Ms. Pham Thi Lan - a worker in Ninh Binh - said that from mid-May, the company announced an increase in working hours to 10.5 hours per day.
Although there were two mid-shift breaks, totaling 45 minutes, most workers only took advantage of about 30 minutes to eat and then return to work. Including preparation time, she works nearly 11 hours a day.
From mid-year is the busiest overtime time, usually until around November of the solar calendar to finish work. This is also the time we are most worried about because we have to work extra in hot weather conditions, which is very tiring and hard," Ms. Lan shared.
However, according to female workers, most workers want to have work to work overtime because this income greatly affects the end-of-month salary.
If only working full working hours, Ms. Lan's income reaches about 8 million VND/month. Thanks to rotating day and night shifts and regular overtime, plus allowances, her average income reaches about 12 million VND/month.
Ms. Lan said that previously, she still had to pay about 50,000 VND in personal income tax each month. After the new tax policy took effect from 2026, she is no longer subject to tax payment.
In particular, when she learned about the new regulation on personal income tax exemption for the higher salary paid for overtime work and night work, Ms. Lan was very excited. However, what makes her happiest is not for her own benefit but for the benefit of her son.
My son also works in rotation day and night shifts and overtime for 2-3 hours each day. He holds a higher position, earning about more than 17 million VND/month. The new policy helps him feel more secure at work, and his income is kept more to accumulate capital," Ms. Lan said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Bich Dao - a garment worker in Ninh Binh - said that in recent months the workload has increased significantly. The pressure to complete orders makes workers both have to go to work early and often come home late, and the time for families is reduced.
From May, we have to work overtime on two Sundays. At noon, many days we also take advantage of working to keep up with the plan. From June, if you don't want to go to work on Sundays, everyone has to arrange to go early and come home later than usual," Ms. Dao said.
According to Ms. Dao, official working hours start from 7:30 am and end at 6 pm.
However, the company opened the gate and workshop very early. The foreman and team leader often subtly remind workers to start working from about 7 am, and also work overtime from 30 minutes to an hour in the evening to keep up with the schedule.
The female worker explained that the reason for overtime is that the branch is facing a labor shortage, while the number of orders in the middle of the year increased sharply. Part of the orders from the corporation are also transferred to other branches to support production.
Regarding income, Ms. Dao said that according to the company's calculation, she is paid about 20,000 VND per hour of overtime; and still receives salary according to the completed product during overtime.
Working overtime from one to an hour and a half a day, Ms. Dao can receive an additional 1.2-2 million VND/month, depending on the unit price and production stage.
This income helps me feel more secure when taking care of tuition fees and expenses for my children," Ms. Dao shared.
