Not withdrawing one-time social insurance to receive pension
Retired for nearly 10 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (65 years old, Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) always feels secure thanks to her monthly pension, especially when her working capacity has declined. For her, the solid support of old age is a stable source of income to take care of living expenses and medicine without bothering her children.
Ms. Loan confided: "I have health insurance and pension, so when I am sick, I am less worried. Every month I spend on my own, I don't have to depend on my children and grandchildren. My children now have their own families and jobs, they can't always be by my side to take care of their parents.
From her story, Ms. Loan advised workers to carefully consider before deciding to withdraw one-time social insurance (SI).
Many young people work for a few years and then withdraw social insurance once to solve immediate problems. When young, they don't see anything, but when they are old, they deeply understand the value of the pension. If they withdraw it all, in old age there will be no guarantee," Ms. Loan shared.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Le Dinh Huoc (82 years old, Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) said that everyone has their own circumstances and considerations when facing social insurance money. But for himself, Mr. Huoc chose to accumulate to receive a pension instead of withdrawing it once.
According to Mr. Huoc, since retiring in 1990, his regular pension has helped him be financially proactive, stabilize his life and not become a burden for his children and grandchildren. In his old age, what he cares about most is maintaining his health and enjoying life with his family.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (character name changed), another retiree in Cau Giay ward (Hanoi), said that a pension of about 6 million VND per month basically meets his daily personal spending needs.
If not seriously ill, this level is also temporarily enough for the elderly to cover daily living expenses," Mr. Hung said.
Increasing pensions, adding a support
According to Decree 162/2026/ND-CP, from July 1, 2026, the pension level, social insurance allowance and monthly allowance will be adjusted to increase by an additional 8% on the benefit level of June 2026 for groups subject to application. This information has received the attention of many retirees.
For Ms. Loan, although the increase is not too large, it is still a positive sign in the context of fluctuating living costs. She calculated that with a pension of about 10 million VND/month, if it increases by another 8%, she will have about 800,000 VND more.
Mr. Huoc also expressed his excitement when saying that any support from the State for retirees is precious.
Whatever money the State adds is valued. At this age, I only hope for health and stable life," Mr. Huo shared.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hung said that adjusting pension increases is a joy for the elderly, but what they desire more are sustainable social security policies, especially in the health sector.
Increasing pensions is very happy, because the elderly have more financial support. However, the elderly's biggest concern is still health. Many types of treatment drugs or medical examination and treatment services are not included in the insurance list. If expanded, the elderly will enjoy even more benefits," Mr. Hung said.
Faced with the reality of increasing age, declining physical condition and fluctuating living costs, pensions have become an important source of financial security for many elderly people. In parallel with adjusting the benefit level, people expect that related social security policies will continue to be improved, helping the elderly to feel more secure in their twilight years.
