Tesla has set up a company in Ho Chi Minh City and is expanding recruitment in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre News reports. The roles include sales, after-sales service and charging infrastructure, which suggests preparations for commercial operations.
Ricky Ip, Tesla's Asia-Pacific recruitment representative, mentioned five job openings, including a charging infrastructure project development specialist. The report says that may point to a future Supercharger network. Tesla has not announced a launch date, a vehicle lineup, prices or showroom locations.
The market it would enter is dominated by a local maker. Per HSC, VinFast holds about 92% of the domestic electric vehicle market. VinFast sold 177,697 vehicles in the first nine months of 2026, about 36% of total new car sales, more than the combined 175,136 sold by Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford and Kia.
CNBC reported that Vietnam became Southeast Asia's largest EV market in 2025, and the International Energy Agency says EV sales more than doubled that year to nearly 40% of new car sales. CNBC also reports EV sales rose 89% year on year in the second quarter of 2026.
Analysts cited in the report expect Tesla to start with the Model 3 and Model Y for higher-income buyers rather than the mass market. VinFast has more than 150,000 charging ports nationwide, according to Supparoek Sawangwong of Mobility Global. VinFast builds its cars in Hai Phong, while Tesla would likely import from its Shanghai factory, where Vietnam's relatively high import tariffs could hurt its prices.
The registration fee exemption for electric cars, extended through 2030, applies to imported vehicles and could help. Koketso Tsoai, a senior automotive analyst at BMI, said "Tesla would not need to build demand for EVs from scratch in Vietnam."
Sources
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