Source-country routes

Vietnamese Maid Requirements and Process Malaysia

What governs hiring a Vietnamese domestic worker into Malaysia: Vietnam's overseas-labour law, and a gap in the government-to-government coverage a household should know about before proceeding.

The short answer

Hiring a Vietnamese domestic worker sits inside Vietnam's general overseas-labour law, not a domestic-work-specific bilateral scheme. Vietnamese sending enterprises operate under Law No. 69/2020/QH14, licensed and monitored by DOLAB (the Department of Overseas Labour, moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs in a 2025 restructuring), which requires a licence, substantial charter capital, and job-order registration before any worker is deployed to any market. What sets this route apart is a finding Vietnam's own labour authority has stated publicly: as of the most recent reporting found, the two governments have no agreement covering the domestic-helper occupation specifically, separate from a broader labour memorandum the two countries reportedly signed around March 2022 for other sectors (confirm the exact date and scope directly with DOLAB or the Vietnamese mission). On the Malaysian side, Immigration's foreign domestic helper channel still lists Vietnam among its approved source countries, so the entry route itself is open. Confirm the current bilateral status, the wage figure, and the household income requirement directly with your agency or Immigration before you commit to a timeline.

At a glance

Governing framework
Law No. 69/2020/QH14Vietnam's general law on workers going abroad under contract, effective January 2022, administered by DOLAB, now under the Ministry of Home Affairs after a 2025 restructuring.
Domestic-work agreement
Not yet in placeVietnam's labour authority has stated the two governments have no agreement covering the domestic-helper occupation specifically, separate from a broader labour memorandum reportedly signed around 2022 for other sectors (confirm the exact date and scope directly with DOLAB or the Vietnamese mission). Confirm whether this has changed.
Malaysian income figure
≈RM3,000 household incomeImmigration's lower income tier, grouping Vietnam with Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Based on a single check this session, not independently cross-checked for Vietnam specifically. Confirm before you commit.
Personal bond
≈RM1,500Immigration's listed figure for a Vietnamese helper. Also single-source for this session. Confirm the current figure with your agency.

A general law, and a gap specific to domestic work

Any Vietnamese enterprise sending workers abroad operates under Law No. 69/2020/QH14, the country's law on Vietnamese workers going abroad under contract, in force since January 2022. It requires a DOLAB licence, a minimum charter capital in the billions of Vietnamese dong, and registration of each job order's contract terms before deployment. This is the general mechanism covering every destination market Vietnam sends workers to, not something written specifically for domestic-helper placements in Malaysia.

What's specific to this occupation is a gap, not a rule. Vietnam's own labour authority has publicly stated that the two governments have not reached an agreement covering domestic work, distinct from a broader Vietnam-Malaysia labour memorandum reportedly signed around March 2022, which covers other sectors (confirm the exact date and scope directly with DOLAB or the Vietnamese mission). The authority has also advised sending enterprises to weigh partnerships carefully because of this gap. The most recent reporting found on this point dates to January 2023, and no later source was found either confirming or contradicting it, so treat it as the last known position rather than a fact reconfirmed for 2026.

The wage floor, and why one isn't stated here

Law 69/2020 lets Vietnam's labour ministry set a wage ceiling per destination market and occupation for certain placement arrangements, but no published figure specific to Malaysian domestic-helper work was found. Vietnam's own domestic minimum wage, reviewed periodically under separate decrees, governs work performed inside Vietnam and has no bearing on what an overseas placement contract should pay. Don't treat one as a stand-in for the other.

No domestic-work-specific certification step was found either, of the kind other source countries use, such as a dedicated training course or a mission contract-endorsement requirement. That absence may simply follow from the same gap: without an established government-to-government channel for this occupation, there's no bilateral certification step to point to. Ask your agency directly what contract review, if any, the Vietnamese side currently applies, rather than assuming a step exists or doesn't.

What Malaysia's side requires, and what to check directly

On the Malaysian side, Immigration's foreign domestic helper terms currently place Vietnam in the same income bracket as Laos, Thailand and Cambodia: roughly RM3,000 net monthly household income, alongside a personal bond of roughly RM1,500. Both figures come from a single check of Immigration's own page this session, without a second independent source confirming them for Vietnam specifically, so confirm both directly before you budget around them.

There's no record of a formal freeze or suspension of this corridor, unlike some other source countries' history, but that isn't the same as a fully regulated route either. Since the government-to-government gap above means there's no dedicated bilateral channel to check a corridor's open-or-paused status against, the practical step is to ask your agency directly what it can currently confirm, rather than assume either that the route is fully settled or that it's paused.

The rules and figures here follow official Malaysian sources as at the review date, and your own situation can differ. Check what applies to your own case with the Immigration Department of Malaysia for permits and passes, or the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia for agency licensing and employment terms, before you act on it.

Questions this page answers

Is there a government agreement between Vietnam and Malaysia specifically for domestic workers?

Not as far as the most recent reporting found. Vietnam's labour authority has stated the two governments have no agreement covering the domestic-helper occupation specifically, separate from a broader labour memorandum the two countries reportedly signed around 2022 for other sectors (confirm the exact date and scope directly with DOLAB or the Vietnamese mission). The most recent source on this point dates to January 2023, so confirm the current position with your agency or DOLAB directly.

What law governs a Vietnamese sending agency?

Law No. 69/2020/QH14, Vietnam's general law on workers going abroad under contract, administered by DOLAB, now placed under the Ministry of Home Affairs after a 2025 restructuring. It requires a licence and registered job-order terms, but it isn't written specifically for domestic-helper placements.

What's the minimum salary for a Vietnamese domestic worker in Malaysia?

No published figure specific to Malaysian domestic-helper work was found. Vietnam's law allows its labour ministry to set a wage ceiling per market, and Vietnam's own domestic minimum wage governs work performed inside the country, but neither is the same as a confirmed overseas contract floor. Ask your agency for the figure in the specific contract offered.

What income does my household need to show to hire a Vietnamese helper?

Immigration's current figure groups Vietnam with Laos, Thailand and Cambodia at roughly RM3,000 net monthly household income, alongside a personal bond of roughly RM1,500. Both were checked once this session without a second independent source for Vietnam specifically, so confirm the current figures with your agency before you commit.

Has this recruitment route ever been frozen or suspended?

No documented formal freeze or suspension was found, unlike some other source countries' history. The more notable finding is that no dedicated government-to-government channel for the domestic-helper occupation was established between the two countries to begin with, which is a different kind of gap. Ask your agency for the current status directly.

Vietnamese Maid Requirements and Process Malaysia

Prepare a useful first enquiry

Add a few key facts about your household and the question you want answered, so the reply is useful.

  • Household location
  • Source-country route being considered
  • Main duties
  • Relevant experience needed
  • Preferred timing

This opens a WhatsApp draft to the DomesticHelper enquiry team, who help connect you with a maid-hiring service. Nothing is sent until you press send, and you can edit it first.

Open WhatsApp draft
DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 14 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
Enquire on WhatsApp