Vietnam's Premier Retained Search Firm, Est. 2012

Retained Search for
Leaders Who Deliver
Long-Term Impact.

We work exclusively on retained mandates, giving your critical hire the undivided research, discretion, and rigour it deserves. Trusted by 500+ MNC and local enterprises across Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

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14+
Years in Vietnam
500+
Corporate Clients
1,000+
Successful Placements
90%
MNC Client Base
The Service

What Is Retained Search?

Retained search is a fee and commitment model: your organisation pays an upfront engagement fee and works with Headhunt Vietnam as sole search partner for a defined mandate. We commit a dedicated consultant team, structured market mapping, and full accountability from briefing through placement.

Contingency recruitment, by contrast, is typically fee-on-success and may involve multiple agencies on the same role. Executive search is often delivered on a retained basis, but retained search also applies to other hard-to-fill roles where the market is thin. For critical hires, retained search delivers depth, confidentiality, and focus.

The Retained Difference

What Sets a Retained Search Apart

For senior and executive roles, the quality of the search determines the quality of the hire.

01
Exclusive Commitment
Your mandate is handled by a dedicated team, not shared across multiple agencies. Full focus. Full accountability.
02
Deep Market Mapping
We systematically map the entire target universe, reaching qualified passive candidates who would never respond to a job posting.
03
Confidentiality Assured
Sensitive mandates, succession planning, replacing incumbents, new market entry, are handled with complete discretion.
04
Full Transparency
Regular written progress reports, market intelligence, and candidate feedback throughout the engagement, not just at shortlist.
05
Rigorous Assessment
Structured competency interviews, reference verification, and cultural alignment analysis before any candidate is presented.
06
Guaranteed Replacement
Our retained engagements come with a replacement guarantee, giving you long-term confidence in the hire.
Scope

Roles & Sectors We Cover

Roles we often cover on retained mandates

  • C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO)
  • VP and General Manager
  • Director and functional heads
  • Hard-to-fill specialists (e.g. senior AI, SAP, niche technical leads)

Sector expertise

  • Oil & Gas / Energy
  • FMCG & Manufacturing
  • Logistics & Supply Chain
  • Technology & IT
  • Finance & Banking
  • Construction & Real Estate
How We Work

Our Retained Search Process

A structured, transparent engagement, from mandate brief to successful onboarding.

1
Discovery & Brief
Deep-dive session to define role scope, success criteria, team dynamics, and candidate profile.
2
Market Mapping
Systematic research of the full candidate universe, internal database plus live market sourcing.
3
Candidate Approach
Discreet outreach to qualified passive candidates, professional positioning of your opportunity.
4
Assessment & Shortlist
Structured interviews, competency evaluation, and cultural fit analysis. Written candidate profiles delivered.
5
Offer & Onboarding
Offer management, counter-offer support, reference checks, and 90-day onboarding follow-up.
Our Promise

A Retained Partnership,
Not a Transactional Search

From 2012 to today, our assets include 90% multinational companies among our clients. We built Headhunt Vietnam on a single conviction: that critical hires deserve a dedicated, research-led approach, not a contingency race.

As your retained partner, we dedicate a specialist team exclusively to your mandate. We conduct deep market mapping, approach passive candidates, and manage every step with full transparency, from briefing to onboarding.

Across key sectors in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, we understand local hiring context and regional nuance.

Nam Hoang
Nam Hoang
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Why Retained Search?
Retained search ensures your role gets 100% of our attention. No competing priorities. No shortcuts. Just a dedicated team committed to finding the best person, not just the first available.
Speed with Depth
Average search completion in 6-10 weeks. Rigorous market mapping paired with structured timelines.
200K+ Talent Pool
Access to passive and active senior candidates built over 14 years of deep market presence.
Global Reach

International Search Capability

Since 2019, Headhunt Vietnam has been a member of Global Executive Search, a network of independent firms across 25 countries. For cross-border mandates, we coordinate with vetted partners while you retain a single point of contact in Vietnam.

View International Network

Frequently Asked Questions

Any role where you need committed search capacity, confidentiality, and depth: leadership (C-suite, VP, Director), critical specialists, or scarce profiles with few qualified candidates on the market. Retained search is about the engagement model, not only executive level.
Get Started

Ready to Find Your Next Leader?

Tell us about the role. We'll schedule a confidential briefing and outline exactly how a retained engagement would work for your organisation.

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+84 907 758 782
info@headhuntvietnam.com
119 Dien Bien Phu, Ho Chi Minh City