Vietnamese society places great significance and value in lottery, which serves as an income generator and source of employment opportunities. Over time, lottery has created an extensive network of vendors from street sales agents to wholesale distributors and retailers – some even operating online! However, this system remains vulnerable due to economic challenges within Vietnam itself.

Lotterie revenues have seen sharp decreases over the last several years. Traditional companies like Hau Giang Lottery and Long An Lottery reported 19% drop in total revenue and 27% reduction in after tax profits between 2010-2021, as per reports by these companies. While Hau Giang blamed its results on overhead costs associated with lockdown operations during 2010, Long An Lottery pointed to competition from modern casinos as well as overall lower demand for traditional lotteries as the cause.

Ho Chi Minh City accounts for almost half of global lottery revenues collected annually. A complex network of sellers operates here, beginning with the state-run lottery company printing tickets and handing them over to wholesale distributors, who in turn relay them onward to retail sellers, all receiving part of a 13% commission from the government. Some local stores even sell tickets directly to individual vendors who hustle through Saigon with mobile kiosks trying to sell as many tickets during their shift.

Selling tickets may seem like a last-ditch effort for many of the city’s poorer residents, yet they choose it over socially unacceptable begging. Urban centers especially don’t yet have adequate welfare and social security systems in place to address a high concentration of poor individuals; some come from rural areas to cramped boarding houses in urban centers while others turn to lottery as a source of additional funds due to no professional jobs available elsewhere.

Lottery sellers begin their day at 5 am with a breakfast of rice and vegetable soup before heading out onto the streets. Their earnings may fluctuate; on an average day Huong can make around 230 million dong ($10 US-Dollars). She sends some back home to her mother in Thanh Hoa province while supporting seven younger children as her husband repairs motorcycles for extra income; unfortunately this alone cannot provide for their household’s survival.

For players to win a prize, they must match all six numbers drawn. Those who match more numbers receive the largest award; prizes range from VND 1,200,000 up to VND 2,600,000.

Vietnam Lottery Company, part of Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance, oversees lottery games throughout Vietnam. They issue point-of-sale licenses to authorized retailers across the nation and operate both traditional lottery draws as well as Keno games with draws every ten minutes that can be played on PCs, tablets and smartphones. Although formerly run by state authorities, recently privatization efforts have seen foreign investors such as Berjaya Corp and Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd from Malaysia given licenses to operate computerized lotteries within Vietnam’s borders.