A National Assembly deputy has proposed recognizing them as a special category of informal worker, with policies to ensure their social security.

The National Assembly on April 24 discussed the supplementary assessment of the 2025 socio-economic development and state budget plan, as well as implementation in the early months of 2026.

Deputy Chau Quynh Dao (An Giang delegation) highlighted the role of state-run lottery operations in socio-economic development, noting their high, stable profits and low financial risk. In essence, lottery functions like a “voluntary tax,” where people choose to buy hope, while local budgets directly benefit.

According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2025 alone, 21 lottery companies in southern Vietnam generated over VND155,500 billion in revenue and contributed nearly VND52,000 billion to the state budget. This funding plays a major role in local development and social welfare.

However, the deputy pointed to the reality behind these figures. From a behavioral economics perspective, lottery spending tends to affect low-income groups more, as buyers are often those seeking a life-changing opportunity. Sellers are typically elderly individuals, women, children in difficult circumstances, or people with disabilities.

As for legal gaps, Dao noted there are currently no clear regulations requiring a portion of profits to directly support street lottery vendors, who are informal workers.

The relationship between vendors and agents or companies is purely transactional. They have no labor contracts, no social insurance, and no health insurance. Despite doing legitimate work under harsh conditions without days off, they are not formally recognized as part of the industry’s value chain.

In addition, legal caps on commissions unintentionally limit their income. With commissions of about VND1,000 per ticket, a vendor must sell around 200 tickets per day to earn just over VND200,000.

Government Decree 30/2007 stipulates three distribution channels: direct sales, agents, and electronic devices. However, street vendors usually operate under sub-agents and lack clear protection of their rights.

“The Party and State’s consistent view is that economic development must go hand in hand with social progress and equity. The social security system must be inclusive and flexible,” Dao said.

She proposed recognizing lottery vendors as a special informal labor group eligible for social insurance. They should be supported in accessing voluntary social insurance, with partial contributions subsidized by lottery company welfare funds and the state budget.

Call for law on private-sector development

Deputy Pham Trong Nhan (HCMC delegation) cited a government report showing GDP growth of 8.02 percent in 2025. This growth was driven not only by the state and FDI sectors but also by the resilience of the private sector, which contributes around 51 percent of GDP annually, over 30 percent of state budget revenue, more than 82 percent of jobs, and nearly 60 percent of total investment of the society.

However, many businesses continue to exit the market. Despite contributing over half of GDP, the private sector accounts for only about 30 percent of exports, with the remainder dominated by Foreign Direct Investment.

Nhan noted that elevating the private sector from “an important driver” to “the most important driver of the economy” is a major shift in thinking. Yet, there has never been an annual National Assembly report on the implementation of private sector rights.

At the Central Conference issuing Resolution No68, the Party General Secretary and President To Lam directed the creation of a fair ecosystem to allow the private economy to break through, forming private corporations capable of participating in key infrastructure, high technology, and strategic sectors.

The deputy urged the National Assembly to include in its legislative agenda a foundational framework law on ensuring the right to private sector development. 

This law would not regulate specific business activities or provide selective incentives, but instead establish core principles for protecting rights, ensuring legal stability and predictability, and serving as a foundation for consistent implementation across sectoral laws.

Nhan cited South Korea’s Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act enacted in 1980, which created the institutional foundation for the private economy to develop alongside large corporations, laying the groundwork for the Miracle on the Han River.

"We are at a very special moment in the country's development history with the goals set by the General Secretary and President, and the determination of the Prime Minister and the entire political system striving for double-digit growth.

“The National Assembly needs to open a new chapter for the journey of rising up with a foundational law for the private economy, to move from promises to an institutional regime, from guidelines to legal guarantees, so that the sector identified as the most important driver has the substantive capacity to create development," Nhan said.

Vu Diep