If a plan to raise the salaries of Vietnam’s lowest paid civil servants is approved, it will see their pay increase to no less than VND 5 million, about US$200 a month. This will be roughly in line with the region 1 minimum wage from July 1st but still quite far below the average wage of VND 7.6 million or US$304.61.
It’s difficult to see how a public servant can survive on the minimum salary, particularly in Vietnam’s biggest cities, without a side hustle. This serves to highlight why corruption is so prolific in Vietnam.