In Vietnam’s subsidy era (thời bao cấp), daily life was organized around ration coupons and state-run distribution. That system created a distinct world of work that may no longer exist today as Vietnam moved away from the centrally-planned economy and into the market-oriented of Đổi mới (Reformation) in the late 1980s.
Essentials such as food, cloth, and fuel were often obtained not simply through money, but through state allocation and registered quotas. People were not allowed to freely buy what they needed, even a bunch of sugar.
That economic structure produced a labor system of its own. Some jobs became important because goods were scarce. Others emerged because things had to be repaired, reused, or done by hand. Still others gained social status as they work for a state-run (government-owned) trading or supply store.
Here are some of the jobs most closely associated with Vietnam’s subsidy era.
1. Mậu dịch viên - shop clerk
This occupation well-capture the social texture of the subsidy era - clerks working at state-run distribution stores. In a system where goods like meat, fish sauce, cloth, or fuel were allocated through coupons (tem phiếu), these workers stood in between everyday needs. They are often described as figures of unusual authority because access to goods depended on the counter they controlled.
This is also why the profession carried such an important meaning in social status. In a shortage economy, the person weighing meat or issuing daily necessities could affect the quantity and quality of what one receives.
In a centrally-planned economy, access to food and consumer goods depended on administrative paperwork as much as on supply. The management of these entitlements became a form of labor in itself. Collections of ration books and food-purchase coupons at the National Museum of History today are reminders of how deeply this bureaucratic system entered daily life.
Each family got their own “rice booklet” (sổ gạo) shown date and number kilos of rice. During this time, Vietnamese had a famous slang “As sad as losing one’s rice booklet”! (buồn như mất sổ gạo)!
Depending on their occupation and administrative status, government officials, civil servants, and workers were issued ration coupons that determined not only what goods they could purchase, but also the quantity allocated to them. Depending on social and administrative status, from the general population to ministerial officials, one could receive approximately 0.3 kg to 6 kg of meat and 13 kg to 24 kg of rice per month.
2. Ballpoint-pen ink refillers
Before cheap stationery became widely available, refilling ballpoint pens was a recognizable small trade. In a society where consumer goods were limited and people were used to making things last, even an empty pen could still be worth saving. Refilling required ink, simple tools, and a careful hand, especially because leaking ink could ruin clothing and notebooks.
Small, practical services existed because the cost of throwing things away was higher than the cost of extending their life.
3. Letter writers
In an era when literacy was uneven and formal paperwork mattered, writing on behalf of others could also become a livelihood. Letter writers helped people compose personal correspondence, petitions, applications, and complaints.
Back to this period, writing was not yet universally accessible as an everyday skill in the way it is often assumed to be today, and administrative language could be intimidating. For some people, the ability to turn spoken concerns into written form was both practical labor and social mediation.
4. Typists
Before computers and photocopy shops became commonplace, typists handled forms, official documents, applications, and manuscripts for a fee per page. In urban life, this was once a practical and visible service. A typewritten page carried a sense of formality and legibility that handwritten paperwork often did not.
The job existed because administrative life depended on paper, while access to typewriters and typing skills was limited. That combination turned a machine skill into a profession. Nowadays, personal computers, printers, and word-processing software eventually replaced both the typewriter and the specialist typist.
5. Garments dyers
In the subsidy era, clothing was not treated as disposable. Fabric could be rationed, and garments were expected to be worn repeatedly, repaired, and maintained. As a result, dyeing faded clothes became a practical service. Rather than buying new items, people often tried to restore old ones, especially in darker colors that could conceal wear.
This job reflected the economics of shortage as each family was only given a certain amount of fabric, enough to make a few sets of clothes. After a while, the fabric faded, so people would have it re-dyed to make it look new.
Today, the craft has not disappeared entirely. In places of ethnic minority groups, traditional indigo dyeing still survives as a living textile practice. But its purpose has shifted from extending the life of faded garments to craftsmanship and fashion.
6. Wartime scrap craftspeople
One of the most striking occupations associated with the period was the making of household items from war scrap metal. Bomb casings, aircraft fragments, and other leftover materials could be repurposed into pots, basins, trays, or bicycle-related goods. This was not simply an example of creative recycling; it reflected the material shortages of the postwar economy and the practical ingenuity of daily life.
The objects made through this work were valued because they answered real household needs at a time when industrial consumer goods were limited.
