They said the new bonus system introduced by the Vietnamese ride-hailing firm would force them to work more for less bonus money.

In protest, they switched off their apps and gathered outside the firm's office in Ho Chi Minh's District 3 on Thursday. In a similar move, hundreds of drivers also surrounded Go-Viet's partner support center in Districy 4 to oppose the change, which was announced just one day before coming into effect.

Prior to Thursday, Go-Viet drivers in Ho Chi Minh could receive bonuses of VND30,000 ($1.3), VND90,000 ($3.9), and VND180,000 ($7.8) for reaching 10, 18 and 28 points respectively. These points could be earned by completing journeys, with each journey giving two points during the rush hour (6-9 a.m. and 5-8 p.m.) and one point otherwise. 

"Before, we just need 10 points per day to be eligible for bonuses, but now we need to reach 40 points just to be eligible for the lowest bonus. The policy also changed suddenly," said Vinh, one of the protesting drivers.

With this system, a driver completing 28 journeys outside of rush hour would receive VND180,000 in addition to the income earned from the journeys themselves.

Starting midnight Wednesday, the three bonus levels were raised to VND40,000 ($1.7), VND120,000 ($5.2) and VND240,000 ($10.3), but the number of points required were also increased to 40, 64 and 80 respectively. The number of points earned per journey was also doubled to two points for each journey outside of rush hours and four points for those during the rush hour.

"The points for each journey has doubled but the number of points required to receive bonuses has also been increased several times. After calculating, the bonus is reduced in general. Furthermore, to complete 80 journeys even the whole day might not be enough," said Tam, another driver at the protest.

According to the Go-Viet representative, in addition to the change to the bonus system, the new policy also includes the addition of surge pricing and both changes were meant to increase drivers' income opportunities.

The representative added that the new policy was implemented based on the analysis of results obtained using an AI algorithm to ensure a balance between the interests of drivers and the company, as well as to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the budget used for paying bonuses.

Speaking to VnExpress, a Go-Viet representative said there would be no immediate change to the new policy despite pressure from the drivers going on strike. However, he added that the firm would listen to drivers' opinions and take them into consideration.

Go-Viet currently has over 100,000 drivers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Prior to implementing the new policy change in HCMC, the firm already implemented a similar change in Hanoi in mid-May but drivers in the capital city did not protest the change.