The Ministry of Justice has just announced the dossier for appraisal of the draft Decree of the Government stipulating social assistance policies and social pension allowances, which was drafted by the Ministry of Health. The draft is being consulted before being submitted to the Government for consideration and decision.
Accordingly, the draft proposes to adjust the standard level of social assistance and social pension benefits from 500,000 VND to 540,000 VND/month, equivalent to an increase of 8%, expected to be applied from July 1.
According to Decree No. 161/2026/ND-CP, the base salary from July 1, 2026 is 2,530,000 VND/month (the current base salary is 2,340,000 VND/month).
The increase in the base salary is placed in the context that pensions and some social insurance allowances are also adjusted to increase by 8%.
According to calculations, with about 4.5 million people enjoying the policy, adjusting the allowance level to 540,000 VND/month will increase budget expenditures by about 304 billion VND per month. Total additional expenditure is expected to increase in 2026 (from July 1) by about 1,824 billion VND.
In Can Tho City, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa (58 years old, residing in Hung Phu ward) said that he is very interested in this information because for many years his life has mainly depended on allowances and the support of relatives.
Mr. Hoa used to work as a freelancer in the construction sector. About 12 years ago, while working at a civil construction site, he had a serious accident that significantly reduced his ability to work. Since then, his health has been unstable, and he can only do odd jobs when someone hires him.
The older I get, the weaker my health, so finding a job is also difficult. Living expenses and medicine are increasing day by day. If social assistance levels are adjusted to increase, people in difficult circumstances like me will feel somewhat less pressured" - Mr. Hoa shared.
According to him, the increased support amount, although not too large, is of practical significance for people with loss of working capacity, the elderly or people in particularly difficult circumstances who are having to save every monthly expense.
I hope the policy will be passed soon so that vulnerable people have more conditions to cover their lives, especially in the context that prices of many essential goods are increasing" - Mr. Hoa said.
Sharing the same expectation, Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Lan (67 years old, residing in Cai Khe ward, Can Tho city) said that for many years she has lived alone, her health has declined due to bone and joint diseases and blood pressure, so she no longer has the ability to do heavy jobs to create a stable income.
According to Ms. Lan, the increasing cost of living and medicine makes the lives of the elderly face many difficulties. Therefore, the information proposing to increase the social assistance standard by an additional 8% has received attention from many people in similar circumstances.
Although the monthly increase is not too much, for the elderly, who are no longer able to work, any amount is precious. Having more money to buy medicine and food is already happy" - Ms. Lan shared.
Ms. Lan believes that adjusting social assistance levels according to price fluctuations is necessary, contributing to supporting the elderly and vulnerable groups to reduce pressure in daily life.
