A reader is a civil servant, has paid social insurance (SI) for 20 years but has not reached retirement age. Sending a question to the Government Electronic Information Portal, a reader asked, if he retired, would he be entitled to pension benefits? Or receive a one-time allowance?
Regarding this issue, Vietnam Social Security responds as follows:
The Social Insurance Law 2024, effective from July 1, 2025, stipulates the retirement conditions and one-time social insurance benefits as follows:
Clause 1, Article 64 stipulates: "The subjects specified in Points a, b, c, g, h, i, k, l, m and n, Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 2 of this Law, when on leave with a period of compulsory social insurance payment of 15 years or more, are entitled to receive pension if they fall into one of the following cases:
a) Meeting the retirement age as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code;
b) Meeting the retirement age prescribed in Clause 3, Article 169 of the Labor Code and having a total period of compulsory social insurance payment of 15 years or more when working in a heavy, toxic, dangerous or especially heavy, toxic, dangerous job or job on the list of heavy, toxic, dangerous or especially heavy, toxic, dangerous jobs or jobs issued by the Minister of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs or working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, including working time in places with regional allowance coefficient of 0.7 or higher before January 1, 2021;
c) Be at least 10 years younger than the age specified in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code and have been working in underground coal mining for 15 years or more as prescribed by the Government;
d) People infected with HIV/AIDS due to occupational accidents while performing assigned tasks".
Clause 1, Article 65 stipulates: "The subjects specified in Points a, b, c, g, h, i, k, l, m and n, Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 2 of this Law, when on leave with a period of compulsory social insurance payment of 20 years or more, will receive a pension at a lower level than those eligible for pension specified in Points a, b and c, Clause 1, Article 64 of this Law if they fall into one of the following cases:
a) Having a maximum age of 05 years lower than the age specified in Point a, Clause 1, Article 64 of this Law and having a reduced working capacity of 61% to less than 81%;
b) Having a maximum age of 10 years lower than the age specified in Point a, Clause 1, Article 64 of this Law and having a reduced working capacity of 81% or more;
c) Having worked for 15 years or more in a particularly arduous, toxic, or dangerous profession or job on the list of particularly arduous, toxic, or dangerous jobs issued by the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and having a working capacity reduction of 61% or more".
In case the reader is a civil servant who has paid social insurance for 20 years, he/she will receive one-time social insurance according to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 70 of the Social Insurance Law 2024 as follows:
"The subjects specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of this Law who have terminated their social insurance participation and have a request are entitled to receive one-time social insurance if they fall into one of the following cases:
... b) Go abroad to settle;
c) People suffering from one of the following diseases: cancer, paralysis, decongested liver fibrosis, severe tuberculosis, AIDS;
d) People with a working capacity reduction of 81% or more; people with severe disabilities...".
Clause 6, Article 70 of the Law on Social Insurance 2024 stipulates: "In cases where employees are specified in Points b, c and d, Clause 1... This is both eligible for pension and one-time social insurance, employees can choose to receive monthly pension or one-time social insurance".
Vietnam Social Insurance provides the provisions of the 2024 Social Insurance Law on pension conditions, one-time social insurance benefits for comparison with your personal conditions (age, health status, social insurance payment process developments, job title, workplace...) or contact the social insurance agency where you are paying social insurance for specific guidance and advice.
