Pension questions
Vietnam pension questions
These are the questions people search about a pension left in Vietnam. Each page answers its question in the first two sentences, and we show those two sentences below, read from the official source with the date we read it. We identify where a pension is likely held and the route to it. We do not give advice.
English
Can foreigners get a Vietnam social insurance refund?
The Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15 (in force from 1 July 2025) provides that a foreign-citizen employee working in Vietnam under compulsory social insurance who has ceased participating may, on request, receive a one-time social insurance payment in listed cases, including where they meet pension conditions but no longer reside in Vietnam, and where their labour contract ends or their work permit, practice certificate or practice licence expires without renewal. Decree 143/2018/ND-CP sets the window for a foreign employee's one-off social insurance payment at ten days counted to the end of the labour contract or the expiry of the work permit, and the dossier must already be translated into Vietnamese and certified under Vietnamese law.
- Source: vanban.chinhphu.vn, read 1 September 2026
- Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026
Do foreigners pay social insurance in Vietnam?
Vietnam has charged foreign employees for a pension since 1 January 2022. Decree 143/2018/ND-CP, in force from 1 December 2018, puts anyone holding a Vietnamese work permit or practising certificate and a contract of a year or more into compulsory social insurance, and from 1 January 2022 takes 8 per cent of monthly salary from the worker while the employer adds 14 per cent to the retirement and survivorship fund, plus 3 per cent for sickness and maternity and 0.5 per cent for occupational accidents.
- Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026
What is the retirement age in Vietnam?
Vietnam's retirement age rises on a year-by-year schedule, reaching 62 for men in 2028 and 60 for women in 2035, so the age at which a pension can start depends on the calendar year of retirement. The Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15 (in force from 1 July 2025) provides that within 20 days before the employee meets the pension conditions, the employer submits the pension dossier to the social insurance agency; a person with a reserved period of compulsory contributions submits their own dossier within the same 20 days before eligibility.
- Source: xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn, read 1 September 2026
- Source: vanban.chinhphu.vn, read 1 September 2026
How do I check my Vietnam social insurance record?
Vietnam Social Security (VssID): Online portal and VssID app to view social insurance contribution history, run by Vietnam Social Security. The participation history lookup asks for province, social insurance office, a date range, your full name, your identity document number, your social insurance number, a captcha and a Vietnamese mobile number, then sends a one time code to the number already registered with the social insurance agency and will not run until that code is entered.
- Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 7 June 2026
- Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026
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