Receiving just over 30 million VND for six months of maternity leave, Thuy Dung, 34, a media company employee in former District 3, stated that the amount barely covered her hospital fees and her child's vaccinations. During her leave, she had to stay with her maternal grandmother and could not contribute any money to her grandparents for living expenses.
Dung, a university graduate, gave birth in 2022. Her income was about 15 million VND per month. However, her company only contributed social insurance based on a basic salary of 5 million VND, with the remainder paid as allowances for lunch, fuel, phone, and performance bonuses. According to regulations, maternity benefits are calculated as 100% of the average monthly salary used for social insurance contributions during the six months preceding the leave.
Aware that contributions were just over 30% of her income, Dung mentally prepared for low benefits. Even so, she felt disheartened when a friend, who gave birth the same year, received nearly 90 million VND in maternity benefits.
Her friend worked at a foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprise in Dong Nai, starting as a factory worker before advancing to a management position with a basic salary of 15 million VND. Her social insurance contributions covered almost her entire income. When she gave birth to her first child, she received nearly 90 million VND in maternity benefits. Her salary has since doubled after promotion, and the company continues to contribute social insurance based on her full salary. Last year, for her second child, she received about 180 million VND in benefits.
"Looking back, I feel very sorry for myself. If my child were to get sick and I didn't have my parents' support, this small allowance wouldn't solve anything", Dung said.
According to Tran Dung Ha, Deputy Director of Social Security of Ho Chi Minh City, cases like Dung's are not isolated and reflect the consequences of the "low contribution - low benefit" mechanism. When the salary used as the basis for social insurance contributions primarily relies on basic salary or is close to the minimum wage, short-term social security benefits like sick leave, maternity, unemployment, and long-term pensions struggle to meet workers' actual needs.
In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City processed maternity benefits for nearly 100,000 female workers, with total disbursements exceeding 5,335 billion VND. On average, each person received about 53,4 million VND. With an average monthly social insurance contribution base of 8,12 million VND, 77% of female workers received less than this amount, while only 1% received the maximum amount of 46,8 million VND per month.
Amid rising birth and childcare costs in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha noted that low social insurance contributions result in minimal allowances, diminishing the protective role of the insurance system for female workers. "Many individuals do not fully understand the contribution-benefit mechanism, which can easily erode their trust in the social security system", he added.
A similar situation affects retirement benefits. This past January, Social Security of Ho Chi Minh City disbursed pensions to 351,976 individuals. Taking the city's multidimensional near-poverty income threshold of below 4,5 million VND per month, nearly 60,200 people received pensions below this level. Conversely, nearly 95,000 people received over 10 million VND per month, with the current highest amount being 161 million VND.
Regarding unemployment insurance, in October 2025, over 16,800 people received benefits, with the average amount less than 5 million VND per month, even though university-educated workers accounted for over 33% of the recipients.
Nguyen Binh Phuong, 27, an IT employee at a technology company in former Thu Duc City, recalled being "shocked" when he received unemployment benefits. Despite an actual income of 25 million VND per month, he agreed to social insurance contributions based on 5,4 million VND, believing he was "unlikely to become unemployed". However, when his company downsized, he lost his job and received only 3,4 million VND per month, equivalent to 60% of his declared salary.
"Living on 25 million VND per month, I felt like I had fallen into an abyss", Phuong said. In contrast, a driver at an FDI enterprise, earning 15 million VND and contributing fully, received about 9 million VND in unemployment benefits each month.
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Workers submit applications and complete procedures for unemployment benefits at the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, former Binh Thanh District, June 2025. Photo: Quynh Tran |
Workers submit applications and complete procedures for unemployment benefits at the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, former Binh Thanh District, June 2025. Photo: Quynh Tran
According to Nguyen Trung Ngan, a Standing Committee member of the Ho Chi Minh City Confederation of Labor, the lower the salary used as the basis for social insurance contributions, the more benefits diminish. When workers experience illness, maternity leave, job loss, or unemployment, payouts are calculated based on the declared social insurance salary, not their actual income.
Beyond this, low contributions also affect overtime pay and compensation for work accidents and occupational diseases. In many businesses, risk-related payouts are "pegged" to the social insurance contribution base, broadly narrowing workers' entitlements.
In the long term, the greatest consequence lies in retirement pensions. Social insurance is calculated based on the entire contribution period. If a low contribution base is maintained for many years, future pensions may not ensure a minimum standard of living, increasing the risk of elderly individuals depending on social welfare.
Ngan noted that while a segment of workers does not actively focus on their social insurance contribution levels, the majority remain in a weak position when negotiating the salary used for contributions. Based on this reality, labor unions are enhancing their representative role, negotiating collective bargaining agreements that prioritize wages, bonuses, and social insurance contribution levels.
From a personal perspective, Nam Giang, 39, a project team leader at a real estate company, believes that for skilled workers, choosing a workplace is a key factor. After working at various companies with different social insurance contribution levels and directly experiencing the benefits, she now only selects workplaces where social insurance contributions are no less than 70% of her income.
"Companies cannot change regulations for an individual, but workers have every right to choose a workplace that meets their criteria", Giang said.
Le Tuyet
