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Vietnamese community in Australia and New Zealand: how big is it, and how can it help you?

Tips · 2026-10-08 · 9 min read

Yes, there is a large Vietnamese community in Australia and a smaller but real one in New Zealand. Australia's 2021 Census counted 257,997 people born in Vietnam, and 36,864 of them arrived between 2016 and 2021. New Zealand's 2023 Census counted 14,157 people of Vietnamese ethnicity. So if you move for work, you will not be starting from zero. This guide explains the numbers in plain words and shows how a community can help you settle in, safely.

How many Vietnamese people live in Australia?

A census is a count of everyone living in a country on one night. People answer questions about where they were born, what work they do and more. Australia's last full census was in 2021.

That census counted 257,997 people in Australia who were born in Vietnam. This is people born in Vietnam only. Their children who were born in Australia are not in this number. So the number of people who speak Vietnamese at home, cook Vietnamese food and keep Vietnamese traditions is likely larger.

Many of these people came a long time ago. But the community is still growing. Of the Vietnam-born people counted in 2021, 36,864 had arrived between 2016 and 2021. That is about 14% of the group. In simple words: roughly one in seven Vietnam-born people in Australia had arrived in the five years or so before the census.

Why does this matter for you? Recent arrivals remember the hard first months. They know how it feels to look for a room, open a bank account and understand a new workplace. They are often the most useful people to talk to.

Census numbers at a glance

Here are the main official numbers in one place. They come from the national census in each country.

Note that the two countries count in different ways. Australia's figure is about the country of birth. New Zealand's figure is about ethnicity, which is the group a person says they belong to. So the numbers are useful, but they are not a perfect match.

What jobs do Vietnam-born people do in Australia?

The census also asks people about their work. For employed Vietnam-born people in Australia, the four most common occupation groups in 2021 were these.

This mix tells a hopeful story. The largest group is Professionals, such as engineers, accountants and teachers. Close behind are Labourers, who work in places like factories, farms and packing sheds. Trades workers, such as mechanics, chefs and hairdressers, are also a big group.

So there is no single "Vietnamese job" in Australia. People from Vietnam work at every level. If you are a cook in Đà Nẵng, an accountant in Hà Nội or a hairdresser in Cần Thơ, someone from home has probably walked a similar path before you.

Want to see what employers are asking for right now? Look at our hair and beauty jobs in Australia and New Zealand, or a kitchen role such as this pasta chef job in Melbourne. Each ad lists its own visa details, so read them carefully.

The Vietnamese community in New Zealand

New Zealand is smaller than Australia, and so is its Vietnamese community. The 2023 Census counted 14,157 people of Vietnamese ethnicity in New Zealand.

Of that group, 74% were born overseas. That means about three in four came to New Zealand from somewhere else. For you, this is good news. Many people in the community went through the same first steps you will face: a new visa, a new job and a new home.

A smaller community can also feel closer. People may know each other through temples, churches, student groups or work. If you are thinking about New Zealand, our simple guide to New Zealand's AEWV work visa explains the main work visa. AEWV means Accredited Employer Work Visa: a work visa linked to an employer that Immigration New Zealand has approved. You can also look at real roles, such as this senior stylist job in Hamilton.

What a community can do for you, and what it cannot

People from home can make the first months much easier. Here is where they really help:

• Everyday tips. Which suburb has an Asian grocery, how buses work, how to rent a room.
• Language. Someone who can explain a letter or a form in Vietnamese.
• Feeling at home. Tết celebrations, food from home and people who understand you.
• Work culture. How Australian or New Zealand workplaces usually work, and what bosses expect.

But a community has limits. Friends cannot give you a visa. In Australia, the Department of Home Affairs is the only official Australian Government provider of visas. A friend's cousin cannot "help" with that, no matter what they say.

Sadly, some people use trust inside a community to take money. The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City has warned about visa scammers. They contact people through social media and apps like Zalo, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. They promise an Australian visa, ask for large payments upfront, and falsely say you can work on a Visitor visa. A message in Vietnamese from a friendly stranger is not proof that an offer is real.

