"Some days I only sleep four or five hours; the rest of the time I have to drive to earn a living wage," said Le Thi Tuyet Hoa, a two-wheeled vehicle driver for Grab, at a workshop on social welfare for gig economy drivers, organized by the TP HCM Labor Union's Consulting and Support Center for Workers on 15/9.

Female gig economy driver Le Thi Tuyet Hoa at the workshop, morning of 15/9. Photo: Le Tuyet

Female gig economy driver Le Thi Tuyet Hoa at the workshop, morning of 15/9. Photo: Le Tuyet

Hoa, a former factory worker, eight years ago faced frequent illness with her eldest daughter, who was in kindergarten. Each time the school called, she had to ask for leave to pick up her child. "I couldn't keep asking for time off, so I hoped to find a job with flexible hours to take my daughter to and from school," Hoa explained, recounting her entry into the driving profession.

"In the beginning, it was exactly like that," she recalled. However, after some time, the female driver realized that if she frequently turned off the app, refused, or canceled rides, the number of trips she received could decrease. Some days, close to her daughter's pickup time, she would be directed to a distant trip, wanting to cancel but fearing the loss of bonuses.

Currently seven months pregnant, Hoa still drives at least 10 hours daily to maintain an income of over 10 million VND. "I try to drive more to save for my delivery day. As a factory worker, I had maternity benefits through social insurance, but now as a driver, I have nothing, so I have to push myself," she said.

Similarly, Pham Mi Sen, Vice Chairman of the Binh Tan Gig Motorcycle Drivers' Union, entered the profession for its flexibility. After more than 10 years of driving, he believes the initial appeal was the freedom from fixed working hours.

However, according to Sen, "this flexibility comes at a very high cost." If a driver works only about eight hours daily, their monthly revenue is roughly 6 million VND, before deducting fuel, vehicle maintenance, and other costs. To earn an income equivalent to someone working a full eight-hour day in a company, drivers must double, or even triple, their working hours.

Meanwhile, fares have not increased in line with living costs. In 2015, drivers received approximately 3,000 VND per kilometer, but now some trips pay only about 2,000 VND per kilometer. Rising fuel, food, and other expenses force drivers to work more to compensate for the reduced income.

"To offset the decrease in income, drivers have to work longer hours," he stated. Some single mothers start at 5h and finish at 22h, with almost no days off, stopping only when ill.

Gig economy drivers on a street in central TP HCM. Photo: Thanh Tung

Gig economy drivers on a street in central TP HCM. Photo: Thanh Tung

Associate Professor Doctor Nguyen Duc Loc, Director of the Institute for Social Life Research, calls this the paradox of the "dream of autonomy." His 2020 study of 400 drivers in TP HCM revealed that 64,3% chose the profession for its time flexibility, while only 15,5% chose it for high income. This indicates that time autonomy was once the profession's greatest appeal.

"However, drivers do not truly control their entire working time," Loc noted.

The study found that drivers lack the ability to negotiate fares, commission rates, or ride distribution methods. Commission rates are recorded at approximately 20-30% of each trip's revenue, while drivers bear the costs of fuel, maintenance, and vehicle insurance.

Similarly, a quick survey of 140 drivers by the TP HCM Labor Union's Consulting and Support Center for Workers showed that nearly 94% view gig driving as their primary job and have been involved for many years. More than 35% work over 10 hours daily. To achieve an income of about 15 million VND per month, many must drive continuously for 13-15 hours with almost no days off.

According to Phung Thai Quang, Vice Chairman of the TP HCM Labor Federation and Director of the Center, if one only considers the 15 million VND figure, a driver's income may not seem low. However, when considering working hours, and after deducting fuel, depreciation, repairs, and other costs, the actual take-home pay is significantly lower.

Beyond income pressure, drivers also face traffic accidents, robbery, fraud, and harassment. The survey reported that nearly 74% had experienced road collisions, and over 65% had encountered fraud, robbery, or harassment. Among those surveyed, 88% desire an appropriate mechanism to participate in mandatory social insurance, and nearly 93% want their profession and legal status to be recognized.

Gig motorcycle drivers in TP HCM, 4/2026. Photo: Quynh Tran

Gig motorcycle drivers in TP HCM, 4/2026. Photo: Quynh Tran

**A separate legal framework is needed for gig economy drivers**

Doctor Dinh Thi Chien, a lecturer at the TP HCM University of Law, suggests that Vietnam could explore a distinct legal framework for platform workers, rather than forcing them into one of two categories: "employees" or "self-employed individuals."

This framework could stipulate minimum rights, such as guaranteed reasonable income, limits on safe working hours, accident insurance, and mandatory social welfare. It should also require platforms to be transparent with algorithms, explain decisions regarding account handling, and establish mechanisms for collective bargaining.

Another requirement is for platforms to monitor continuous activity time, issue warnings when drivers show signs of fatigue, and avoid designing bonus schemes or algorithms that encourage working beyond safe limits. For transport and delivery drivers, studying limits on operating hours or mandatory rest periods could be beneficial.

Associate Professor Doctor Nguyen Duc Loc proposes regulating a daily online time cap and establishing a reconciliation mechanism between platforms, as one driver might use multiple applications simultaneously. He also recommends including platform-based transport and delivery workers under mandatory social insurance, but with specific regulations on contribution levels, payment methods, and income thresholds for contributions.

Another option is to implement social welfare contributions per trip or based on generated income, instead of requiring drivers to pay a fixed amount themselves. In this scenario, platforms could share the contribution obligation per trip, a method some countries are already using to protect platform workers.

From the business side, Hoang Cong Huan, Director of Business Development and Strategic Projects at Be Group, stated that the company agrees with developing social welfare policies and mandatory social insurance for drivers. However, he emphasized that such policies require a clear roadmap and appropriate methods to ensure sustainability.

Phung Thai Quang announced that the TP HCM Labor Union's Consulting and Support Center for Workers, along with relevant parties, will advocate for platforms to make algorithms transparent, promote negotiation mechanisms for commission rates, and expand mandatory social insurance for gig economy drivers.

"Workers need to be protected in proportion to their contributions to the platform economy," Quang asserted.

Le Tuyet