A growing pool of IT talent
Many young people in Vietnam study IT at universities and technical schools, which makes it practical to staff web, mobile and business-system projects.
Offshore Development in Vietnam
Offshore Software Development in Vietnam with a Japanese-Owned Partner and Bilingual PM/BrSE Teams
ARIS Vietnam is a 100% Japanese-owned software development company with delivery centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and an office in Tokyo.
Our PMs and bridge SEs (BrSEs) handle requirements, design, development, testing and maintenance, working in Japanese or English. We run each project under the engagement model that fits it, from a dedicated lab team to a fixed-scope contract.
100% Japanese-owned, founded 2011
Japanese-speaking PMs and BrSEs
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Tokyo
The Basics
What is offshore software development in Vietnam?
Offshore software development in Vietnam means contracting the development of a system or application to a software company or development team based in Vietnam. For Japanese and global clients, a project manager or bridge SE (BrSE) usually connects the client side with the Vietnamese engineers, and the two sides share the work from requirements through maintenance.
India, China and the Philippines are also common offshore destinations. Companies choose Vietnam mainly for its pool of IT talent, its small time difference with Japan and much of Asia, and a cost structure that differs from domestic development.
Why companies consider Vietnam
A two-hour gap with Japan
Vietnam is on UTC+7 and Japan on UTC+9, a two-hour difference. Regular meetings and specification reviews fit into the Japanese working day, and issues can usually be discussed the same day.
A different cost structure
Labor and operating costs differ from those in Japan, Europe or North America, so the same budget allows more choice in how a team is built. Compare total effort, including management and quality work, not just hourly rates.
Experience working with Japanese clients
Many Vietnamese software companies already serve Japanese clients, and the number of engineers who study Japanese or work as BrSEs keeps rising.
Watch Points
Common offshore development challenges and how we handle them
Offshore development has clear benefits, but poor process can lead to misunderstandings or uneven quality. These are the typical issues and the measures ARIS Vietnam takes.
Common challenge
Misunderstood requirements
What ARIS Vietnam does
A BrSE confirms requirements with you and documents screen mockups and acceptance criteria before development starts.
Common challenge
Low visibility into progress
What ARIS Vietnam does
Regular meetings and a shared issue tracker keep progress, open issues and risks visible.
Common challenge
Uneven quality
What ARIS Vietnam does
We write a test plan and build code review and QA testing into the development process.
Common challenge
Knowledge locked in individuals
What ARIS Vietnam does
We set rules for design documents, meeting minutes and source control so handovers have the information they need.
Engagement Models
Lab team, fixed scope, PoC or maintenance: choosing the right model
How smoothly an offshore project runs depends a great deal on choosing a contract model that fits it. Use the table below as a starting point; the right choice depends on how settled the scope is, the timeline and how you want to budget.
You can also switch models in stages, for example starting with a PoC or a small fixed-scope project and moving to a lab team once the working process is proven.
Communication
Bilingual PMs and BrSEs connect your team with our engineers in Vietnam
The most common offshore problem is misunderstanding caused by differences in language and business practice. At ARIS Vietnam, a PM or BrSE is your single point of contact, from confirming requirements to briefing the development team.
Requirements in your language
The BrSE clarifies business requirements and open questions with you in Japanese or English, then turns them into tasks the engineers can act on.
Minutes and issue tracking
We write and share meeting minutes and an issue list, so decisions and open items stay on record.
Progress reporting
We report progress and risks on a regular schedule. Frequency and format are agreed with you to suit the size of the project.
Tools you already use
Where practical, we can work in your chat, video meeting and issue tracking tools.
Quality
Quality control built into every phase, not only final testing
Final testing alone cannot guarantee quality. We add review steps at the requirements, design, implementation and testing stages.
01
Requirements and design review
Before coding starts, the PM/BrSE and engineers check the specification for gaps and contradictions.
02
Code review
Every change to the main branch is reviewed and approved by an engineer before it is merged.
03
Testing by the QA team
Functional and regression tests follow a test plan, and defects are logged and tracked until fixed.
04
Test automation
Where it pays off, we automate E2E, UI and API tests and add them to your CI/CD pipeline.
Hybrid Delivery Model: AI use agreed project by project
ARIS Vietnam runs the Hybrid Delivery Model (HDM), which combines engineers and AI agents. How much AI is used is discussed with you during requirements and contracting, then written into the statement of work (SOW).
HDM-0 · Manual
No AI agents. Engineers do all the work, for example on projects with a policy against AI use.
HDM-1 · Assisted
AI is used in limited areas, such as code scaffolding and test cases, and engineers review the output.
