japanese is important not only for finding a job, but also for making daily life stable.

Even in factories and construction jobs, you need to understand safety instructions. If you want to work in care, restaurants, hotels, retail, office work, or IT, stronger Japanese skills will give you more choices.

You do not need perfect Japanese from the beginning. However, it is useful to learn the following words and phrases early:

Work instructions
Safety-related words
How to contact work about a day off or being late
Words used at municipal offices
Words used at hospitals
Words that appear in contracts

If you are worried about learning Japanese, check company support, Japanese classes, online learning, and local international associations.

Points to watch when choosing a job

When choosing a job in Japan, it is important not to decide by salary alone.

Even with the same salary, the amount of money you keep can change depending on dormitory fees, food costs, transportation costs, overtime, and work location. If the job does not match your status of residence, it can also become a problem later.

Before deciding on a job, check the following:

Whether you understand the employment contract
Whether you understand salary and deductions
Whether overtime pay rules are clear
Whether dormitory fees or initial costs are too high
Whether the job matches your status of residence
Whether there is someone you can consult
Whether explanations are available in Vietnamese or easy Japanese

If you are unsure, do not decide alone. Consult a labor consultation service, support organization, or qualified specialist.

Summary

Manufacturing remains one of the largest job fields for Vietnamese people working in Japan. There are also many jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels, logistics, retail, care work, and services.

By area, many Vietnamese people live in Aichi, Osaka, Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Hyogo, making it easier to find jobs and communities. However, rent, commuting, living costs, and the Japanese level required vary by area.

To start working in Japan with fewer problems, check your status of residence, employment contract, housing, phone number, bank account, municipal office procedures, Japanese study, and consultation options early.

If you use reliable information and know where to ask for help, it becomes easier to begin work and life in Japan.