Mr. Hau currently rents a room in Hau Duong village, Thien Loc commune (Hanoi City).
More than 20 years working as a worker far from home, he is used to a frugal life, but in recent years, the spending problem has become increasingly difficult to manage when income has to be divided into too many compulsory expenses.
Currently, Mr. Hau's salary is about 16 million VND per month. However, as an out-of-province worker, he has to pay for his own rent, living expenses, and children's education and still has to send money back to his hometown to help his family. After deducting fixed expenses, the remaining amount to accumulate is insignificant.
The salary looks okay, but every month there are too many expenses. House rent, electricity and water bills, food bills, and money sent home... divided into portions are almost all gone" - Mr. Hau shared.
In the cramped rented room, all items are neatly arranged, saving maximum space. He said that the life of workers away from home is not only hard because of work but also because of constant financial pressure. Just one unexpected expense arises, the monthly spending plan can be disrupted.
Not only Mr. Hau, the story of "smashing" salaries is also a common reality for many workers working in industrial parks around Hanoi.
Ms. Ha Thi Huyen (from Nghe An) and her husband have been working as workers at Thang Long Industrial Park for nearly 4 years. Both work, but the family's income still has to be allocated to many obligations at the same time: rent, living expenses, and especially the amount to send back to the hometown to raise young children and support elderly parents.
Each month, my husband and I send nearly 8 million VND back to my hometown. Room rent is 1.4 million VND, not including electricity, water, food, incurred illnesses, weddings and funerals. After dividing all expenses, the remaining amount is not much" - Ms. Huyen said.
According to her, having to leave her children to go to work is already a big disadvantage, so she and her husband always prioritize the income sent back to their hometown first, then consider their own expenses. This makes the monthly financial plan always in a state of struggling, making it difficult to have room for long-term accumulation.
A survey by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor shows that the average income of workers in 2025 reached 8.4 million VND/month; in enterprises alone, the average salary reached about 9.76 million VND/month.
However, for the group of out-of-province workers, non-salary expenses such as rent, travel, childcare and family support make the actual remaining income for personal expenses much lower than the statistics.
In that context, many workers are forced to make detailed spending plans for each week, even each day. Each amount is calculated in advance: how much for room rent, how much for food, how much to send home. Just one expense exceeding the estimate, other expenses will have to be adjusted accordingly.
This reality makes it difficult for many workers, even after working for many years, to accumulate a significant amount of money. Buying a house, worrying about the long-term future or taking precautions when sick or losing their jobs are still distant goals for many people.
