---
title: "Hai Phong vs Ho Chi Minh City for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hai-phong-vs-ho-chi-minh-city
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 79 | 91 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Safety | 68 | 68 | tie |
| Healthcare | 69 | 69 | tie |
| Internet | 60 | 65 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Visa ease | 35 | 35 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 17 | 24 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Climate | 58 | 33 | Hai Phong |
| Air quality | 48 | 59 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $900 | $716 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $672 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.9 | 1.9 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.7 | 67.7 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 | 71 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 74.3 yrs | 74.3 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18.9 Mbps | 26.2 Mbps | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Upload | 17.8 Mbps | 22.2 Mbps | Ho Chi Minh City |

## Visa

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 45 days | 45 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 45 days | 45 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 | 94 | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Hai Phong |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Hai Phong | Ho Chi Minh City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 4 | Hai Phong |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 28.2 µg/m³ | 23.5 µg/m³ | Ho Chi Minh City |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Hai Phong](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hai-phong) · [Ho Chi Minh City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ho-chi-minh-city). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hai-phong-vs-ho-chi-minh-city
