What to compare them by
Niches are usually compared by promised profitability. That is the worst possible measure: profitability depends on the specific place and the people, not on the format, and any figure here is easy to invent.
It is more useful to compare by three things that really do depend on the format and that you will feel every day.
- Presence. How many hours a day the business needs you personally or someone you trust.
- Language and people. How far the result depends on negotiating, hiring and supervising staff in Vietnamese.
- Season. Whether the flow is even all year or the income is gathered in a few months.
Below are four formats measured that way. About other people's niches we say only what follows from how they are built: we have no sums or payback periods for them, and we will not invent any.
Catering: a coffee shop, a kitchen, a bar
The most popular entry and the most demanding in time. The money threshold is low, the staying threshold is high: quality rests on daily control, and control rests on presence.
Presence: daily. Language: critical — hiring, purchasing, inspectors. Season: depends on the place: in resort towns the flow swings noticeably.
The format suits those who move specifically to do this and enjoy the process. As a source of quiet income after relocating it is chosen most often — and disappoints most often too.
Rental housing: a guest house or apartments
A clear and familiar model, which is why it is taken up readily. The money goes into an asset that stays yours — that is its strength.
Presence: constant but not daily — cleaning, meeting guests and small repairs can be delegated. Language: needed for contractors and utilities. Season: pronounced, with income uneven month to month.
The main risk here is not operational but at entry: the cost of entry is set by a property market a newcomer reads worse than a local.
Services for visitors: tours, transfers, assistance
It starts from almost nothing and therefore looks the safest. In fact it is the most fragile of the four.
Presence: full — you are the service. Language: needed, though a Russian-speaking audience partly substitutes for it. Season: strong, plus complete dependence on the tourist flow.
No asset accumulates here: stop working and the income stops the same day. As a first earning in a new place the format is fine; as a foundation for years, no.
Self-service: what we do ourselves
More expensive at entry and noticeably duller as a process. In return it gives what the first three do not: the flow runs without you.
Presence: the site works with no staff at the bays. Someone is needed to clean the grounds, load chemicals and handle small jobs — a few hours, not a full day. Revenue, bay load and fault alerts are visible in the online account from a phone. Language: when working with us the support is in Russian, and negotiations with local contractors are taken on by the team on the ground. Season: even: there is no winter, the site works 365 days, and the rainy season raises demand rather than lowering it.
What we see across our seven sites. They stand in very different places — two in Ho Chi Minh City, two in Nha Trang, plus Vung Tau, Dak Mil and Tan Thanh — and the format works both in a multi-million city and in the provinces. One distinctly Vietnamese feature: motorbikes. Here they are the main transport, and they bring a second stream of customers with a short visit that simply does not exist in the Russian model. Bay prices: from 10,000 ₫ for a motorbike and from 20,000 ₫ for a car.
The equipment costs the same as in Russia: from 450,000 ₽ per bay with delivery, installation, commissioning and training. The calculated benchmark for revenue is from 369,000 ₽ a month per bay; that is a model, not a guarantee. What else goes into the budget is set out in a separate article.
We know one segment and say so honestly. Catering, housing and services above are described by how they are built, not from our figures: we have no sums or timelines for them. The legal part — company form, foreign ownership share, visas and taxes — is handled by a local lawyer, and it is a separate budget line.
If the format suits you, the next step is not choosing a country but choosing a place: how a town and a location are assessed. The rules are the same as in Russia; only the landmarks change.
Frequently asked questions
Which business should a Russian start in Vietnam?
It depends on how much time you are prepared to give the business every day. Catering and services for visitors demand your full presence, rental housing a partial one, self-service almost none. We work in the last of these and do not answer for the other niches: we described them by how they are built, not from figures of our own.
Can a Russian citizen start a business in Vietnam?
Yes, foreigners do run businesses in Vietnam, and we ourselves operate seven sites there. Company form, foreign ownership share, registration and taxes are handled by a local lawyer — a separate budget item on which we do not advise.
Is it better to buy a running business or open your own?
A running site shows a revenue history, but a newcomer finds it hard to verify, and the price usually includes the seller's expectations. Opening from scratch, you pay for equipment and site preparation and know what every line is made of. We work the second way and do not resell running sites.
Which format depends least on the language?
Self-service. The customer serves himself, there is no staff at the bays, and when working with us the negotiations with local contractors are handled by the team on the ground. In catering and services the language affects the result directly.
How much money is needed at the start?
In our segment the equipment is from 450,000 ₽ per bay including delivery, installation, commissioning and training. Then comes the local part: rent or land, site preparation, water and power, contractors, a lawyer. It is calculated for a specific address and varies more than the station itself.