Most self-employed households operate with low profits, with nearly 97% relying on a single source of income.

Most self-employed households operate with low profit margins, while nearly 97% view this as their main or only source of income. This means that any policy changes directly affect their livelihoods. More than 73% of self-employed households report only small profits. Mr. Đậu Anh Tuấn, Deputy Secretary General of VCCI, said the survey was conducted from February to April 2026, with responses from over 1,000 self-employed households across 34 provinces and cities. "The picture we see is not very optimistic, but very real," he said. According to VCCI, the self-employed sector is a major component of the private sector, with about 6.1 million households by the end of 2025, employing nearly 10 million workers. Total tax revenue from this sector amounts to around 32,840 billion VND, equivalent to nearly 6.8% of total revenue from the non-state sector. Over 90% are concentrated in retail, and the main customers are individuals. Most households are very small in scale and depend on this income. Specifically, nearly 97% consider it their main or only source of income, so any policy change can directly affect livelihoods. About 74% of households report earning only modest profits in 2025. More than 81% report reduced revenue, 75% report fewer customers. Only 1.9% achieved "profit as expected". Notably, legal difficulties are the biggest obstacle. More than 73% of households say the biggest challenge lies in understanding and complying with regulations, higher than difficulties in the market or input costs. Compliance costs are also a significant pressure. On the implementation side, many households face difficulties in tax and accounting tasks. About 71% have difficulty collecting information to implement electronic invoicing; over 60% face issues with accounting for costs, tracking policies and filing taxes; more than 58% encounter difficulties in recordkeeping. With electronic invoicing, the biggest difficulty is handling errors, with more than half of households flustered by mistakes. Households led by older heads or with lower education levels face more challenges, especially in technical aspects. Concerns about compliance are also clear. About 71% say procedures remain complex, 68% worry about violation risks, 63% have difficulty updating regulations and high compliance costs. Nearly 60% lack tech skills, while 41% worry that issuing complete invoices could drive customers away. On current tax levels, nearly half of households think it is "relatively high", 22% deem it "too high", while only about 11% say it is appropriate. In addition, policy awareness remains limited, with nearly 34% only "have heard of it". Forecast: 2.5 million self-employed households are expected to be tax-exempt. Mr. Pham Ngoc Thach, Deputy Head of the Legal Department of VCCI, proposed prioritizing reduced complexity of tax, accounting, and electronic invoicing regulations to better fit the actual capacity of self-employed households, especially micro groups, those with low education levels and older age. Policy support tools should clearly identify priority groups; develop compliance tools with low costs and ease of use. Representatives of VCCI say that to grow self-employed households, the system must first be easier to comply with. Effective policy is not only stricter management, but policies that help households have enough confidence to survive, recover, and mature.