The story of a delivery driver in the western part of Nghe An province.

Difficulties along the long road

Every day, no matter which locality you go to in the high mountainous districts, you can easily spot delivery drivers speeding along the mountain passes. According to these drivers, the unique characteristic of mountainous regions is that the distance from the town to the villages and hamlets is very long, and the villagers are often working in the fields, so there is no phone signal. Therefore, after contacting and arranging a delivery time, they must drive their vehicles promptly; otherwise, they won't be able to meet the customer to deliver the goods.

Mr. La Thanh Tuan, from Ta Ca commune (Ky Son district), works as a delivery driver. Every morning, he ties boxes of goods onto his motorbike to go to the warehouse in Muong Xen town to pick up orders.

Anh Tuan shared that, to facilitate deliveries over long distances to villages and hamlets, goods are divided into appropriate addresses, from furthest to nearest. Anh Tuan is tasked with delivering goods to customers from Muong Xen town, along Route 543D to the communes of Ta Ca, Muong Tip, and Muong Ai, covering a distance of over 80km.

According to Mr. Tuan, the job of a delivery driver doesn't require many qualifications or skills; all you need is good health, diligence, hard work, and a dynamic and quick-witted personality. All you need is a motorbike for transportation, a smartphone for communication, convenient QR code payment options, and familiarity with the local area… and you can make a living doing this job.

"Although there's never a shortage of work, this job is also very hard. First, the roads are difficult to travel; from the warehouse in Muong Xen town to the villages, you have to drive 70-80km by motorbike along winding mountain roads."

Another drawback is that in many villages and hamlets, the phone signal is intermittent, making it impossible to contact customers. At those times, the only option is to ask for directions to the village to find the house to deliver the goods. The most difficult part is during the rainy season, when after receiving the goods and driving near the delivery point, the road is blocked by landslides, making it impossible to get through. We have to call the customer to ask for their understanding…,” Mr. Tuan shared.

Regarding his income, Mr. Tuan shared that due to the long and bumpy journey, and the fact that his motorbike has to operate continuously every day, in addition to fuel and oil costs, he also has to replace tires, chains, and other parts regularly every 2-3 months. This is also a considerable expense. On a very busy day, Mr. Tuan can deliver 50-80 orders, earning between 500,000 and 900,000 VND. Last September, Mr. Tuan earned nearly 10 million VND, and after deducting fuel and food expenses, he had 6 million VND left, not including vehicle depreciation.

Vi Van Cuong, from Lo village, Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong district), has only been working as a delivery driver for over 3 months, but he can't remember all the happy and sad memories of the job, including some "laughable and tearful" stories.

Mr. Cuong said that on October 9th, he received 83 orders, but only managed to deliver 61, returning the remaining 22. The reasons were difficulties in meeting the customers and some customers intentionally refusing to accept the goods. The most challenging aspect was customers using "fake" names, meaning they used other people's names, making delivery impossible. In some cases, he met the right recipient, but was helpless because they didn't have the money to pay, and there were many stories that couldn't be told in words. Nevertheless, he manages to deliver 40-50 orders a day, earning around 500,000 VND. After deducting 60,000 VND for gas, 100,000 VND for food, and other expenses, his average monthly income is 6-7 million VND.

The job of a delivery driver is tough for young men, but it's even more stressful for women. Ms. Lan, a delivery driver in Tuong Duong district, said that driving alone in remote areas to deliver goods to customers often exposes her to many dangers, especially when she has to return home late at night because she was waiting for customers to pick up their orders.

A story that's both funny and sad.

The growing popularity of online business and shopping on social media has created the profession of delivery driver. No matter where or when, as long as a smartphone has Wi-Fi, people can browse and order goods. With the increasing popularity of online shopping, delivery drivers are finding more and more work.

Therefore, in the towns of mountainous districts, it's easy to spot various delivery branches. Every morning, a large number of delivery drivers gather here to pick up goods for delivery to customers that day.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, manager of the Viettel Post delivery branch in Thach Giam town (Tuong Duong district), said: Her branch has 7 delivery staff responsible for all 18 communes and towns in the district. The longest routes that the delivery staff handle are the roads to the communes of Huu Khuong, Nhon Mai, Mai Son, Xieng My, etc.

Delivery drivers' earnings depend on the distance and weight of the order. For deliveries within the town, the nearest route earns 5,000 VND per order, while all other routes receive a flat rate of 10,000 VND per order. However, the pay also depends on the weight of the order: 10,000 VND per order for orders weighing 2kg or less, and an additional 500 VND per kg for orders over 2kg.

Delivery drivers are young, healthy, agile, and hardworking people, so they can deliver a large number of orders each day, earning around 12-14 million VND per month (including expenses such as fuel and food...).

Ms. Hang still remembers many "funny and sad" stories about the delivery job in this mountainous region. For example, there was the story of a delivery driver drinking alcohol with a customer and getting so drunk he couldn't find his way home. Then there were stories of customers cursing and threatening to beat the delivery driver because the goods weren't as expected, thinking the delivery driver was the seller.

Therefore, up to 10% of orders are returned each month for reasons such as: ordering for fun, receiving goods that don't match the advertisement, or not being able to meet the customer. Thus, delivery drivers need to be passionate about their job. However, there are also cases where employees have to be laid off due to their inability to control themselves.

"There have been cases where male delivery drivers, while delivering goods in villages, encountered familiar customers who invited them into their homes for drinks. Due to excessive intoxication, they ended up resting at the customer's house, unable to deliver the goods. As a result, not only were they unable to deliver the goods on time, but they also lost both the goods and the money they were carrying. Such delivery drivers are forced to cease their work," Ms. Hang shared.

It can be seen that being a delivery driver is a legitimate source of income for a segment of young workers in mountainous regions today. However, the unique characteristics of the western region of Nghe An province, with its vast area and difficult transportation, especially to remote villages and hamlets, somewhat affect the income of this delivery driver profession.