Real Estate Agent With No Base Salary in Vietnam: Is It Worth It? 65% Commission, Career Path and Who It Suits (2026)
Short answer: Realtique pays no base salary. In return, consultants keep 65% of the commission fee on every deal, set their own hours, get all training free, and can step up to team head to earn extra commission from their own team. Agencies that pay a base salary in Vietnam usually offer VND 4–8 million a month depending on ability, with commission anywhere from 30% to 65%, and expect you to clock in for 8 hours a day. At a commission fee of VND 150 million per deal, about 2 deals a year is enough for the no-salary model to catch up.
Almost every candidate who sits down with us asks the same thing: “With no base salary, what do I live on in the first month?” This article answers it plainly: how the two models differ, who should pick a salaried agency, who fits Realtique, what you get back for giving up a salary, and how far the numbers can go if you already lead a team.
Working as an Agent at Realtique — Updated 17/10/2026
Table of Contents
No Base Salary vs Base Salary: What Is the Difference?
Vietnam’s brokerage market has two kinds of agencies. The first pays a base salary of VND 4–8 million a month depending on ability, plus commission when you close. Commission at these agencies varies widely, from 30% to 65%: the higher the salary, the lower the commission tends to be, though some pay both a salary and a fairly high commission. What they share is that you clock in for a full 8 hours a day and chase targets set by the agency.
The second is the model Realtique runs: no base salary, high commission, your own schedule. Here they are side by side.
A salary, less freedom
Suits people who need steady cash from month one and like office hours.
No salary, high commission
Suits people who can ride out 3–6 months before the first deal and want pay tied to results.
Run the numbers. Say one deal brings in VND 150 million in commission fee. An agency paying VND 6 million a month (VND 72 million a year) plus 40% commission gives you 72 + 60 million × deals. At Realtique you earn 97.5 million × deals. You are VND 37.5 million ahead on every deal, so after about 2 deals a year the no-salary model has caught up, and the gap widens with each deal after that.
Annual income by number of deals (VND 150 million commission fee per deal)
Illustration: salaried agency at VND 6M/month + 40% commission; Realtique 65%. Before personal income tax. Commission rates and fee bases differ between agencies.
To be fair: if you find an agency that pays both a salary and 65% commission, on money alone that agency wins. The cost shows up elsewhere: fixed hours, targets set for you, and support for new agents that is often patchy. The rest of this article covers what you get at Realtique that a payslip does not show.
Which Should You Choose? Who Fits the No-Salary Model, and Who Does Not
We say this to candidates in the first meeting, because picking the wrong setup wastes time on both sides:
Realtique suits you if you
- ✓Have savings to live on for 3–6 months while you learn and find your first deal
- ✓Want income tied to results, with no salary cap
- ✓Can manage your own time without someone assigning tasks by the hour
- ✓Like learning, visiting projects, meeting clients and making your own content
- ✓Already have experience or a team and want to build your own system
Choose a salaried agency if you
- ✕Need fixed income from the first month to cover your costs
- ✕Have no savings to fall back on
- ✕Prefer office hours and daily targets set by a manager
- ✕Only want to try real estate for a few months
No option is right for everyone. But if you see real estate as a long-term career, your main income will come from commission sooner or later. Experienced agents rarely live on a base salary. The real question is where you want to learn the trade in your first years.
No Base Salary: What Do You Get Instead? Free Training From Day One
Joining Realtique means accepting no base salary. In exchange you get an open, sharing environment: strong agents teach new ones, nobody hides their methods, and you pay no tuition. What new consultants, and experienced ones too, get to learn:
On top of the shared schedule, each new consultant has a 1:1 mentor and trains on site at the projects. Nobody makes you sit in the office or clock in. You have peers at the same stage to learn with and keep each other going, and senior colleagues ready to show you the way. That is hard to find where everyone only worries about their own target.
See the team at work: a training session and an afternoon at the office
An in-house training session for new consultants · Photo: Realtique
Offices Near the Projects, Project Core Teams and Leads Supplied by the Company
You do not have to travel far every day. The network has offices in several areas, so you work from the office closest to the projects you sell: District 7 for the south of the city, Thao Dien and Thu Thiem for the east.
Offices you can work from
If you like a particular project, you can sign up for that project’s core team. Core team members get in-depth project training, staff the show unit and receive leads from the company’s own advertising. The company pays for marketing; you focus on advising and closing. For a newcomer without a client base, this is the fastest route to a first deal.
How Is Commission Split? Rates From 01/04/2026
The commission split applies to deals completed from 1 April 2026. Rates are calculated on the brokerage fee the company receives, after statutory taxes and fees and a VND 3 million support fee per unit. All rates include 10% personal income tax.
| Role | 1 team head above | 2 team heads above | 3 team heads above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant who closes the deal | 65% | 65% | 65% |
| Team leader | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Top-level team head | 3% | 2.5% | 1.25% |
| Middle team head | — | 3% | 2.5% |
| Direct team head (when there are 3 levels) | — | — | 3% |
| Person who referred the consultant | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Project in charge | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
Three things to get right:
- The 2% referral fee goes one level only. Refer someone and you earn 2% of every deal they close. If they refer someone else, that 2% goes to the direct referrer and does not pass up to you.
- Team heads share commission across at most 3 levels; a 4th level up receives nothing.
- With no team leader, the team head also takes that 2%.
Example: a branch with 3 levels of team heads, consultant Tu closes a deal
Whoever referred Tu earns another 2%. Names are examples.
