ETF Versus

BND vs VWO

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund vs Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

BND Vanguard

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (BND) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the broad U.S. investment-grade bond market. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.93%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $150.4B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.93% Since: Apr 3, 2007
VWO Vanguard

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.76%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $107.3B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.76% Since: Mar 4, 2005

Quick Verdict

BND has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.06%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VWO has significantly outperformed with a 19.4% return vs -0.0%. Income investors may prefer BND for its higher yield (3.9% vs 2.8%).

Key Metrics

Metric BND VWO
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 2.8%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Aggregate Bond Emerging Markets

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 75 85 95 105 115 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
BND -13.3%
VWO +3.0%

Performance Comparison

Period BND VWO Difference
1 Month -1.63% -5.29% +3.66%
3 Months -0.84% -1.31% +0.47%
6 Months -1.20% -1.06% -0.14%
YTD -0.84% -1.31% +0.47%
1 Year -0.03% +19.38% -19.41%
3 Years -0.73% +33.62% -34.35%
5 Years -13.29% +3.00% -16.29%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BND Fees VWO Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $120 $60
$10.000 20 years $258 $515 $257
$10.000 30 years $835 $1.664 $828
$50.000 10 years $299 $598 $299
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $8.318 $4.142
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $16.637 $8.285

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BND VWO
Annualized Volatility 6.0% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -21.7% -35.9%
Sharpe Ratio -1.19 -0.14

Dividend Comparison

Metric BND VWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.88 $1.45
Dividend Yield 3.92% 2.68%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

VWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233012.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24540.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.75%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BND if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose VWO if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose BND if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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