For many elderly people, this is not only a story about salary figures but also a hope to improve the quality of life in the context of increasingly escalating prices.
According to the draft developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are two options for increasing pensions, social insurance allowances and monthly allowances.
Option 1 proposes an increase of 4.5% and adding 200,000 VND/month for the majority of retirees; option 2 is a simultaneous increase of 8% on the June 2026 benefit level.
At the same time, low-wage retirees before 1995 will continue to be adjusted to ensure a minimum benefit level of about 3.8 million VND/month.
Living in a small house in Thanh Xuan ward (Hanoi), Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (70 years old), former mechanical workers, currently receives a pension of more than 4.1 million VND per month. For him, the information about the pension increase proposal is a joy, but also accompanied by many concerns.
Everyone is happy with the pension increase, but what I want most is for the increase to be enough to compensate for the living costs that have increased too quickly. Just the money for medicine and living expenses has accounted for almost the entire salary" - Mr. Tam shared.
He said that in the past few years, although pensions have been adjusted, living expenses, especially food and healthcare, have increased much faster. Therefore, retirees expect this adjustment to be substantive, helping them not to depend too much on their children.
Unlike Mr. Tam, Ms. Tran Thi Hoa (68 years old), who used to work at a garment cooperative, currently only receives nearly 3 million VND/month. She said that she belongs to the group of people who retired before 1995, so her pension is lower than the general level.
I heard that there will be a priority policy for long-term retirees, I really hope this will soon become a reality. Each month adding a few hundred thousand VND is enough for me to feel more secure when going for medical examination" - Ms. Hoa said.
According to the draft, the group of people retiring before 1995 will continue to be adjusted to narrow the gap with those retiring later. This is a point that has received much consensus because it reflects the reality of low wages that have lasted for many years for this group of subjects.
For many elderly people, pensions are not only a source of income but also have the meaning of recognizing contributions during their working time. Mr. Le Van Quy (72 years old), who used to be a teacher, said that each time the State adjusts pensions, it is a show of concern for the generation that has contributed.
We don't expect to be rich, just need to live enough, not worry about each meal. The pension increase also makes retirees feel that they are not forgotten" - Mr. Quy shared.
According to him, if the adjustment is reasonably calculated and linked to the consumer price index, retirees will be more assured about the future, especially in the context of increasing life expectancy.
In addition, Mr. Quy said that pension adjustments should be based on the capacity of the budget and the social insurance fund, and at the same time must ensure the principle of sharing and fairness between groups of subjects.
A common point in the sharing of many retirees is the desire for the policy to be approved soon so that they can proactively calculate spending. Because for those who only have one source of income, which is pensions, any change directly affects daily life.
The proposal to increase pensions from July 1, 2026 is not only a financial decision, but also a story of social security, showing commitment to care for people who have reached retirement age" - Mr. Quy assessed.
