October 2026
19Oct

Vietnam. Amendments to the Social Insurance Law increase the number of pensioners and expand social security

The new regulations are gradually coming into effect. The Social Insurance Law 2024 officially came into effect on July 1, 2025, and includes many new and groundbreaking provisions compared to the Social Insurance Law 2014. These include expanding the coverage of compulsory social insurance to several groups, including business owners, enterprise and cooperative managers, part-time workers, non-specialized officials at the grassroots level, and permanent militia members. The 2024 Social Insurance Law also reduces the required social insurance contribution period to qualify...

October 19, 2026
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September 2026
24Sep

Vietnam. Social security gap for middle-aged workers in the informal sector

At the age of 49, after the garment company narrowed its scale and laid off redundant personnel, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (from Phu Tho, currently residing in Thanh Liet ward, Hanoi) fell into unemployment in mid-2025. Applying for jobs everywhere but not being accepted, Ms. Hoa started working at a private workshop processing gypsum and copper in Thuong Phuc commune (Hanoi). At my age, without qualifications, without degrees, applying to work as a full-time worker in companies is almost impossible. I...

September 24, 2026
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June 2026
01Jun

Vietnam to raise pensions and social security benefits from July 1

Around 3.4 million pensioners and social insurance beneficiaries will receive an 8% increase under the government's latest social welfare measures. Vietnam will implement a series of social welfare adjustments from July 1, increasing pensions, social insurance benefits and assistance payments for millions of people as part of efforts to offset inflation and improve living standards. Under Government Decree No. 161/2026, the statutory base salary will increase from VND2.34 million ($92) to VND2.53 million ($100) per month from July 1. The adjustment...

June 1, 2026
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April 2026
13Apr

Vietnam taps silver economy to drive growth amid rapid aging

The silver economy offers a new perspective on population ageing: instead of treating it as a burden, it is seen as a major economic opportunity. In the global development landscape, the “silver economy” is no longer an unfamiliar concept but an inevitable trend. For Vietnam, building an economic ecosystem that adapts to rapid population ageing is not only a social welfare solution but also a gateway to a new, sustainable and humane growth model. The silver economy offers a new perspective...

April 13, 2026
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January 2026
29Jan

Vietnam. When society ages faster than its capacity to care

Vietnam is undergoing a profound demographic transition that remains surprisingly underdiscussed: rapid population aging. According to assessments by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, Vietnam is among the fastest-aging countries in Asia. What makes this shift particularly challenging is that it is happening before the country becomes wealthy and before a comprehensive system of long-term elderly care has been fully established. Within just a few decades, the proportion of people aged 60 and above has risen sharply. At the same...

January 29, 2026
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December 2025
19Dec

Comparing Socialist Approaches: Economics and Social Security in Cuba, China, and Vietnam

By Carmelo Mesa-Lago In Comparing Socialist Approaches, Carmelo Mesa-Lago examines the two main socialist models across Cuba, China, and Vietnam to compare central planning and socialist markets. Under the Cuban central plan, large state enterprises have been unable to generate economic growth, even with mild structural market reforms and a small controlled private sector. In the Sino-Vietnamese model of a socialist marketplace, dynamic private enterprises of all sizes, together with large state enterprises, operate under a decentralized plan with state regulation and...

December 19, 2025
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July 2025
17Jul

Vietnam updates insurance law with guidance on lump-sum payouts

It also clarifies the entitlement to retirement and survivorship benefits. Vietnam's Government has issued a decree to provide detailed guidance on several provisions of the Law on Social Insurance related to voluntary social insurance. The new decree, Decree 159/2025/ND-CP, took effect on 1 July, replacing Decree 134/2015/ND-CP. Key areas covered include contribution rules, benefit entitlements, and transitional provisions. Specifically, the decree outlines regulations for individuals who do not qualify for pensions or social allowances due to age or contribution conditions; sets...

July 17, 2025
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June 2025
25Jun

Vietnam: New social insurance law introduced

To increase long-term participation, Vietnam will introduce new social insurance laws from 1 July. Under the new social insurance law, workers who stop participating in social insurance can claim a lump-sum payout only if they meet specific conditions. The changes aim to increase long-term participation in the social insurance system and encouraging workers to opt for pensions instead of lump-sum payments. These include reaching retirement age with less than 15 years of contributions, emigrating from Vietnam, suffering from serious illnesses such...

June 25, 2025
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04Jun

Vietnam ends two-child policy as birth rate hits record low

Vietnam abolished a longstanding policy limiting families to having no more than two children as the nation grapples with a declining birth rate – posing a demographic crunch that could undermine future growth prospects. Under the new regulation approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee in Hanoi on June 3, couples will now have the right to decide when to have children, how many to have, and the spacing between births, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. The previous law allowed...

June 4, 2025
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January 2025
09Jan

Vietnam. Benefits of paying pensions and benefits without using cash

Thuan Duc Commune (Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh) became the first locality in Dong Hoi City to achieve 100% of pensioners and social insurance benefits receiving through bank accounts (ATM cards). In the middle of December 2024 month, with the last cases receiving pensions and social insurance benefits in cash switching to receiving them via e-commerce, Thuan Duc commune officially closed the list of social security payments via ATM cards at a rate of 100%. As one of the people on...

January 9, 2025
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