Vietnam set to raise minimum wages by 7.8%, with top rate at 7,300 baht a month

Vietnam’s National Wage Council has approved an average 7.8% increase in regional minimum wages, with the highest rate set to rise to 5.7 million dong, or around 7,300 baht per month. The proposal will be submitted to the Vietnamese prime minister for approval and is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Local news agency VnExpress reported that Vietnam’s National Wage Council agreed on Thursday to raise regional minimum wages by an average of 7.8%, with the new rates scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2027, pending approval by the prime minister.

Under the plan, monthly minimum wages in each region will increase by 310,000-390,000 dong, or around 400-500 baht.

This would lift the highest monthly minimum wage to 5.7 million dong, or around 7,300 baht, in Region I, Vietnam’s most economically developed and urbanised zone. This region includes key industrial and business hubs such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Da Nang.

Ngo Duy Hieu, vice-president of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, said the proposed wage increase would help workers earn enough to meet minimum living needs, while supporting Vietnam’s goal of achieving double-digit economic growth.

The report also cited Vietnam’s national statistics agency as saying that the country’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.38% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.

Vietnam, a key manufacturing base in Southeast Asia that continues to attract foreign investors because of its competitive labour costs, last raised its minimum wage in January this year.

Source: Krunthep Turakij