Factors that increased the chances of moving down at least one decile were mostly related to household socioeconomic composition and included variables such as the number of children in the household, the presence of a disabled household member and participation in own-account agriculture (independent farmer without employees). However, belonging to an ethnic minority did not appear to be significantly correlated with relative income mobility. More than two-thirds of the employed working-age population in Viet Nam is self-employed. This heterogeneous group includes representatives from the most vulnerable categories, such as own-account workers and contributing family workers. General conclusions about the relative well-being of self-employed workers compared to wage employees are difficult to state with certainty. A recent study on Viet Nam found that self-employment can be better remunerated than wage work (Nordman, Nguyen and Roubaud, 2013).