Starting salary level at low - medium level
According to the Hanoi Employment Service Center, based on surveys and information collection of 3,429 job seekers' records of the center in January 2026, it shows that: The desired salary level of workers from 5-10 million VND/month accounts for 63.4%; from 10-20 million VND/month accounts for 20%; salary level over 20 million VND/month accounts for 2%. The professional and technical qualifications of job seekers are mainly concentrated in the group without training, accounting for 43.2%.
Notably, not only untrained workers looking for jobs with salaries of 5-10 million VND, many businesses "offer" recruitment salaries to bachelors, workers with degrees but not much experience at 7-8 million VND/month.
Ms. Doan Thi Ngoc Tu has 2 years of experience working as an accountant at a private enterprise in Thanh Xuan ward (Hanoi), lost her job in November 2025. Ms. Tu used to receive a salary of 8.5 million VND/month. After losing her job, Ms. Tu looked for opportunities in many places but most only offered a starting salary of about 7 million VND/month.
Businesses do not appreciate the 2-year experience I have at a private company. Not to mention, they dislike my college degree and affirm that they can recruit a bachelor of university with this salary, and then provide further training," Ms. Tu said.
Recorded from the recruitment market, the common starting salary for new graduates currently ranges from 6–8 million VND/month, depending on the industry and region. For industries that require high skills or work in shifts, with overtime, the income may be slightly higher, but reaching the 20 million VND/month mark immediately after graduation is not easy.
The income figure of 20 million VND/month often appears in the group of workers with 1-3 years of experience, working in specific fields, with high pressure or associated with revenue and performance. Attaching this income milestone to the time of "graduation" makes many students fall into a state of disappointment when entering the labor market," said Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center.
Also according to Mr. Thanh, there is a common misunderstanding that many workers equate basic salary with total income. In fact, the level of 20 million VND/month that many young people achieve often includes fixed salary, KPI bonuses, commissions, overtime or overtime income. This is especially clear in fields such as business, marketing, information technology...
For new graduates, not being used to work pressure, not having a customer network, and not mastering professional skills make the ability to generate high income from the beginning very limited. Many cases have to trade for long working hours, high intensity and high occupational risks," Mr. Thanh added.
High income comes with pressure and large elimination
Mr. Tran Dinh Anh Minh - Human Resources Director of Phu Binh Nguyen Group (Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi) said that the core reason why the income of 20 million VND/month is not for the majority lies in the gap between training and business needs. Many graduates with good theoretical foundations lack practical skills, teamwork skills, problem-solving thinking or quick adaptability.
Businesses are willing to pay high salaries to those who "do it right away", creating clear value. For new graduates, the process of "re-learning" in the working environment is almost mandatory, meaning that income must start from a lower level to accumulate experience. Not to mention, industries that are likely to achieve income of 20 million VND/month early are often areas with high turnover rates. Not everyone can withstand the intensity of work, KPI pressure, and continuous skill updates," Mr. Minh affirmed.
Reality shows that, besides successful people, there are many young workers who leave the industry early due to exhaustion, stress, or failure to meet requirements. This explains why high incomes are only concentrated in small groups – those who are capable, persistent, and willing to trade.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs, said that income of 20 million VND/month should be considered a medium-term destination, instead of a starting point. To achieve this level, workers need time to accumulate skills, experience, build professional prestige and value creation ability.
According to Ms. Huong, cases of high income immediately after graduation often have a common point: studying earlier than the program, internship from year 2-3, working part-time in the right industry, possessing rare skills or having a clear career orientation from an early age. This is a minority, not a common path.
In the context of a competitive labor market, adjusting income expectations from the beginning is necessary. Instead of focusing heavily on salary figures, new graduates should focus on job quality, learning opportunities and development environment. A moderate salary, but helping to accumulate skills and practical experience, will be a solid foundation for income breakthroughs in the future," Ms. Huong said.
