Tesla has already begun recruiting in Vietnam, and a recruiter stated that the company is now "officially entering" the country. The five positions currently open include Sales Manager, Service Manager, and Charging Project Developer.

This will be a market that is not easy to enter. Vietnamese domestic pure electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast has sold about 36% of new vehicles this year, exceeding the total of its top five competitors combined.

From shell companies to recruitment information

Tesla quietly registered Tesla Motors Vietnam LLC in Ho Chi Minh City on September 11, with a registered capital of approximately 77.7 billion Vietnamese dong, which is about 3 million US dollars. Its business scope includes automobile import, wholesale, and retail. Tesla did not issue any comments at that time.

Now, the first confirmation from within the company has emerged. Ricky Ip, who is in charge of Tesla's recruitment, posted on X this morning saying:

These five positions are Sales Manager, Service Manager, Human Resources Business Partner, Purchasing Manager, and Charging Project Developer. The last position is quite telling. Unless there is a plan to build super charging stations locally, there will be no need to hire someone specifically for developing charging projects.

Tesla has also followed a similar path in Southeast Asia before. The company conducted a large-scale recruitment drive in Thailand in September 2022 and opened orders three months later; it then began recruiting in the Philippines in September 2024 and launched its business at the beginning of 2025. Therefore, it would not be surprising if Tesla enters Vietnam in the coming months as well.

VinFast Dominates the Vietnamese Market

Tesla is not entering a blank market, but rather the home ground of VinFast.

In the first nine months of 2026, VinFast delivered 177,697 vehicles in Vietnam, while the total national sales volume was approximately 495,000 vehicles. Based on this metric, VinFast accounts for about 36% of the entire automobile market, including fuel-powered vehicles. In September alone, VinFast's market share reached 37.7%.

As of this year, the sales volumes of various brands compared to the same period last year are as follows:

• VinFast: 177,697 units
• Toyota: 53,978 units
• Hyundai: 35,412 units
• Mitsubishi: 31,932 units
• Ford: 30,353 units
• Kia: 23,461 units

The total sales of Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford, and Kia add up to 175,136 units, which is still less than that of VinFast alone.

Moreover, VinFast has already surpassed its annual sales target for 2025 with just one quarter left to go. VinFast indicates that September was its 25th consecutive month as the best-selling car brand in Vietnam.

The vehicle model structure also reflects the characteristics of this market. The VinFast VF 3 is a small, two-door electric crossover that starts at less than $13,000, and it is currently the best-selling model in Vietnam this year. In September, the top five best-sellers were all occupied by the VinFast model.

Local Advantages

VinFast produces cars for coastal defense. Tesla, on the other hand, is forced to import all its vehicles, which most likely come from its Shanghai Gigafactory. Meanwhile, Vietnam continues to include passenger cars in its high-tariff list under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement framework.

Charging infrastructure is also a significant gap. VinFast's affiliated company, V-Green, operates the dominant charging network in Vietnam and announced this year plans to invest approximately $380 million in building 99 ultra-fast charging stations. In contrast, third-party charging networks in Vietnam are still sparse.

However, Tesla also has a favorable factor. Vietnam has just extended the policy of reducing registration fees for pure electric vehicles until the end of 2030, and this policy also applies to imported electric vehicles.

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