Have you read this article on the increase of minimum wage in Vietnam?  So as of May 1, the minimum wage is now at 1,050,000 VND or 50 USD per month.  Yup, that small.  No wonder that an expat can hire househelp here.

I have local help around the house who just comes in at 8 AM and leaves at 5:30 PM from Mondays through Fridays.  She comes in on Saturdays sometimes up to noon only.  I pay more than the minimum wage because she —

– speaks English

– knows how to take care of my toddler

– highly recommended by friends

– does housework superbly

– reliable

– trustworthy — I think the weight of why I pay higher than the minimum wage boils down to her being trustworthy, especially since I have a toddler she looks after.

She even does my grocery and pays my bills.

And yes, I pay her a TET bonus.

Here’s how much some expats I know pay for local help —

– 30,000 – 40,000 VND per hour

– 2-3 million VND: 4 hours a day, Monday – Friday

Again, this is for local help.  The price differs for foreign help.

It’s way cheaper to teach your kids to help around the house! 😀