Customers try services at a co-working space in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern hub. Source: WF
Compared to rented offices, these spaces offer cost savings, convenience, and exposure to new ideas and communities.
Work-life balance
Each morning in Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City — a district-level unit under Ho Chi Minh City — Chilean financial expert Diego Pumarino heads to WorkFlow, a co-working space service provider, where he spends about half of his weekly working hours.
He moved to Vietnam to stay with his girlfriend but also found Ho Chi Minh City ideal for maintaining a work-life balance.
“A comfortable, quiet space with good service and stable Wi-Fi, that’s all I need,” Pumarino said, adding that WorkFlow offers better services compared to spaces he has used in Bali, Indonesia and Santiago, Chile.
Oscar, a software engineer and investor from Mexico, is a typical 'digital nomad' — a remote worker who travels regularly.
After living across Southeast Asia, he now works 40–80 hours per week from Vietnam.
Nguyen Dinh Quy, CEO of WorkFlow, said that about 30 percent of their customers are foreigners, mainly from Europe and North America.
These users choose co-working not only to work but also to connect.
With more open visa policies, Southeast Asia could become a global hub for digital nomads, Quy added.
Tech-enabled convenience
Unlike traditional co-working models that focus on flexible desk rentals, WorkFlow embraces digital transformation to improve real-time operations and scalability.
Quy said his team invested heavily in a proprietary app that allows users to book rooms, select time slots, and choose services at any of its five locations — all in under a minute.
This system not only enhances the user experience but also gives operators full oversight — from payments and staffing to inventory and reporting.
Similarly, Do Son Duong, founder and CEO of Toong, said his brand emphasizes operational convenience.
“Now if customers want to book a room or any service, they just message our receptionists via Zalo — no app or paperwork is needed,” he said.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Nguyen, director of CBRE Vietnam, noted that foreign co-working brands tend to invest in globally integrated apps while domestic brands mostly rely on third-party solutions.
Rising demand
Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi, is becoming a hotspot for digital nomads and professionals working in hybrid formats, according to experts.
A working session at a co-working space in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern hub. Source: WF
Another customer group includes small foreign businesses or startups exploring the local market.
Instead of being committed to long-term leases, these firms choose co-working spaces as flexible hubs to test business potential.
According to operators, co-working users can save 20–35 percent compared to traditional office costs.
In Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are currently about 20 co-working space brands, both local and international, with each facility covering 1,500–2,000 square meters, CBRE Vietnam reported.
Three to four new international brands are expected to enter the Vietnamese market in the coming months, all choosing District 1 in downtown for their first centers.
Globally, co-working began taking off in the early 2000s, thanks to flexible rental terms — by the day, week, or month.
Vietnam’s market boomed during the startup wave, peaking in 2019 before slowing temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Q3 2019, some rankings placed Ho Chi Minh City 41st among the world’s 50 fastest-growing co-working markets.
CBRE data shows that by mid-2017, Vietnam had 17 co-working operators with 22 locations totaling 14,500 square meters. By the end of 2018, the total area had jumped to over 90,000 square meters.
Vietnamese pioneers like Toong, Dreamplex, UPGen, and CirCO have since expanded across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
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