Social Protection

Building social protection floors
and comprehensive social security systems

Viet Nam

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Situation and Priorities

Social protection situation

Viet Nam has a relatively well-developed social protection system, including a social insurance (SI) system that covers a wide range of contingencies, as well as a social assistance (SA) system. However, SI and SA policies have been independently designed and implemented over the years, making the expansion of coverage and effective financing of social protection a challenge.

As of 2024, compulsory SI covers around 42.7 per cent of the working age population, while voluntary SI only covers around 4.8 per cent, with a more limited set of contingencies. Investment in social protection (excluding health) remains at around 4 per cent of GDP, significantly below both the regional and global averages. As a result, the coverage of social assistance, both in terms of beneficiaries (around 3.5 million) and monthly cash benefit level, remains insufficient, despite an increase in social assistance benefits of almost 80% in nominal terms between 2020 and 2024.

Viet Nam has made strong progress towards achieving universal health coverage, with social health insurance (SHI) covering around 94% of the population as of 2024. However, many people still face financial hardship when paying for healthcare, as out-of-pocket costs make up 40% of current health spending. As a result, 8.5% of households fall into poverty each year due to medical expenses.

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COVID-19 and other crises
On September 7, 2024, Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Viet Nam, striking the coastal regions of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces with wind speeds exceeding 213 km/h. The typhoon and the subsequent floods affected 26 provinces and cities (nearly half of the total number of provinces and cities in Viet Nam). The disaster has resulted in 320 deaths, 25 missing, and 1,978 injuries. Over 283,383 houses were damaged or had their roofs blown off; 122,415 houses were flooded; and 3,755 schools and 852 healthcare facilities were likewise damaged. The ILO support to the recovery has included direct support to cash for work programmes in some of the most affected programmes, where awareness raising about social protection was embedded. The ILO also contributed, to the UN report "Viet Nam Multi-Sector Assessment (VMSA) Report - For Typhoon Recovery", leading the chapter on Employment, Livelihoods and Social Protection Sector (3.13).
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Government and social partner priorities

The Party, The Government and social partners in Viet Nam remain dedicated and focused on strengthening the country's social protection system.

This is in line with trends observed in recent decades, and includes in 2025:

  • Implementation of the new Social Insurance Law (2024)
  • Revision of the Employment Law (which covers unemployment insurance)
  • Implementation of Party Resolution 42 on Social Policies
  • Development of a new Social Assistance Law
  • Revision of the Law on Occupational Health and Safety (which governs employment injury insurance)

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Results

The ILO has provided significant technical support and capacity building to the Party, The National Assembly, the Government, social partners and other relevant stakeholders through key social protection reforms which have taken place in recent years, including:

  • Revision of the Social Insurance Law (2014)
  • Revision of the Social Health Insurance Law (2014)
  • Party Resolution 15 on Social Policies (2015)
  • The Road Map for Social Assistance Reform and Development (MPSARD) (2017)
  • Party Resolution 28 on Social Insurance Reform (MPSIR) (2018)
  • Increase in the retirement age (2019)
  • Government Decree 20 on Social Assistance Reform (2021)
  • Party Resolution 42 on Social Policies (2023)
  • New Social Insurance Law (2024)
  • Government Decree 76 on Social Assistance(2024)

In addition to these achievements, the ILO continues to provide support to all stakeholders on the implementation of the policy reforms described above.

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Social Protection for an Upper-Middle Country: The road for Viet Nam 2030

Impact: To meet the needs of constituents in Viet Nam, the ILO’s work on social protection in the coming years must both reinforce ongoing initiatives and expand into new areas. Accelerating the increase of effective social insurance coverage is crucial to achieving Viet Nam’s target of 60% coverage by 2030. This will require additional investment to support the effective implementation of the new Social Insurance Law (2024), as well as upcoming revisions to the Employment Law (2025) and the Law on Occupational Safety and Health (forthcoming). Vietnam’s vision to develop a new Social Assistance Law represents an important and ambitious step towards the ultimate goal of Leaving No One Behind. However, this will also require significant support and investment. Furthermore, the impact of megatrends such as climate change (to which Viet Nam is highly vulnerable), technological development, geopolitical fragmentation, and population ageing will necessitate that the ILO broadens its support to constituents in Viet Nam.
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