New Forms of Work in Vietnam: Ensuring Labour Rights and Effective Governance

This thesis investigates the transformation of labor relations under the broader phenomenon of new forms of work, with particular attention to the digital platform economy. It explores the legal complexities surrounding the protection of workers’ rights and examines comparative international experiences in regulating these emerging employment relationships in Vietnam. The empirical findings reveal that platform-based workers in Vietnam face significant legal ambiguities, lack robust labor protections, and remain subject to extensive managerial control and algorithmic oversight imposed by digital platforms. These results underscore the urgent need for Vietnam to establish a more adaptive and inclusive labor governance framework that adequately reflects the realities of platform-mediated work. In response, this thesis advances four key policy recommendations: (i) redefining the legal status of platform workers; (ii) fostering social dialogue and strengthening mechanisms for collective bargaining; (iii) introducing regulatory oversight for standardized contracts and general terms of engagement; and (iv) enhancing institutional capacity for monitoring and enforcing labor law compliance in the digital platform economy.