Vietnam has become a strategic destination for global tech companies—not only because of its competitive costs or growing number of developers, but also because local talents are maturing fast in product thinking and ownership.

Through years of supporting global companies in building high-performing engineering teams in Vietnam, Leamar Hiring has discovered that having great engineers is only part of the equation. The real game-changer lies in the right organizational model—one that bridges global expectations with local execution.

We call it Hybrid Leadership: a “2-in-1” model that pairs a local technical leader with a global strategic lead. While not a new concept, when implemented correctly in Vietnam, it unlocks surprising levels of performance, engagement, and long-term growth.

“Two Pillars”: Technical Capability Meets Local Context

Here’s how the structure typically looks:

• A Vietnamese Technical Lead or Engineering Manager who deeply understands the local talent market, cultural nuances, and has the ability to guide and stabilize the team.

• A Product Owner or Strategy Lead from the headquarters who connects the team to the broader product roadmap and business strategy.

Sitting between them is a team of engineers, QAs, designers… all striving to balance global thinking with local execution.

This is not about overlapping roles—it’s about complementary leadership: one drives how things are built, the other leads why we build them.

Real Results, Not Just Theory

Leamar Hiring has seen many organizations experiment with remote-first, offshore dev teams, or extended teams. Most faced challenges—slow delivery, disconnect, or high turnover.

Only when companies adopted Hybrid Leadership did we start to see sustained results.

1. Breaking Cultural Barriers – Making Work Smoother

For many Vietnamese engineers, the biggest challenge isn’t technical—it’s communication and expectation management.

Some are incredibly skilled but lack confidence when working directly with foreign stakeholders. Cultural gaps, unspoken assumptions, and language friction often get in the way.

That’s where the local Technical Lead steps in—not only to clarify requirements in a relatable way, but also to serve as an internal mentor and trusted point of contact for the team.

🔍 According to TopDev 2023, 68% of Vietnamese developers say they want clearer, more contextualized communication—preferably from someone who understands their local environment.

2. Accelerating Product Velocity

Product Owners are often visionaries. But without a capable technical counterpart on the ground, those visions are either misunderstood or slow to execute.

Hybrid Leadership solves this through a clear division of focus:

• The global leader owns the why

• The local leader owns the how

• Together, they align on the when

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Leamar Hiring supported a SaaS company from Singapore in setting up this model. Within just 3 months:

• Sprint velocity increased by 2.3x

• Internal NPS improved from 6.1 to 8.5

• Feature delivery time was reduced by 38%

3. Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

Great engineers don’t want to work in a “code factory” where they just execute specs from HQ. They want to understand the product, influence decisions, and learn from both local and global peers.

Hybrid Leadership enables this by:

• Embedding product thinking into the team

• Providing local mentorship and clear career paths

• Creating a growth environment rooted in global ambition and local support

🧠 Talented developers don’t just want to code well—they want to understand the purpose behind their work.

From Offshore to Ownership: The Mindset Shift

If companies continue seeing their Vietnam team as “just offshore,” those teams will always remain on the sidelines.

But when they are treated as owners from day one—starting with leadership structure—everything changes.

Hybrid Leadership isn’t just about task delegation. It’s about empowerment. It builds a team with voice, responsibility, and the capacity to grow alongside the company.

When Should You Apply This Model?

You don’t need to be a billion-dollar company to implement it.

Leamar Hiring recommends Hybrid Leadership if:

• You’re a global startup expanding into Southeast Asia

• You already have a remote team in Vietnam, but performance feels inconsistent

• You want to build a real product team, not just an outsourced development unit

How to Get Started

• Hire a Vietnamese Technical Lead with leadership and product orientation

• Set up a clear communication and sprint cadence (Scrum usually works well)

• Invest in soft skills training—English, presentation, requirement analysis

• Use regular 1:1s, retros, and OKRs to align and improve continuously

Final Thoughts: Build a Team That Grows With You

Vietnam has no shortage of great engineers. But to unleash their full potential, companies need an environment that connects their work to a bigger mission—with the right support, the right context, and the right leadership.

Hybrid Leadership—this “2-in-1” blend of local expertise and global strategy—could be the key to building a resilient, motivated, and scalable tech team in Vietnam.