Jung Young Sook, 49, was killed on the spot as an armed man broke into their home at around 2 a.m., said police in Tan Phong Ward.
Her husband Yoon Sang Yong, 50, and their 16-year-old daughter were also attacked and suffered serious injuries.
Their neighbors and construction workers in the area were alerted by their screams and called the police, who rushed the husband and daughter to hospital.
The burglar escaped with their car, which was found by the police two hours later, burned at an unused field next to the Thu Thiem Bridge in District 2, 10 kilometers away.
Police are looking for the suspect. They have not identified the motive of the attack.