Local Demographics in Ho Chi Minh City

Good to Know

• Official government registration data (8.9M as of 2023) drastically undercounts actual residents. Real population including unregistered migrants, long-term tourists, and digital nomads is estimated 13–14 million.
• Work permit holders (27,000 as of 2023) represent only a fraction of foreign residents; many operate on tourist visas, business visas, or 90-day e-visas renewed periodically, so true foreign population far exceeds registered work numbers.
• More than 200,000 foreign residents make HCMC their long-term home—three times the number in Hanoi—per 2025 reporting, evidence of sustained expat attraction despite official registration gaps.
• Thao Dien district is the primary expat hub within the city, with international schools, modern infrastructure, and highest concentration of foreign families and remote workers.
• Over 80% of foreigners who stay in Vietnam longer than 24 months choose HCMC as their base (Move to Asia data).
• HCMC is Vietnam's venture capital and startup epicenter, accounting for 44% of national startup investment and home to two unicorns (MoMo, Sky Mavis); major tech players (Google, Apple, Intel, Qualcomm) now have operations here.
• Korean and Japanese expats form significant communities in District 7 (Phu My Hung); these neighborhoods are notably more planned, quiet, and gated-community-oriented than central districts.