Vietnam startup CEOs earn less than Indonesian, Singaporean peers

The CEOs of early startups earn a median salary of $1,000 per month, lower than those in Indonesia and Singapore, a recent report says.

A startup in the $0–5 million funding stage pays its CEO $2,000 a month in Indonesia and $4,000 in Singapore, according to a recent report by Southeast Asia-focused venture capital firm Monk’s Hill Ventures and Asia-Pacific jobs site Glints.

For startups in the $10-50 million funding stage, CEOs in Vietnam get paid $6,000, compared to $11,500 in Singapore.

But vice presidents engineering in Vietnam startups in the Series B stage earn up to $10,000 a month, same as in Singapore, while the monthly remuneration in Indonesia is $7,100.

Due to an oversupply of fresh graduate junior engineers in markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam, starting salaries can be low; however, they quickly grow with a few years of experience to the $700–1,200 range.

Engineers in Vietnam typically earn higher salaries than those in Indonesia but lower than their Singapore peers, the report says.

A senior frontend developer, for example, earns up to $2,800 in Indonesia, $3,500 in Vietnam and $9,500 in Singapore.