This information makes most people eligible to receive social pension benefits feel extremely excited.
In 2025, turning 75 is also the time when Ms. Hoang Thi Hong (Nam Dinh) feels happiest because she will receive social pension benefits to ensure a better life.
Ms. Hong and her husband were both young volunteers during the resistance war against the US but were not eligible for monthly allowances, so they only received free health insurance.
Also because they do not have subsidies or pensions, even though they are old, Ms. Hong and her husband still have to work hard to make a living.
Every day, Ms. Hong cycles all over the village in the lower hamlet to buy scrap metal to sell for money. Her husband, who was in poor health, lived at home raising chickens and dogs to sell eggs and pets.
At the age of over 70, Ms. Hong and her husband still go to the fields to grow rice to eat, saving money to buy rice.
According to Ms. Hong, the maximum monthly income that the couple saved was not more than 2.5 million VND. Therefore, all expenses in life such as electricity, water, food, meatballs, medicine are carefully calculated.
"If the electricity bill is over 250,000 VND per month, I will adjust it immediately," said Ms. Hong.
When she learned that she was eligible for social pension benefits in the near future, the benefits could be up to VND500,000/month, Ms. Hong expressed her expectations.
"Social pension benefits are valuable as much as they are. If we had an additional 500,000 VND, we would not have to worry about electricity bills and daily breakfast. In two years, my husband will be 75 years old, and receiving a certain allowance will improve his nutritious meals than they are now" - Ms. Hong said.
Ms. Pham Thi Ich (76 years old, Thai Binh) shared that her current life depends entirely on her children, she has a stroke so she does not generate income.
"Before, I could grow vegetables to sell, but after two years of traveling due to natural disasters, it has been difficult for my children to support all daily activities" - Ms. Ich said.
Ms. Ich has a savings account, and receives more than 700,000 VND/month from this account. However, this amount of money is nothing compared to the daily living expenses even in rural areas.
The savings interest is only enough to help her pay for electricity and medicine to buy additional monthly treatment.
Knowing that she could soon receive a pension of VND500,000, Ms. Ich felt extremely excited to share the burden with her children.
"The country has shortened the retirement age to 5 years compared to before, which makes me really grateful. I will give all the money I receive to my children to help them with rice and buy food every day" - Ms. Ich said.
