The Government has just issued Decree 168/2026/ND-CP detailing a number of articles and measures to organize the implementation of the Population Law, which clearly stipulates the regime and policies for population collaborators nationwide.
According to the decree, from July 1, 2026, the monthly remuneration for population collaborators will be calculated according to the new base salary of 2.53 million VND/month.
Specifically, population collaborators working in villages with 350 or more households; particularly difficult villages; villages and hamlets belonging to difficult communes; residential groups and neighborhoods with 500 or more households will receive remuneration equal to 0.5 times the base salary, equivalent to 1,265,000 VND/month.
For the remaining areas, the benefit level is 0.4 times the base salary level, equivalent to 1,012,000 VND/month.
According to the provisions of Article 11 of the decree, population collaborators are people who directly perform population work in villages, hamlets, residential groups, neighborhoods... meeting professional standards and performing tasks according to the guidance of the Ministry of Health.
Notably, the Provincial People's Committee will base on the actual conditions of each locality to decide the number of population collaborators, and at the same time submit to the People's Council of the same level to stipulate specific remuneration levels. However, the payment level must not be lower than the minimum frame prescribed by the Government.
The Decree also mentions cases where village health workers or other collaborators concurrently perform population work. These cases will enjoy remuneration according to the agreement in the contract signed between the parties, but the benefit level does not exceed the remuneration level of a full-time population collaborator.
Another notable point is the transitional regulation on remuneration regimes. According to Article 15 of Decree 168/2026/ND-CP, if the new remuneration level is higher than the level being paid, population collaborators will continue to receive the current level until the end of 2026. The difference arising in the period from July 1 to December 31, 2026 will be additionally paid in 2027.
The funding for remuneration for population collaborators is guaranteed from the local budget according to the provisions of Article 12 of the decree.
The Population Law also emphasizes prioritizing the development of human resources for population work, especially in ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, coastal and island areas. People directly involved in population work will be trained in professional skills and enjoy preferential policies according to the provisions of law.
In addition to remuneration, population collaborators also participate in training and professional development programs according to the guidance of the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of population work at the grassroots level.
