Thanks to that, the income of many workers has also improved, exceeding the 10 million VND/month mark.
At a garment company in Ninh Binh, working hours are adjusted from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm instead of 5 pm as before. The new regulation applies from March 16, helping the total working time of workers increase to an average of 9.5 hours per day.
Ms. Pham Thi Thao - a garment worker here - said that the workshop manager has announced that large orders must be completed in April, while the number of personnel has not changed, so each person is forced to work overtime for about 1.5 hours/day to ensure progress.
After Tet, we only get to rest for about two to three weeks before entering the overtime period. This year is also the same, but we only increase overtime by 1.5 hours, so we can still meet the demand," Ms. Thao shared.
According to her, the peak production period usually falls in the period from mid-May to September. At that time, most workers have to work until 7:30 pm every day, including mid-shift breaks, the total working time can exceed 10 hours/day.
Regarding income, Ms. Thao said that the salary is mainly calculated based on output. Overtime is currently supported with 15,000 VND/hour; if working after 7 pm, workers get an extra snack.
Although the support level is not high, thanks to regular overtime, her income can increase by about 1.5 million VND per month, raising the total salary to over 10 million VND/month.
I just hope the company keeps the current overtime level. Parting work at 6:30 pm is reasonable so that we can take care of cooking for the family, teaching our children, and have time to rest and restore health," Ms. Thao said.
In Hai Phong, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong - a worker at an packaging company - is also experiencing a peak period of overtime.
From the beginning of March, businesses adjusted working hours from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, causing the total working hours per day to increase to about 10 hours.
In the first week, everyone was tired because they had to work 2 more hours a day. But in the second week, most people were used to the new working pace," Ms. Phuong said.
Unlike many places, overtime at Ms. Phuong's company is paid at 150% compared to normal working hours.
In addition, from the beginning of 2026, the enterprise has increased the basic salary from 4.3 million VND to 5 million VND/month to retain workers. Thanks to this, Ms. Phuong's income has now reached the threshold of 10 million VND/month.
According to the female worker, the increase in basic wages helps workers feel secure and stick with them for a long time, and at the same time creates motivation for them to be willing to work overtime when businesses have many orders.
Although her income has improved, Ms. Phuong still hopes that working hours will only be maintained at 10 hours/day, not longer. At the age of 51, she said that sitting and working for a long time is prone to bone and joint diseases, not to mention the environment with a lot of paper dust affects her health.
The current amount of time is just enough to have extra income while still maintaining health to work for a long time," Ms. Phuong shared.