Your best case on a single deal is 7%: the consultant closing the deal is someone you referred, sits directly in your team, and there is no team leader. You earn 3% management + the team leader’s 2% + 2% referral. If you are also the project in charge, deals on that project add 1.5%.
| The consultant who closes is in the team of | You earn |
|---|---|
| You (a consultant you referred, no team leader) | 7% |
| Lan (whom you recruited and promoted to team head) | 2.5% |
| Minh (whom Lan recruited and promoted to team head) | 1.25% |
| A team head promoted by Minh (4th level) | 0% |
2026 Career Path: From Consultant to Vice President
The new path applies from 15 May 2026. Consultants move straight up to team head; the team leader step is gone. From team head upwards, promotion no longer looks at personal sales but at the whole team’s sales and the number of team heads below you.
Requirements for each step
In later years you must keep at least 50% of the requirements, counted from the date the promotion takes effect.
Already a team head elsewhere? You can apply directly at management level, provided you meet the requirements within the set period after joining:
| Join directly as | Team sales | Direct team members |
|---|---|---|
| Team head | VND 2.25B | 12 consultants |
| Senior sales manager | VND 8B | 5 team heads |
| Director of sales | VND 12B | 5 team heads |
| Vice president | VND 60B | 15 team heads |
Already Lead a Team? Income Scenarios of VND 500 Million, 1 Billion and 2 Billion a Year
For experienced agents who already have a team, this model lets you build your own system: recruit people, coach them to their first deals, promote the strong ones to team head, and earn commission from the whole branch. That is the biggest difference from salaried agencies, which rarely have a multi-level team structure.
Assumptions: an average commission fee of VND 150 million per deal; each consultant who closes averages 2 deals a year. Per deal you earn VND 10.5 million from your direct team (7%), 3.75 million from level 2 (2.5%) and 1.875 million from level 3 (1.25%).
Three annual management-income scenarios (before tax)
Excludes your own deals, project-in-charge fees and bonuses. People = consultants who close deals.
When does team income start to matter? One deal you close yourself earns VND 97.5 million. To match that from management commission alone you need about 9 deals from your direct team, 26 from level 2 or 52 from level 3. Management income becomes meaningful when the whole branch closes about 10 deals a month. Relying on your direct team alone, VND 500 million a year takes 48 deals, around 24 people closing deals, which is more than one person can coach. So the sensible plan is to keep a strong direct team and promote one or two strong people to team head early.
Reward Trips and Other Bonus Programmes
Beyond commission, the company regularly runs sales contests: hit the target and you travel to Korea, Europe, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Some programmes currently running:
- Buddy bonus: team heads register groups of 4; when one member closes a deal, each of the other three receives VND 1 million.
- Licence fee refund: new consultants get their VND 600,000 broker licence exam fee back after their first successful deal.
- Recruitment bonuses tied to major project launches.
Reward trips and recognition
A team reward trip · Photo: Realtique
Straight Questions, Straight Answers: Stories From the Team
The four questions candidates ask most, answered by Realtique consultants themselves in a series of short clips: can an introvert do this job, how do you stay motivated before your first deal, what skills you need on day one, and how you learn from international experts.
Career stories series
Clips are in Vietnamese.
What You Need to Start
- A real estate broker practising certificate. Under Vietnam’s 2023 Law on Real Estate Business (Articles 61 and 66), from 1 June 2025 brokers must hold a certificate and practise through a licensed brokerage to receive commission. If you do not have one yet, you study and sit the exam in your first period; we show you how to register.
- Sign a collaborator contract with the company and name your referrer correctly in the candidate form.
- Attend the introduction session and onboarding, and get assigned a mentor.
- Choose a project or area to join its core team and start taking clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do real estate agents at Realtique get a base salary?
No. Realtique pays no base salary. Consultants keep 65% of the commission fee on each completed deal, set their own hours and do not clock in.
How much do salaried real estate agents in Vietnam earn?
Agencies that pay a base salary typically offer around VND 4–8 million a month depending on ability, plus commission of 30% to 65% depending on the agency, and expect 8 hours a day in the office.
What is the real estate agent commission at Realtique?
The consultant who closes keeps 65% of the brokerage fee the company receives (after taxes, fees and a VND 3 million support fee per unit), including 10% personal income tax. This applies to deals completed from 1 April 2026.
What do I get for referring someone?
You earn 2% of every deal that person closes. It goes one level only: if your referral refers someone else, that 2% goes to them.
How many levels of team heads share commission?
Up to 3 levels above the consultant who closes: the direct team head 3%, the next level 2.5%, the level above that 1.25%. A 4th level receives nothing.
How long until the first deal?
It depends on the person and the project. We advise candidates to have savings for 3–6 months. Joining the core team of a project in active sales is the fastest way to get clients and a first deal.
Can I start without a broker practising certificate?
You can join and start learning, but under the 2023 Law on Real Estate Business you need the certificate to receive commission. New consultants get their VND 600,000 exam fee refunded after their first deal.
⚠️ Note: Commission rates and the career path follow the policies effective 1 April 2026 and 15 May 2026 and may change at the company’s discretion. Income scenarios assume a VND 150 million commission fee per deal and are illustrations only, not an income guarantee. Figures for salaried agencies are common market ranges and vary by agency.
Want to know if this model suits you?
Leave your details and Realtique will set up a 30-minute conversation: where you are now, how much runway you need, and which project to start with. If it is not a fit, we will tell you straight.
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KC Pham
KC Pham personally interviews and coaches new consultants at Realtique, from their first deal to building a team of their own.
