Can apps care? Rethinking wellbeing for Vietnam’s ride-hailing workers

RMIT lecturer Dr Divya Juneja explores the mental health costs of ride-hailing work in Vietnam and asks whether digital platforms can redesign their algorithms to better support worker wellbeing.

When algorithms manage people: The mental toll on ride-hailing workers

In Vietnam’s rapidly growing gig economy, ride-hailing workers are not just navigating traffic, they are working under the constant direction of algorithms. These systems assign jobs, track performance, and determine income in real time, effectively acting as “virtual managers.” While platform work is often promoted as flexible, the reality is far more demanding, shaped by continuous time pressure, strict performance metrics, and high uncertainty. 

Every decision, whether to accept a ride, rush through traffic, or keep working despite exhaustion, is influenced by what the app rewards. Acceptance rates, delivery speed, and customer ratings directly affect earnings, creating a system where efficiency consistently takes priority over rest, safety, and wellbeing. 

At the same time, workers face constant digital surveillance and financial anxiety. A single negative rating can trigger penalties or reduce future job opportunities, forcing workers to suppress frustration and maintain composure in all situations.

In Vietnam’s rapidly growing gig economy, ride-hailing workers are working under the constant direction of algorithms. (Photo: Unsplash)

Studies have shown that algorithms often lack “personalisation”, treating workers as interchangeable data points rather than individuals with unique needs. This dehumanised approach creates emotional exhaustion in workers. Social isolation intensifies this pressure: the lack of peer support removes a critical recovery system from work-related stress, increasing risk of loneliness and depressive symptoms.

In Vietnam, ride-hailing and delivery workers form the backbone of last-mile services in big cities, yet they do so in high-risk conditions. For example, a 2023 study reported that more than half of food delivery riders in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi experienced non-fatal crashes within a year, highlighting the physical toll of speed-driven work. 

Despite being central to the platform economy, they remain highly replaceable and largely unsupported. Unlike traditional employees, they have no managers to check in on their wellbeing, no structured mental health resources, and limited ability to contest unfair decisions.

This creates what many describe as a “pressure cooker” environment that produces stress, fatigue, burnout, and a persistent sense of insecurity. These conditions could result in health-compromising behaviours, such as alcohol and cigarette consumption, lack of sleep, and loss of appetite.

Can technology protect the wellbeing of ride-hailing workers?

Addressing the problem requires more than small design tweaks. It calls for a combined shift in both platform practices and Vietnam’s public policy.

On the technology side, platforms can begin by using their existing systems more responsibly, such as adding wellbeing nudges to the apps to remind workers to rest, hydrate, or slow down after long hours. This can act as a first layer of support. Practical features, like integrating maps of rest areas or informal charging stations for electric vehicles, can also improve daily working conditions. 

However, these interventions must go beyond surface-level fixes. Platforms need to fundamentally rethink how their algorithms operate – moving away from models that reward constant availability and high acceptance rates, and toward systems that balance efficiency with worker safety and health. Importantly, they should implement transparent dispute systems that allow workers to challenge unfair penalties.

Dr Divya Juneja, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, The Business School, RMIT University Vietnam (Photo: RMIT)

At the same time, relying on platforms to act voluntarily is unlikely to be enough. The growing dependence of workers on the apps combined with their replaceability creates a clear power imbalance that requires regulatory attention.

Policymakers have a critical role to play in setting minimum standards for digital labour. This could include requiring transparency in how algorithms assign work and impose penalties, mandating fair dispute resolution processes, and establishing basic protections around working hours, safety, and mental wellbeing. There should be legally mandated break times, and regular distribution and inspection of essential safety norms.

The intervention of labour unions can also support workers to bargain with major platform companies to improve the working conditions of their members. However, it is important that contracts should not prevent drivers from forming associations or unions.

There is also a need to reconsider the employment status of gig workers, ensuring they are not excluded from essential labour protections simply because their work is mediated by technology. A potential cap on company commissions can also support gig workers. Without such frameworks, wellbeing initiatives risk remaining optional add-ons rather than meaningful safeguards.

Major platform-based companies in Vietnam are coming up with different policies to support gig workers. However, as the local gig economy continues to expand, the challenge is not only to innovate through technology, but to ensure that this innovation is guided by fairness, accountability, and a genuine commitment to worker wellbeing.

Story: Dr Divya Juneja, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, The Business School, RMIT University Vietnam

ENDS

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Source: Vietnam Insider