Teachers support the pension increase plan of 8% from July 1.
After 30 years of being attached to young children, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao (Tuyen Quang) has retired and received a pension of nearly 8 million VND per month - a number that, according to her, would have been higher if it had not been affected by the low level of retroactive insurance payment in the past.
Before the information about the pension adjustment plan from July 1, she shared: "I find the plan to increase an additional 200,000 VND in cash very meaningful for rural areas that are still poor, many of my colleagues who retire have to grow vegetables and raise chickens to cover more expenses.
However, if considering personal wishes, I still hope for a straight 8% increase because in 2026 everything will be expensive, from electricity bills to medicine bills".
Ms. Phan Thi Tinh (high school teacher in Tuyen Quang province) belongs to the group of teachers with rare seniority who have stayed until retirement. After 38 years and 4 months of attachment to the education sector, Ms. Tinh received her pension book at the beginning of 2026 with a salary of 10.2 million VND (75% benefit rate).
This pension level - according to Ms. Tinh, is not enough to cover living expenses, so currently, she still has to work part-time to increase her income. She chose to tutor at a vocational school with a salary of 100,000 VND per class.
On the day of receiving the pension book, I was a little disappointed because the total actual income decreased by nearly one-third, causing family spending to be recalculated a lot. With the current salary, if it is increased by 8%, I will have an additional 800,000 VND per month. This is a very practical support for me to partially compensate for the income lost when switching from working to retirement" - Ms. Tinh explained.
Ms. Le Thi Hang, a secondary school teacher in Thanh Hoa province, shared that according to current regulations, by 2032, she will reach retirement age, and the pension level she will receive is 75% because she has worked for over 30 years.
Ms. Hang calculated that if calculated according to the current coefficient, her pension could be about 13 million VND. As for 2032, it could increase because after only 2 years, she will reach the time to increase salary grades. In addition, if the proposal to increase the base salary, increase pensions from July 1 is approved, each month, teachers' pensions will increase.
It sounds a lot, but in reality, life is currently increasing in all costs, becoming more and more expensive. I have worked for many years, so when I retire, the pension level is temporarily stable. But many teachers' pensions are only 7-8 million, not enough to cover living expenses. Therefore, I support increasing pensions by 8%/month from July 1st" - Ms. Hang analyzed.
Increase pensions, increase recognition of teachers
Besides the increase for individuals, Ms. Thao and Ms. Tinh both paid special attention to the group retiring before 1995.
I strongly support the salary compensation so that the retirees before 1995 reach the floor level of 3.8 million VND, because at the time of 2026, if the pension is only 2 or 3 million VND, how can they live. They have contributed in the most difficult period of the country and deserve to have an old age at least enough to eat and wear" - Ms. Thao expressed.
Agreeing with this view, Ms. Tinh believes that the floor price of 3.8 million VND is a necessary gratitude, and at the same time believes that retirement is also the time to give way to a more dynamic younger generation.
Especially for teachers directly teaching kindergarten classes, the story of retirement is also associated with health concerns when facing the roadmap to increase the retirement age.
What I and my colleagues in the profession are most worried about is having to work until 60 years old to be able to quit, while the preschool profession is specialized in dancing, singing, running, and coaxing children. At the age of over 55, I already feel knees weak and legs weak, if I keep forcing the teachers to try to work for many more years, I am afraid it will be difficult to bear it. I really hope the policy has understanding for the specific nature of the work of those who directly teach like us" - Ms. Thao shared.
Although not yet retired, Ms. Le Thi Hang believes that increasing pensions not only helps retired teachers have more income, but more importantly, shows recognition of the contributions that the teaching staff silently contributes to the country's education cause.
