Vietnam Introduces New Salary Base for Social and Health Insurance Contributions from July 1

Vietnam's Social Insurance agency (BHXH Vietnam) will apply a new salary base of VND 2.53 million per month for the collection of social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance and occupational injury insurance starting July 1, 2024. Under the new rules, the maximum monthly income used to calculate contributions is capped at 20 times the base, or VND 50.6 million.

The regulation, issued under Decree 161/2026/NĐ‑CP, defines three groups of contributors: (1) participants whose wages are set by state salary tables; (2) voluntary social‑insurance contributors who may elect the highest monthly income up to the 20‑times cap; and (3) health‑insurance participants whose contributions are based on the new base, including those funded by social‑insurance agencies, the state budget, state‑supported schemes or self‑payment. BHXH Vietnam notes that the change aims to ensure fairness, sustainability and better benefit protection. The agency reports around 21.9 million people enrolled in social insurance, 17.3 million in unemployment insurance and 98.6 million in health insurance, and it will support local offices with updated software and technical assistance for implementation.