"How much is a website?" is a bit like asking "how much is a house?" A tidy studio and a multi-storey office are both buildings, but nobody would quote them the same. In Vietnam you will see websites priced anywhere from a few million dong to a few hundred million, and both ends can be reasonable.
Instead of throwing out a single number, this guide explains where the cost actually comes from, what is worth paying for, what can wait, and how to read a quote so there are no surprises later.
What you are actually paying for
Every website has two kinds of cost: building it (a one-off) and keeping it running (recurring). Most people ask about the first and get caught off guard by the second.
Design
This is the part you see: layout, colours, type, imagery and how everything behaves on a phone. You can go two ways:
- Template-based: faster and cheaper, but your site may look like plenty of others, and you sometimes bend your needs to fit the template.
- Custom design: more work up front, but the result fits your brand and the way your customers actually buy.
Neither is always right. A new bakery can launch perfectly well on a clean template. A manufacturer pitching overseas buyers usually benefits from more considered design.
Development and features
This decides what the site can *do*: contact forms, carts, payments, multiple languages, search, product filters, integrations with your sales software. Each feature needs building and testing, so this is usually where prices diverge the most.
A content management system (CMS)
If you want to publish articles, change prices or swap a banner without calling a developer, you need an admin panel. A good CMS quietly saves you a lot of small change requests over the years.
Content
Copy, photos, video, translation. It is the most overlooked line item, and a beautiful site with thin content still struggles to sell. Ask early whether content help is included or whether you are expected to supply everything.
Domain, hosting and maintenance
- Domain: renewed yearly.
- Hosting: where the site lives, also recurring.
- Maintenance: security updates, backups and fixes.
When comparing quotes, ask what year two costs, not just year one.
Typical budget tiers
It helps to think in terms of goals rather than prices. Here is how Bina groups common needs, with our current starting prices:
A quick-launch landing page
For one focused page to introduce a product, run ads or collect enquiries. Bina's Quick Launch package starts at around $200. Not sure how a landing page differs from a full site? See What is a landing page?.
Business and e-commerce sites with a CMS
For companies that need several pages (about, services, projects, news) or shops that manage products. Bina's Business and E-commerce packages start at around $400, depending on pages and features.
Custom systems
Dealer portals, complex booking flows, multiple integrations: nobody can quote these accurately on day one. We talk the problem through first, then quote against a clearly defined scope.
Every package includes a free domain and hosting for the first year. Full details are on our Services page.
Why quotes for "the same website" vary so much
Getting three quotes that differ fivefold is common. The usual reasons:
- Different scope. "A 5-page website" versus "a 5-page website with copywriting, photography, basic SEO and admin training" sound alike but are very different jobs.
- Different methods. Dropping text into a theme is not the same as designing, optimising for speed and testing across devices.
- Middlemen. When a project passes through a salesperson and a project manager before reaching the person who builds it, cost and time go up and details get lost. At Bina, the person you talk to is the person who understands and builds your site.
- Support after launch. Some vendors disappear at handover; others help with fixes, training and future growth. It rarely shows on the quote, but you feel it for years.
Hidden costs to ask about upfront
Before signing, ask:
- Is content included? Who writes the copy and sources the images?
- How many revision rounds are included, and how are extra changes billed?
- What will I pay in year two for domain, hosting and maintenance?
- Who owns the domain and the code? (The domain should be registered to you.)
- How will future features be priced?
- Will I get admin access and a walkthrough?
A transparent provider answers these clearly and in writing.
Getting more from a smaller budget
Start from the goal, not the feature list
What should the site achieve in the next six months: more enquiries, online sales, or credibility with partners? A clear goal makes it easy to drop the nice-to-haves.
Build in phases
You do not need everything on launch day. Ship the pages that matter most, watch what visitors care about, then expand. Your money goes where it actually works.
Prepare content early
Missing content is the most common reason projects stall. The sooner your logo, product photos, service details and pricing are ready, the faster and smoother the build.
Don't cut corners on speed and mobile
Most visitors arrive on a phone. A slow or broken mobile experience loses them, no matter how good the desktop version looks.
How to read a quote
A trustworthy quote usually lists:
- Specific pages and features, not just "complete website package".
- A timeline for each phase.
- The number of revision rounds.
- What is out of scope.
- Running costs after year one.
If all you get is a single total, ask for the breakdown. Clarity at the start saves both sides a lot of friction later.
The bottom line
A website's cost is not one number. It is the sum of scope, quality and the support you get. The smartest way to save is not to pick the cheapest offer but to know what you need and choose the right scope.
Curious where your project fits? Send Bina a short description. We will talk it through directly, suggest a sensible scope and give you an itemised quote, with no strings attached.