Ho Chi Minh City Social Security sent this proposal to the city People's Committee on 2/6, offering feedback on amending and supplementing several provisions of the Social Insurance Law, Health Insurance Law, and related policies.

Ride-hailing motorbike drivers in Ho Chi Minh City, April 2026. *Photo: Quynh Tran*

The proposal suggests amending Article 2 of the Social Insurance Law to include ride-hailing drivers and online sellers in the mandatory social insurance group. These workers have stable, regular income but currently lack full social security benefits.

To implement this, Ho Chi Minh City Social Security recommends establishing a monthly contribution mechanism. This would be facilitated through technology application operating companies, e-commerce platform management units, payment platforms, and other organizations in the digital economy sector, as regulated by the Government.

A study by the Center for Economic Application Consulting (Institute for Development Studies of Ho Chi Minh City) from mid-last year indicated that approximately 400,000 ride-hailing motorbike drivers operate on platforms in the city.

For online sellers, 2024 tax authority statistics reveal over 90,200 online businesses in the former Ho Chi Minh City area. Individuals and household businesses account for nearly 65,000 of these.

The inclusion of ride-hailing drivers in mandatory social insurance has been a recurring proposal from many experts during discussions to amend the 2019 Labor Code and the 2024 Social Insurance Law.

According to the Labor Code, an employee is defined as someone who works under an agreement, receives wages, and is managed, directed, and supervised by an employer. Ride-hailing drivers and delivery personnel are considered to meet these criteria.

Beyond digital platform workers, Ho Chi Minh City Social Security also proposes expanding coverage to include workers with contracts under one month and increasing penalties for construction companies that fail to pay social insurance for their employees.

The agency states that these proposals stem from the local realities of Ho Chi Minh City, which is the country's largest population, workforce, and business hub. Here, flexible labor forms are developing rapidly but are not yet fully covered by mandatory social insurance policies.

Le Tuyet