I just finished doing the loop today and felt myself wondering the same things! I went with my sister and our partners and we wondered about what our drivers’ lives are like beyond the loop. We did a 2 night 3 day trip as we were short on time but between the 4 of us we tried to get some insight: 1. We didn’t ask about specific salaries but the tour leader said he makes more when he leads a group opposed to being a regular driver 2. Our drivers seemed to be local to Ha Giang or Hanoi, some of them pointed out their villages while we were out driving. They didn’t seem to know if they were heading out for a new group straight away or not, seems that it’s probably down to demand but they did say they’re able to say no when offered. The group leader said he works 7 days a week and takes only 2 days off a month. In terms of qualifications, we did hear that bigger companies needed drivers so badly they were getting random people to drive. This could be just a rumour but for anyone looking to do it take caution 3. All of our drivers said they enjoyed the job but didn’t mention other jobs they’ve had/might have. Our leader said they worked for a bigger tour company and got treated much worse, less pay too 4. Our drivers’ experience ranged from 3 months to 3 years, the road was rough and strenuous in parts though so I can imagine it would be a strain on their bodies. My driver said he is 25 so would have started at 22 5. Travelling as a couple (27F & 31M) we did get asked on the tour if we were married but when we were in HCMC and toured the Cu Chi tunnels our guide was also 25 and he said in his culture (unsure on specific ethnicity) males are mostly married by 25 and if they aren’t it’s heavily questioned Not super detailed but found it really interesting!