A Glimpse into Top Programming Languages in Vietnam in 2024

The demand for digital transformation worldwide has been driving up the need for software outsourcing and development services. Rising like a star in the Asia-pacific region, Vietnam has not only kept up with other top IT outsourcing destinations but also quickly surpassed them and seized the position of a major player in the global market for software and application development.

Why outsource software development services to Vietnam? As simple as it seems, Vietnam offers businesses across industries a wide range of benefits that they are not otherwise able to gain. Compared to the Western nations, Vietnam boasts a competitive edge which is cost-efficiency. Moreover, the country has a sustainable pool of developers located mainly in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang City. They are virtually at a young age and have a strong sense of new technologies and knowledge. These are only some of the many reasons why businesses and start-ups choose Vietnam as their go-to destination for software development services.

As Vietnam has become the favorite IT hub in the world, what happens within this market may partially reflect the upcoming trends and opportunities worldwide. Moreover, these insights will help outsourcers decide what projects, programming languages, and also requirements will be best to be delegated to this country. That’s why, in this article, let’s make some predictions on what programming languages have high percentages to rule the Vietnamese software outsourcing market in 2024 and beyond.

Python

First conceived by Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s, Python is a general-purpose and high-level programming language. It was designed to be uncomplicated to read, easy to use, and quick to write. In addition to code readability, Python supports multiple programming paradigms, such as functional, object-oriented, procedural, and imperative. Moreover, Python has a large community of software developers behind it, and one of the best things about this language is that it boasts a huge collection of the standard library that provide programmers with a wide range of functionality and enable them to do more with less code. With all the advantages, Python is highly recommended for beginners.

As a versatile language, Python is applied to a wide range of fields, ranging from web app development, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, game development, and heaps more.

According to PYPL Popularity of Programming Language, Python was on the list of the most popular programming languages of 2022 worldwide. In particular, Python was ranked No.1 on the chart, and it will likely continue in 2024. Therefore, it is not strange if Python becomes the programming language with most clients in Vietnam next year. Last but not least, Python is listed as one of the programming languages of the future as well.

Java

Released in 1995, Java is an object-oriented programming language created to be as portable and platform-independent as possible. Java was designed to run on any device, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. As a result of its versatility, it has become a popular language throughout the world for many years, and it may still be in common use in 2024, especially in Vietnam.

Remarkably, Java is reported to be used by 90% of all Fortune 500 companies. The use of Java spans all kinds of applications (ranging from web applications, desktop applications, web applications, client-server applications, and enterprise applications to mobile applications, etc.) and also machine learning and AI-based solutions. Moreover, this language is also one of the most popular programming languages for developing Android mobile apps – the most used mobile operating system in the world. Additionally, it also provides great support for open-source libraries and frameworks such as Spring, Hibernate, and Apache Struts. That helps developers to build high-performing applications quickly with minimal effort. With its versatility, scalability, and cross-platform compatibility, it is expected that Java will remain one of the top programming languages in Vietnam, especially when it comes to outsourcing web or mobile application projects. Additionally, Java is also a good option when it comes to game development.

JavaScript

Brendan Eich designed JavaScript to be a lightweight, cross-platform, and versatile language. It is also known as the scripting language that runs on virtually any platform and is widely used in client-side scripting (browser) as well as server-side scripting. JavaScript is an essential part of modern web development and can be used to create interactive websites. It also supports features such as object-oriented scripting, event-driven programming, lambda functions, and more. Furthermore, it integrates seamlessly with HTML5 and CSS3, which makes creating responsive designs easier than ever. Additionally, JavaScript is used in many prevalent frameworks, such as React Native, Angular, and Node.js.

In the past few years, JavaScript has been increasing in popularity, and it is expected to be the go-to language for web developers in Vietnam by 2024. This language is used extensively in multiple applications, such as single-page web applications (SPAs), mobile apps, animation, game development, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, JavaScript will be one of the in-demand languages for software developers in Vietnam in the following years.

C Language

C language was brought to life by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 as a procedural programming language with all the features ideal for system programming. It is a low-level language that helps developers write code closer to the hardware. Mac OS, Microsoft Windows OS, iOS, Android, and many other operating systems are either written in C or have parts written in C. Also, it is widely used by embedded developers to make real-time applications. In addition to its unrivaled portability across all platforms, C offers more control over how memory is managed, which makes it a preferred choice for system-level programming.

C is one of the fastest languages, and it has become the inspiration as well as the foundation for a lot of later programming languages. For instance, Objective-C, C#, C++, Perl, PHP, Python, Java, and JavaScript inherit some characteristics from C language, such as data types and functions. It is expected that the demand for C language programmers will remain strong in Vietnam, and it will play an important role in numerous projects for many years to come due to its wide range of uses across different platforms and systems.

PHP

PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a popular server-side scripting language specifically used for creating dynamic web pages. It supports functions such as database integration, session management, and more. Additionally, its code can be embedded into HTML. PHP was initially developed by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 and has since undergone several significant changes to become one of the top programming languages for web development. PHP is known for its simplicity and flexibility, which makes it easier for beginners to learn. It is also popular among experienced developers due to its wide range of features, scalability, and vast community support. PHP is widely used by a variety of web-based applications, and Facebook is a typical example among them. In addition, PHP is open-source and free, which makes it a preferred choice for web developers all over the world.

Golang

Together with Java, JavaScript, and Python, Go can make a list of the best programming languages for artificial intelligence. It is an open-source language developed by Google in 2007 and has been gaining popularity ever since. It can be used to build highly scalable and reliable applications, which is becoming increasingly valuable due to the growing demand for AI algorithms. Additionally, Golang offers excellent support for concurrency, making it a great choice when developing distributed applications. Go was ranked 13th in the top 20 most popular languages in 2022 by PYPL. As more projects involve using Golang in Vietnam, the demand for programmers who are familiar with this language is expected to increase in the coming years.

Ruby

Ruby is a high-level programming language that was initially released in 1995 and has become increasingly popular with web developers. It’s an object-oriented language that is easy to learn, making it ideal for beginners. Ruby also has some of the best frameworks for web development, such as Rails and Sinatra, which allow developers to create potent web applications quickly. Additionally, Ruby is open-source and free to use, which makes it an attractive choice for those looking for cost-effective solutions. Also, Ruby is known as one of the best alternative languages for PHP. The demand for software developers who are well-versed in Ruby will keep increasing in Vietnam as companies look to build dynamic websites and applications faster than ever before.