The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) is firmly committed to developing human resource policies oriented toward sustainable economic growth and social equity, fully aligned with the principles of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has established clear policies and demonstrates a strong institutional commitment to eliminating all forms of discrimination in the workplace, including those based on religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, or migration and refugee status. Based on these policies, UEH is strongly committed to eliminating all forms of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour. These commitments are integrated across UEH’s entire system of human resource management policies, relevant public policies, and internal codes of conduct, forming part of the institution’s ethical culture and governance framework.
UEH complies with Law No. 73/2006/QH11 on Gender Equality issued by the Government, under which men and women are treated equally in the workplace in terms of employment, wages, bonuses, social insurance, working conditions, and all other aspects of employment. The university is committed to maintaining a working environment free from sexual harassment and any form of discrimination.
UEH further commits to ensuring that all academic and administrative staff members receive wages that not only meet legal requirements but also exceed the international standard of a living wage, enabling quality of life and economic productivity. The university’s equal pay policy is a core principle within its broader social policies, which emphasize transparency, fairness, and sustainable employment practices. All UEH employees are entitled to fair remuneration and equitable benefits, regardless of gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, religion, or migration/refugee status. Through these mechanisms, UEH contributes to the advancement of decent work, productive employment, and inclusive economic growth, reinforcing its role as a socially responsible institution that promotes stable jobs, secure work, and well-paid employment opportunities in the higher-education sector.
UEH consistently implements a wide range of attractive human resource policies and incentive schemes to attract both domestic and international talents, including experts, scientists, and lecturers, who can contribute to building a multi-disciplinary and sustainable university, thereby advancing a comprehensive and inclusive education system for Vietnam. The salary levels paid by UEH to its faculty members, staff, and employees are significantly higher than the regional minimum wage stipulated by Vietnamese law and are fairly adjusted according to qualifications, work experience, and professional position. UEH ensures no discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, reflecting its strong commitment to labour rights, equal pay, and decent work for all. In addition to regular income based on the State’s salary framework, all staff members receive supplementary income from UEH, ensuring that their total earnings exceed both the regional minimum wage and the living cost standards in Ho Chi Minh City, thus contributing to quality jobs and improved quality of life.
Furthermore, UEH provides comprehensive housing support policies to help employees reduce financial burdens and maintain stable employment. The UEH Hotel, known as the “Knowledge Hotel,” offers full facilities and services to accommodate experts, researchers, and lecturers during their working visits. To facilitate teaching, research, and collaboration, UEH Hotel implements several preferential policies, including:
A. Full (100%) accommodation support for staff, lecturers, and working delegations from UEH’s branch campuses when on official duty in Ho Chi Minh City;
B. 20% accommodation discount for UEH’s officers, staff, and students during study or research stays.
The UEH Vinh Long Campus also provides housing support policies for faculty and employees, including on-campus dormitories fully equipped for living, teaching, studying, and research. The dormitories’ proximity to the campus teaching and administrative buildings reduces travel costs and personal vehicle use, reinforcing UEH’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental protection. For faculty and staff who prefer to live off-campus, UEH Vinh Long offers an additional housing allowance of 1,500,000 VND per month per employee as a form of financial support and encouragement, ensuring their comfort and motivation in carrying out their professional responsibilities.
Monitoring and ensuring gender pay equity
At UEH, wage payments are systematically monitored, recorded, and evaluated to ensure fairness, transparency, and equality across all employment categories.
The University maintains a collective consultation mechanism for salary and benefit policies to guarantee inclusive participation, transparency, and democratic decision-making in line with the principles of decent work and labour rights. In 2024, UEH continued to review and refine its salary and welfare policies, ensuring full compliance with national public policy frameworks while safeguarding the income rights of all staff and employees. These reviews are conducted under the principles of fairness, openness, and transparency, consistent with:
A. Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW dated May 21, 2018 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on reforming salary policies for officials, civil servants, public employees, armed forces personnel, and workers in enterprises;
- Plan No. 1083/KH-ĐHKT-QTNNL dated December 20, 2023 on the reform of salary policies at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH)
- Announcement regarding the payment of salaries, salary-based allowances, and UEH income for February 2024, including Tet (Lunar New Year) bonus payments at the Ho Chi Minh City campus.
These policies and plans reflect UEH’s commitment to democratic governance in implementing policies that directly affect employees’ financial welfare, ensuring compliance with the State’s salary reform agenda while guaranteeing that no employee’s income falls below their existing salary level.
