Social insurance has just organized the combined payment of two months of pension and social insurance allowance (February and March 2026) in the February 2026 payment period to create conditions for policy beneficiaries to enjoy spring and celebrate Tet.
Many retirees have just received two months of pension combined according to this payment method. Talking to reporters, many people expressed their joy, however, those with low pensions still have to calculate reasonable spending to spend for the post-Tet period, especially in March - a month that will not have pensions because they have been paid before.
Ms. Tran Thi C (resident in Hung Yen province) said that she received 2 months' salary combined on February 10. "My monthly pension is more than 6 million VND, so I receive a total of 13 million VND," Ms. Tran Thi C said.
Having the money before Tet, Ms. Tran Thi C used it to shop for Tet: Buying peach trees, buying candies, sugar and milk... to go to relatives and neighbors for Tet. The total amount spent for Tet is about 5-6 million VND. According to Ms. Tran Thi C, in addition to pensions, her children have an amount to give to their parents during Tet, so she does not feel too much financial pressure before Tet.
However, I have to calculate reasonable spending, not spending "over-the-counter", because in March I will no longer receive a pension, while after Tet there will be many expenses to cover and spend," said Ms. Tran Thi C.
Similarly, Mr. Tran Trung K (resident in Hung Yen province) also said that although he is very happy to receive a combined pension of 2 months to prepare for Tet, he also has to carefully calculate expenses to avoid running out of money after Tet.
Mr. Tran Trung K was originally a commune civil servant. When he retired, his pension was very low - nearly 4 million VND/month. Thus, in the recent pension receipt, he received a total of 8 million VND.
This is the first time I have received such a large pension in one time. Although happy, I don't spend too freely, but I need to calculate reasonably so that after Tet I still have surplus to cover living expenses," said Mr. Tran Trung K. According to the former commune civil servant, with a low pension, since retiring, he has also encountered many economic difficulties. He has to work as a security guard at the company to earn extra income.
One case of receiving a low salary is Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga (residing in Tuyen Quang province).
Previously, Ms. Nga worked as a worker at a sugar factory belonging to a state-owned enterprise. Having participated in social insurance for more than 20 years, when she retired in 2019, she only received a very low pension, at over 2 million VND/month. The reason, according to her, is that during her working time, she only paid social insurance on a low salary basis. After receiving an increase in pension, Ms. Nga currently has a pension of 2.8 million VND/month.
Ms. Nga recounted that because her child was studying at university, she had to borrow more than 100 million VND from the bank to pay tuition fees, paid with her monthly pension.
Every time the pension comes in, the bank immediately deducts the debt. Just now, when paying 2 months' salary together, the bank also collects it to pay the debt for 2 months," Ms. Nga said.
Having a pension but not being able to spend it, Ms. Nga has to work part-time as a babysitter, earning about 5.5 million VND per month. She uses this money to spend, cover daily living expenses, and raise her children to study. Although she has retired, her life is still facing many difficulties...
