Hai Phong vs Ho Chi Minh City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Ho Chi Minh City edges it, 56 to 55, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Hai Phong is stronger on climate; Ho Chi Minh City on cost of living, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Vietnam's northern port city, two hours from Hanoi and Ha Long
Full Hai Phong profile →Plan a trip to Hai Phong →Frenetic, entrepreneurial and cheap
Full Ho Chi Minh City profile →Plan a trip to Ho Chi Minh City →Where they differ
- Climate. Hai Phong leads on climate, 58 to 33, against Ho Chi Minh City. Comfortable months: 7 vs 4.
- Cost of living. Ho Chi Minh City leads on cost of living, 91 to 79, against Hai Phong. Monthly cost, one person: $900 vs $716.
- Air quality. Ho Chi Minh City leads on air quality, 59 to 48, against Hai Phong. PM2.5: 28.2 µg/m³ vs 23.5 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Hai Phong if you want
- a longer comfortable season (7 months against 4)
Pick Ho Chi Minh City if you want
- to spend about $184 less a month
- faster internet (26.2 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 79 | 91 ✓ |
| Safety | 68 | 68 |
| Healthcare | 69 | 69 |
| Internet | 60 | 65 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 35 | 35 |
| Getting there & around | 17 | 24 ✓ |
| Climate | 58 ✓ | 33 |
| Air quality | 48 | 59 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 |
Cost
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $900 | $716 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $672 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.7 | 67.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 | 71 |
| Life expectancy | 74.3 yrs | 74.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.9 Mbps | 26.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 17.8 Mbps | 22.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | 45 days | 45 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 45 days | 45 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 | 94 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 ✓ | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 28.2 µg/m³ | 23.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City?
- Ho Chi Minh City is cheaper: about $716 per month versus $900 for one person.
- Is Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City safer?
- Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City score the same on safety (68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City?
- Ho Chi Minh City: a measured median of 26.2 Mbps versus 18.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Hai Phong vs Ninh Binh
- Hai Phong vs Hanoi
- Ho Chi Minh City vs Pristina
- Ho Chi Minh City vs Ninh Binh
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.