61 years old start accumulating for old age
Ms. Vu Thi Tuyet Mai was born in 1965 in Vinh Phuc ward, Phu Tho province. Every day, she and her younger sister sell goods at a small electrical and plumbing store.
The job to earn a living that lasted for many years made Ms. Mai have little time to think about preparing for life after working age. When she turned 60, she began to look further into the years to come.
After learning about solutions to ensure income in old age, Ms. Mai chose to participate in voluntary social insurance. She registered an income level as a basis for paying 6 million VND/month and chose a 5-year payment method.
From the money saved after many years of working, she decided to pay once every 60 months. For her, this is a savings for the future, instead of waiting until her health declines to find a way to manage.
For many people, participating in voluntary social insurance at the age of over 60 may be late, but I see that in the next 10 years, just paying 2 more times for 60 months, I will be resolved for pension benefits by the social insurance agency," Ms. Mai shared.
What she expects is not only a regular monthly amount of money received. She also aims for a health insurance card for pensioners and, more importantly, to be able to be self-sufficient in life at an older age.
I want to receive a pension, to use my health insurance retirement card like everyone else, but the happiest thing is that I am independent, not relying on my children and grandchildren," Ms. Mai said.
Looking at it from a practical perspective, people expressed joy in receiving pensions when paying voluntary social insurance. In August 2026, Thanh Son grassroots social insurance awarded a monthly pension decision to Ms. Do Thi Ngoc Oanh, born on July 19, 1969, owner of a private pharmacy in the area.
Previously, Ms. Oanh was a freelancer and actively learned about voluntary social insurance policies. The business made her income dependent on the business situation, but she still allocated a part of her resources to participate.
On the day of receiving the pension decision, Ms. Oanh received it right at her familiar pharmacy. According to her, the process of participating in voluntary social insurance is a way to accumulate for the future, helping herself have an additional stable income when she no longer works as before.
Ms. Oanh also believes that health insurance cards when receiving pensions are an important right, especially when the older the age, the greater the need for health care.
Policy to expand social security fulcrum
Voluntary social insurance is a social security policy aimed at workers who are not subject to compulsory social insurance participation. This group includes freelancers, people working in the informal sector and some cases who have quit their jobs but do not yet meet the conditions to enjoy retirement benefits.
According to the 2024 Law on Social Insurance and Decree 159/2025/ND-CP, voluntary social insurance participants have benefits related to maternity benefits, pensions and death benefits.
The contribution level is determined as 22% of the income level used as the basis for contribution. The lowest income level is equal to the poverty line of rural areas, currently 1.5 million VND/month. The highest level is 20 times the reference salary level, equivalent to 50.6 million VND/month.
Choosing a contribution level helps participants balance with their financial capacity. Employees can also choose a suitable contribution method according to regulations.
One of the benefits that many people are interested in is the monthly pension. When eligible, this amount creates a regular income instead of the employee having to depend entirely on health, working ability or family support.
Along with that, pensioners are issued health insurance cards and enjoy medical examination and treatment benefits according to regulations. This is a significant factor for the elderly, as the demand for medical services usually increases over time.
In Phu Tho, voluntary social insurance policies are also supplemented by support mechanisms from the local budget.
Phu Tho Provincial People's Council has issued Resolution No. 25/2026/NQ-HĐND stipulating the level of additional support for voluntary social insurance contributions for people from poor households, near-poor households and ethnic minorities in the province in the period 2026-2030.
Accordingly, in addition to the central budget support according to Decree 159/2025/ND-CP, Phu Tho supports an additional 10% on the monthly voluntary social insurance contribution level according to the rural poor household standard for policy groups.
The support period is calculated from July 10, 2026 to the end of December 31, 2030. In case participants belong to many groups that are supported, the highest support level is applied.
In 2026, with the rural poverty line of 1.5 million VND/person/month, the province's additional support for people from poor households is 198,000 VND, near-poor households 165,000 VND and ethnic minorities permanently residing in Phu Tho 132,000 VND.
By the end of June 2026, the rate of social insurance participants in the province reached 39.9% of the labor force. Of which, compulsory social insurance reached 31.78%, voluntary social insurance reached 8.13%. Health insurance coverage reached 95.04% of the population.
These figures show that voluntary social insurance is becoming a part of the social security system for workers outside the official sector.
In the last months of 2026, social insurance will strengthen propaganda in residential areas, focusing on freelance workers working in small and scattered business households. The goal is to help people understand the contribution level, participation methods and benefits before making a choice.