UEH also operates a gender pay-gap monitoring system, comparing salary levels between men and women across all job categories (lecturers, researchers, and administrative/support staff). Wage data are compiled and analyzed annually by the Human Resources and Organisation Development Department, aiming to:
+ Determine the Gender Pay Gap (%) within each professional group;
+ Ensure transparency and accountability by reporting analysis results to all staff members and university leadership;
+ Enable timely policy adjustments: If any unjustified disparities are identified, UEH will review and revise salary scales or introduce additional benefit mechanisms to restore equal pay and maintain a fair, inclusive, and sustainable work environment.
In practice, the minimum income paid by UEH is approximately VND 15,000,000 per month, covering 100% of staff, nearly three times higher than the regional minimum wage in Ho Chi Minh City (≈ VND 5,000,000/month under Decree No. 74/2024/ND-CP). When converted to the standard working time of 176 hours per month, this corresponds to approximately VND 85,000/hour.
Comparison with the living wage standard:
+ According to the Global Living Wage Coalition (2025), the living wage for Region 1 (Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City) is approximately VND 9,294,701 per month (≈ VND 52,800/hour).
+ Based on a cost-of-living survey in Ho Chi Minh City (“Tuoi Tre” Newspaper, February 17, 2025), a family of four requires around VND 18–22 million per month to maintain a basic standard of living, equivalent to VND 9–11 million per month per worker.
Therefore, the minimum income at UEH (VND 15 million/month; VND 85,000/hour) is 35–65% higher than the living wage and significantly exceeds the regional minimum wage. This demonstrates that UEH not only meets but surpasses the living wage standard, reaffirming its commitment to building a sustainable, fair, and humane working environment that ensures decent work, quality jobs, and a high quality of life for all employees.
Importantly, UEH has begun implementing monitoring and analysis of salary levels across gender groups to prevent inequality. Additionally, UEH has also started to monitor the gender pay gap and will publish the official figures in its 2025 annual human resources report. This provides clear evidence of UEH’s commitment to measuring and eliminating the gender pay gap across the institution. It confirms that UEH not only complies with Vietnamese laws (Law No. 73/2006/QH11 on Gender Equality; Labor Code No. 45/2019/QH14) but also advances toward international standards of labour rights, equal pay, and inclusive economic growth, aligned with the principles of SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Open related links:
1. January 27, 2025 – The Implementation of Human Resource Policies Linked to the 17 SDGs in terms of Intellectual Contribution to Sustainable Development – https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-implementation-of-human-resource-policies-linked-to-the-17-sdgs-in-terms-of-intellectual-contribution-to-sustainable-development-73372
2. Law No. 73/2006/QH11 of the National Assembly: Law on Gender Equality – https://chinhphu.vn/default.aspx?pageid=27160&docid=28975
3. UEH Portal – Employee benefits – https://tuyendung.ueh.edu.vn/che-do-dai-ngo
4. December 20, 2023 – Plan regarding the Reform of the Salary Policy at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LYMSQawX2DzNEXJhsSh0X3m6aauQplyM/view
5. January 15, 2024 – Announcement regarding the payment of salaries, salary-based allowances, and UEH income for February 2024 – https://ueh.edu.vn/images/upload/editer/20251029103756_169.2024_TB%20thanh%20toan%20phuc%20loi,%20thu%20nhap%20bo%20sung%20nhan%20dip%20Tet%20Nguyen%20dan%202024%20tai%20co%20so%20TP.%20HCM.pdf
6. June 30, 2024 – Decree No. 74/2024/ND-CP: Prescribing statutory minimum wages paid to employees working under employment contracts – https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/EN/Lao-dong-Tien-luong/Decree-74-2024-ND-CP-statutory-minimum-wages-paid-to-employees-working-under-employment-contracts/615750/tieng-anh.aspx
7. Living Wage for Minimum Wage Region 1, Vietnam – https://www.globallivingwage.org/living-wage-benchmarks/living-wage-for-minimum-wage-region-1-vietnam/
8. February 17, 2025 – A family of four in Ho Chi Minh City, how much income is needed to cover expenses? – https://www.vietnam.vn/en/gia-dinh-bon-nguoi-tai-tp-hcm-can-muc-thu-nhap-bao-nhieu-de-dam-bao-chi-tieu
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