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Pension question, Vietnam

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.

What to do next

  1. Find the end date of your Vietnamese labour contract and work permit.
  2. Look for your social insurance number on old payslips or your social insurance book.
  3. Run our free check to see which other countries may hold a pension in your name.

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Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.

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Questions people also ask

Does time already paid out count again later?

Article 5 of the 2024 Law states that time already paid out as a one-off payment is never counted again.

  • Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026

Do you give advice on what to do?

No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.