Contributing opinions on the pension regime, Lang Son Provincial People's Committee proposed that the drafting agency continue to study the roadmap to shorten the minimum social insurance contribution period to receive a pension to below 15 years in order to create conditions for late participants to have the opportunity to receive a pension.
However, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the adjustment needs to be considered and evaluated based on the ability to balance the Social Insurance Fund.
At the same time, the minimum social insurance contribution period to receive a pension has just been adjusted from 20 years to 15 years. Therefore, time is needed to assess the impact of the policy on the ability to balance the Social Insurance Fund.
Previously, Vietnam Social Security (BHXH) said that one of the reform points of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance is to reduce the minimum number of years of social insurance contribution to receive a pension from 20 years to 15 years.
According to Vietnam Social Security, this regulation creates conditions for late social insurance participants, such as people starting work at the age of 45 to 50, or employees with non-continuous social insurance contributions, to still have the opportunity to enjoy retirement benefits.
Instead of receiving one-time social insurance, employees can continue to participate to be eligible for monthly pensions and be issued health insurance cards according to regulations.
According to statistics from Vietnam Social Security as of early May 2026, the number of people receiving one-time social insurance benefits nationwide decreased by 21.7% compared to the same period.
Vietnam Social Security also said that currently there are about 3.5 million people nationwide receiving monthly pensions.
By the end of 2025, the number of social insurance participants reached 21.53 million people, an increase of 6.80 million people compared to 2018, equivalent to an increase of 46.14%. The proportion of the working force of working age participating in social insurance reached 45.11%, an increase of 14.86 percentage points compared to 2018.
According to current regulations in the Law on Social Insurance on subjects and conditions for enjoying pensions (Article 64), as follows:
1. 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 resigning with a compulsory social insurance contribution period of 15 years or more, are entitled to 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 as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 169 of the Labor Code and having a total compulsory social insurance contribution period of 15 years or more when performing heavy, hazardous, dangerous or especially heavy, hazardous, dangerous occupations and jobs under the list of heavy, hazardous, dangerous or especially heavy, hazardous, dangerous occupations and jobs promulgated 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 allowances with a coefficient of 0.7 or higher before January 1, 2021;
c) Being a minimum of 10 years younger than the age specified in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code and having 15 years or more of working in underground coal mining as prescribed by the Government;
d) People infected with HIV/AIDS due to occupational accidents while performing assigned tasks.
2. Subjects specified in points d, d and e, clause 1, Article 2 of this Law, when resigning with a compulsory social insurance contribution period of 15 years or more, are entitled to a pension if they fall into one of the following cases:
a) Being a minimum of 05 years younger than the age specified in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code, except in cases where the Law on Officers of the Vietnam People's Army, the Law on People's Police, the Law on Cipher, the Law on Professional Military Personnel, national defense workers and public employees have other regulations;
b) Being a minimum age of 10 years younger than the age specified in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code and having a total compulsory social insurance contribution period of 15 years or more when performing heavy, hazardous, dangerous or especially heavy, hazardous, dangerous occupations and jobs under the list of heavy, hazardous, dangerous or especially heavy, hazardous, dangerous occupations and jobs promulgated 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 allowances with a coefficient of 0.7 or higher before January 1, 2021;
c) People infected with HIV/AIDS due to occupational accidents while performing assigned tasks.
3. The Government stipulates the enjoyment of pensions for cases where the date of birth cannot be determined or records are lost and other special cases.
