The sweet invitations to make money online paint a picture of a simple and easy job. While not a scam, the principle of “you get what you pay for” leaves many eager participants disillusioned.
Advertising and rumors about making money “without investment, just sitting and clicking” and “100% real, earning between $50 to $300 per month” can be found on any forum, from Vietnam Heart to various buying and selling websites and student platforms. Some individuals have even created dedicated forums, such as Vietnam Money Maker, to compile and guide basic ways to earn money online, introduce online payment systems, share reputable advertising sites, and warn about temporarily inactive or fraudulent sites…
The figures presented in these promotional articles are quite enticing: “just by browsing ads, you can earn $300 a month, sometimes even thousands of dollars“, significantly higher than the salary of a mid-level employee. As a result, public opinion is divided regarding this type of work. Half are skeptical about how such large sums can be earned from such simple tasks, while the other half rush in like moths to a flame—some succeed, but many leave disappointed.
“One effective method to increase income is to refer and attract as many people as possible to build a network of members for advertisers“, explains the administrator of the Vietmaker forum.
Online Farmers Selling Young Rice
Ultimately, the tactic of getting paid to read emails, browse the web, or register as a member is just another way to promote and market products in a world where the Internet has become a leading mass media channel. The role of advertising companies is to ensure that the content in emails or banners reaches a wide audience. Therefore, in addition to posting on high-traffic websites, banners are also sent directly to individual consumers, who will be compensated for taking the time to read the information within. The essence of the “Get Paid to Read” (GPTR) process is similar to that of companies offering promotional gifts in market research and customer feedback.
In form, this is a “win-win-win” solution as all participating parties—the hiring company, the advertising agency, and the readers—benefit. However, readers need to toil hard without earning as much as they expect and sometimes waste their time, much like farmers who suffer losses by selling immature rice.
The most “classic” job that “online farmers” usually engage in is reading emails and viewing advertising websites. Participants simply need to register on an advertising organization’s website. After completing the process, that company will provide them with an email account and send advertising emails daily. Readers will open the emails and keep them on their screen for a specified period (usually 30 seconds). Each email read correctly brings them on average less than 10 cents. Casual email readers often earn around $10. To increase their income, they have to participate in expanding their network, similar to a multi-level marketing model, and receive a commission.
Currently, the email reading scheme is not highly regarded and is primarily for newcomers because of the low pay and high risks. Those who own their websites or forums, like viet4all or traicasau, seem to prefer placing advertising banners on their sites. This method is safer, more effective, and considered a significant source of funding to maintain the website itself. The most famous example is Google Adsense. When a site agrees to join the program, the provider sends the administrator a snippet of HTML code to insert anywhere on the page. Every time a visitor clicks on a Google Adsense banner, the website owner receives a reward. Google Adsense does not publicly disclose specific costs, but the reputation of the world’s leading search service is enough to make participants feel secure.
“Moreover, those logo placements are small and insignificant. Friends who want to help just need to click on them, and that’s valuable enough“, says Nguyen Duy Quang, an IT student, when discussing the Google Adsense on his site.
With a bit of English, individuals can register to participate in surveys for market research organizations. Participants can set their expected compensation, such as enough to buy a Sony Ericsson W800i or an iPod nano. The number of surveys sent will depend on this value. However, the workload can be heavy since to earn a phone, one might need to complete an economic, demographic, and social survey of up to 40 pages every day, consistently over several months.
Additionally, instead of hiring a host to store images, many services allow users to upload files freely and pay if those images are shared and attract many viewers.
Advice from Those Who Came Before 
An employee from the Vietnam Foreign Trade Bank (Vietcombank) mentioned that they sometimes receive checks worth several dozen to several hundred USD from foreign companies sent to young individuals in Vietnam. “Initially, we were concerned about the legality of these funds, but we felt more assured after a foreign bank confirmed their validity“, the employee stated.
Most websites offering GPTR services are built by foreign companies. They have carefully calculated to balance their interests with those of customers and the hired readers. “The payments are real, but to earn hundreds of USD, you must dedicate several hours a day; otherwise, your contract might be abruptly terminated. Nevertheless, compared to the average income in developing countries like Vietnam, the money earned from advertising is not insignificant“, asserts a member named soidenbattu on the Viet4all forum.
According to others who have “grounded themselves in the net field,” if one is not persistent and wants to make money quickly (within 1-2 months), they should not participate as it will be a waste of effort. “There are no guarantees against risks when advertising companies might default on payment because the agreements between parties lack legal grounds for litigation. Up to 90% of high-paying sites are scams“, says Phan Huy Truong (Dong Da, Hanoi), a veteran “virtual money farmer.” When he first entered the field, Truong also experienced a mix of laughter and tears when months of effort did not convert into cash. Instead of receiving payment, the advertising company allowed him to… place a logo on their website.
On the other hand, participants also need some English proficiency and must be cautious with their clicks. Sometimes, emails contain links to delete accounts, and if one accidentally clicks on that, all their efforts will return to square one. Users’ computers may also get infected with viruses, spyware, adware, and more dangerously, the risk of personal information leakage is inevitable; for example, the advertising company might sell members’ email addresses to other organizations.
“Making money online is just a promotional tactic by advertisers that plays on consumer psychology. Of course, no one gets rich from promotions, but it can also be regarded as a form of entertainment“, Truong remarks.
Hai Nguyen – Ha Thao