How to use the community well, step by step

Here is a simple plan that lets the community help you without putting your money or your visa at risk.

1. Start with real information. Read the official census pages and your visa's official page first. Then talk to people in the community with that knowledge in hand.
2. Choose a real job path. Look for genuine job ads and check the visa details in each one. A job offer from a real employer is the base of most work visas.
3. Check any company before you pay. If you go through a labour-export enterprise (doanh nghiệp XKLĐ), find it in DOLAB's list of licensed labour-export enterprises ("Danh sách Doanh nghiệp XKLĐ") and make sure its status is active. DOLAB is the Department of Overseas Labour, the Vietnamese government office for workers going abroad under contract.
4. Register a direct contract. If you sign a labour contract directly with an employer abroad, you must register it with the labour authority of the provincial People's Committee where you live. It confirms in writing within 05 working days of getting a complete file.
5. Prepare your police certificate. For Australian visas, the Vietnamese police certificate is the Judicial Record Certificate No. 2 (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp số 2). Nobody else can apply for it on your behalf.
6. Connect before you fly. Join community groups for your city, but treat them as a place for advice, not for payments.
7. Register after you arrive. Workers on directly signed contracts must also register as citizens with the Vietnamese mission in the country where they work.

Not sure which part of Australia suits you? Our guide on which Australian state could be your next step can help you compare.

Common mistakes

These are the mistakes that newcomers from Vietnam make most often when they lean on the community.

• Paying a "helper" for a visa. Only Home Affairs grants Australian visas. Anyone who promises a visa for a fee is a warning sign.
• Paying a broker for the farm program. Under the labour mobility arrangement between Australia and Vietnam, at most 1,000 Vietnamese agriculture workers can be in Australia at the same time. DOLAB says candidates do not pay recruitment or service fees, and they should go directly to the units selected for the program, never through brokers.
• Believing a page because it looks official. The Centre of Overseas Labour warned about fake Facebook and TikTok pages that copied official names and photos to recruit workers for Australia.
• Thinking you can work on a Visitor visa. Scammers say this, and it is false. Check the conditions of your visa on the official Home Affairs website.
• Paying a service fee too early. Under Law 69/2020/QH14, a licensed enterprise may only collect its service fee after the supply contract is approved and your contract to go abroad is signed.

Frequently asked questions

How many Vietnamese people live in Australia?

Australia's 2021 Census counted 257,997 people who were born in Vietnam. Of these, 36,864 had arrived between 2016 and 2021. The count does not include children born in Australia to Vietnamese parents, so the wider community is bigger than this number.

Is there a Vietnamese community in New Zealand?

Yes. New Zealand's 2023 Census counted 14,157 people of Vietnamese ethnicity. About three in four of them were born outside New Zealand, so many of them also know what it is like to arrive as a newcomer.

Can people in the Vietnamese community get me a job or a visa?

Friends can share tips and tell you about real job ads, but they cannot give you a visa. In Australia, only the Department of Home Affairs grants visas. Be careful with anyone who asks for money to "arrange" a job or a visa for you.

What jobs do Vietnam-born people do in Australia?

In the 2021 Census, the biggest groups were Professionals, Labourers, and Community and Personal Service Workers, followed by Technicians and Trades Workers. People from Vietnam work in office jobs, factories, farms, kitchens, salons and trades, so many paths are possible.

How do I check a labour-export company before I pay anything?

Search for the company in DOLAB's list of licensed labour-export enterprises and check that its status shows it is active. DOLAB also lists companies that lost or handed back their licence. If a company is not on the active list, do not pay it.

Key takeaways

• Australia's 2021 Census counted 257,997 Vietnam-born people, and 36,864 of them arrived between 2016 and 2021.
• New Zealand's 2023 Census counted 14,157 people of Vietnamese ethnicity, and 74% were born overseas.
• Vietnam-born workers in Australia work in many fields, from professional jobs to labouring and trades.
• Use the community for advice and friendship, never for visa or job payments.
• Check every labour-export company on DOLAB's list before you pay anything.

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