HDM-2 · Accelerated
AI is used more widely, under supervision and review, on migrations and work with many repetitive tasks.
At every level, merges to the main branch are approved by ARIS Vietnam engineers.
Read the Hybrid Delivery Model announcementCost
Four factors that shape an offshore development estimate
Costs vary widely with project content and team setup, so this page does not list prices. Instead, here are the main factors that affect an estimate.
Team size and roles
Beyond the number of engineers, cost depends on which roles are included, such as PM, BrSE and QA.
Duration
The length of development, and whether maintenance and improvement continue after release, change both the total and the team shape.
Skill mix
The technology stack, required domain knowledge and the share of senior engineers all affect the estimate.
Engagement model
Lab team, fixed scope, PoC and maintenance each calculate cost differently and share risk differently.
Comparing vendors on rate alone can backfire: rework and extra management effort can raise the total cost. We recommend comparing the effort needed for quality and communication as well.
Process
Six steps from first call to delivery and maintenance
Even if this is your first offshore project, we share what needs to be confirmed at each step.
- 1
Free consultation
We listen to your system idea, challenges and timeline. Online meetings are available.
- 2
Requirements
We organize business needs and required features, and confirm how settled the scope is and what comes first.
- 3
Team and estimate proposal
We propose an engagement model, team, estimate and schedule that fit the project.
- 4
Contract (SOW)
Scope, deliverables, team and AI usage are written into the SOW before the contract is signed.
- 5
Development and regular meetings
Design, development and testing proceed while progress and issues are shared in regular meetings.
- 6
Delivery and maintenance
After acceptance testing and delivery, we can continue with maintenance, operation and new features as needed.
Why ARIS Vietnam
Why companies work with ARIS Vietnam
Our setup is designed for working with Japanese and global clients, from launching an offshore team to running the system afterwards.
100%
Japanese-owned
2011
Founded in August
3 offices
HCMC, Hanoi, Tokyo
50+
Members in 6 departments
A 100% Japanese-owned company
Founded in August 2011, ARIS Vietnam is fully Japanese-owned and works with an understanding of Japanese business practice and quality expectations.
Japanese-speaking PMs and BrSEs
PMs and BrSEs who work in Japanese handle requirements, minutes, issue tracking and progress reports. English communication is also available.
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Tokyo
Two delivery centers in Vietnam work together with our Tokyo office, so consultations in Japan are also possible.
50+ members across 6 departments
We pick members with the skills each project needs from more than 50 people in six departments.
From development to operations
One company can cover business systems, web development, testing, cloud operations and maintenance.
AI use agreed before contract
Under HDM, where AI is used and where it is not is agreed with you and written into the SOW.
What we build and run
Further Reading
Articles for each stage of your offshore decision
Practical reading for teams evaluating offshore development in Vietnam.
Offshore development: benefits, cost models and process
The basics of offshore development, how cost models work and how to avoid common failures.
Read articleHow to choose an offshore development vendor
The points to check when comparing potential vendors.
Read articleOffshore quality and QA process
QA processes and checkpoints that keep offshore quality on track.
Read articlePreventing communication gaps
Ways to avoid misunderstandings caused by language and cultural differences.
Read articleAgile offshore development
Team setup and practices for running agile projects offshore.
Read articleWhy outsource when AI can write code?
The role a development partner plays when AI can generate code.
Read articleFAQ
Questions about offshore development in Vietnam
Questions we often hear in first consultations.
Yes. Many clients begin with a PoC / MVP or a small fixed-scope project, check how the collaboration works, and then expand the team.
Yes. A PM or BrSE who works in Japanese is your main contact, and English communication is also available. Meetings, minutes, issue tracking and progress reports can all be handled in your language.
Lab-based development reserves a team for a period and adjusts priorities as you go. Fixed-scope development sets the scope, deliverables and deadline at contract time and aims to complete that scope. Whether your specification is settled is the main deciding factor.
Vietnam is two hours behind Japan (UTC+7). Working hours overlap for most of the day, so regular meetings and daily check-ins are easy to schedule.
We can sign an NDA at the consultation stage if needed. Before development starts, scope, deliverables and team are written into an SOW and agreed by both sides.
Yes. The Hybrid Delivery Model defines three levels of AI use (HDM-0/1/2), agreed with you per project. Projects with a no-AI policy are built by engineers only (HDM-0).
Yes. After reviewing the current system and how it is operated, we propose incident response, small fixes and feature additions under a maintenance / SLA model.
Talk to us about offshore development in Vietnam
We are happy to discuss early-stage ideas or a move from your current vendor. Our PMs and BrSEs can take you from requirements to a team and estimate proposal.