JAKARTA - Remittances flowing to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most populous city, totaled more than US$10.34 billion in 2025, according to figures from the State Bank of Vietnam’s Region 2 branch. 

According to Tran Thi Ngoc Lien, the deputy director of the State Bank, the figure from last year was up by 8.3% from 2024. By transfer channel, around 71.8 percent of remittances were sent through economic organizations, while the remaining 28.2 percent flowed through credit institutions. 

“The continued stable growth of remittances confirms its role as an important source of foreign currency, contributing to balancing the supply and demand of foreign currency and stabilizing the monetary market,” the State Bank mentions in a press release shared by Ho Chi Minh City Press Center.

In terms of origin, Asia remained the largest source of remittances that entered Ho Chi Minh City, followed by the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Africa. Although Africa contributed a smaller absolute share, it recorded the fastest growth rate at roughly 39 percent. 

While Vietnam is not considered entirely dependent on remittances for its overall economic survival, it is a highly significant recipient and relies on them as a major foreign capital. A 2017 study finds that remittances do help Vietnam by raising incomes and supporting the economy, but they also push up the value of the currency, which can hurt exports. 

As of 2025, the best available official estimates show that the Vietnamese diaspora (people of Vietnamese origin living abroad) numbers around 6 to 6.5 million people worldwide, spread across more than 130 countries and territories. The largest overseas Vietnamese populations are in the United States, followed by Japan, France, Australia, and South Korea.

Separately, for temporary/contract migrant workers, data from the Vietnamese government estimates that there are about 650,000 Vietnamese working abroad by the end of 2025. These are workers sent overseas for employment under formal arrangements, not the total stock of migrants.

“This result shows that remittances to Ho Chi Minh City continue to maintain sustainable growth, despite the volatile global economic and political context, and affirms Ho Chi Minh City's role as the largest remittance recipient in the country,” the statement reads.