Do foreigners working in Vietnam truly understand social insurance?

“I am a foreigner who has worked in Vietnam for many years, but I still don't fully understand how social insurance works. My company deducts money monthly, but I don't know what benefits I'm entitled to, how I can withdraw them, or whether I'll lose them later.”

This is a fairly common question among many foreign workers in Vietnam, especially foreign experts, managers, or personnel working in FDI enterprises. In reality, many foreigners have participated in social insurance for many years but still don't fully understand the operating mechanism, their rights, or how social insurance data is managed in Vietnam. Many only know that their company deducts a social insurance-related amount each month, but they don't know how this amount is calculated, whether they can receive a refund, or what procedures they need to follow when they leave their job.

According to the 2024 Social Insurance Law and related regulations, foreign workers are still subject to mandatory social insurance participation in Vietnam in some cases if they meet the current conditions. However, in reality, not all businesses fully explain to foreign workers their rights and obligations regarding social insurance during their employment.

In some cases, employees only discover they have a social insurance number when checking their payslip or just before leaving their job. Others are completely unaware that their company has registered them for social insurance throughout their years of employment in Vietnam.

Furthermore, many people confuse social insurance with the international commercial insurance schemes that companies provide specifically for foreign experts. Another common issue is that many foreign workers believe that after leaving Vietnam, all social insurance data will be automatically deleted or become invalid. However, in reality, social insurance participation data may still be recorded in the system if previous participation history is fully updated.

Some people only find out after many years that they may be entitled to social insurance benefits in Vietnam, but by then they no longer have their employment contract, cannot remember their social insurance number, or their former company has ceased operations. There are also cases where social insurance data becomes inaccurate due to passport changes, visa changes, or working for multiple companies with different social insurance numbers without the employee's knowledge throughout their employment.

This is why foreign workers should proactively check their social insurance status, social insurance number, and participation data while still working in Vietnam, instead of waiting until they leave their job to start reviewing their records.

Contact DEDICA Law Firm for expert legal advice!

📞 Hotline: (+84) 39 969 0012 (Support available via WhatsApp, WeChat, and Zalo)

🕒 Opening hours: Monday – Friday (8:30 AM – 6:00 PM)

Contact us today for a free initial consultation with our team of professional lawyers!