VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh was among the attendees.

The workshop was virtually connected to social security offices across 63 provinces and cities.

In addition to VSS leaders, the event featured representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international experts from International Social Security Association (ISSA), International Labour Organization (ILO), the National Pension Service of the Republic of Korea (RoK), Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation and the Philippines’ Social Security Administration.

VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh said like many countries in the world, Vietnam recognises social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies as the foundational pillars of its national social security system. These policies are crucial for ensuring social progress, equity and sustainable economic development.

He noted that the effective implementation of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies serves both as a goal and a driving force for growth.

As a State agency tasked by the Government with implementing policies, regimes and managing funds related to social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance, the VSS has consistently fulfilled its responsibilities assigned by the National Assembly and the Government over nearly 30 years since its establishment.

According to the Deputy Director General, the number of new social insurance and health insurance participants has consistently increased each year.

VSS Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh delivers a speech at the workshop

By the end of 2023, 39.35 per cent of the working-age labour force nationwide had enrolled in social insurance.

The coverage of health insurance rate has reached 93.25 per cent of population.

The VSS has focused on international cooperation and the sharing of global experiences to enhance its capacity for policy formulation, thereby improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided to individuals and businesses.

In light of deeper international integration, Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh noted that labour migration between countries is becoming increasingly prevalent. Consequently, ensuring social security rights for workers who travel abroad for employment has emerged as a crucial global trend. This is being addressed through the signing of bilateral social security agreements between nations.

On December 14, 2021, in Seoul, South Korea, the Social Security Agreement was signed between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the RoK. The agreement, taking effect on January 1, 2024, marks the first bilateral social security agreement at the government level that Vietnam has established with another country.

Dr. Andre Gama, director of the ILO’s Social Security Programme, speaks at the workshop

Anh said “The VSS has been tasked by the Government with carrying out the agreement and working with the National Pension Service of the RoK on the procedures, forms and effectively implementing the signed agreement.”

"This is a new assignment that calls for the VSS to keep advancing its professional capabilities while also conducting research, learning, sharing, and putting into practice highly valuable international experiences," he told the workshop.

He claimed that the workshop's exchange of best practices and experience from experts of domestic and international ministries, sectors, and relevant agencies will help VSS staff to gain more knowledge, experience and better perform their services.

Sharing about the orientation of negotiating and signing bilateral social security agreements between Vietnam and other countries, Tran Hai Nam, deputy director of the Social Insurance Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said in the first six months of 2024, 78,640 Vietnamese labourers were sent to work abroad under contracts.

It is estimated that by 2024, about 130,000 Vietnamese workers will be sent overseas under contracts. There are currently over 650,000 Vietnamese people working abroad under contracts.

As of June 2024, there were 155,358 foreign workers employed in Vietnam. Among those, 12,273 people did not have work permits, making up 7.9 per cent of all foreign workers in Vietnam. Approximately 143,079 foreign employees, or 92.1 per cent, have employment contracts.

He noted that because there are more Vietnamese workers working overseas, the 2024 Social Insurance Law's Clause 3, Article 8 provides detailed information on international social insurance cooperation in order to better protect employees' rights. Its primary goal is to facilitate the negotiation and signing of bilateral agreements on social security in the 2019-25 period with countries that employ a high number of Vietnamese labourers and those that send a substantial number of workers to Vietnam.

Tran Hai Nam, deputy director of the Social Insurance Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs

Nam said “On the basis of ensuring the rights of employees that have been included in the law and in practice, Vietnam has so far oriented to negotiate and sign bilateral social security agreements with the RoK, Japan and Romania. The agreement with the RoK was signed in December 2021 and took effect on January 1, 2024.”

“Since 2018, there have been five meetings to exchange information and make preparation for the agreement with Japan.  In early August, at the meeting of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee, the two sides agreed to kick off negotiations on a bilateral social security agreement.”

“Vietnam has proposed discussing the possibility of negotiating a bilateral social security agreement with Romania on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations in 2025,” Nam said.

In order to implement the social security agreement signed with the RoK, relevant Vietnamese ministries and sectors need to continue to step up communication and guidance for employees of the two countries, make written notifications to the RoK through diplomatic channels to determine the implementation of regulations on the accumulation of time, he said.

The Government and ministries will issue documents detailing the implementation of the amended Law on Social Insurance which was passed by the National Assembly on June 29, 2024. It will serve as a basis for the full implementation of the agreement with the RoK as well as for Vietnam to expand and promote negotiations with other countries, he said.

Tran Thi Thu Tra, deputy director of the VSS Department of International Cooperation, speaks at the event

Tran Thi Thu Tra, deputy director of the VSS Department of International Cooperation, introduced a deal on the implementation of a social security agreement between VSS and the RoK’s National Pension Service and the administrative agreement related to social insurance beneficiaries.

She said the deal aims to concretalise social insurance subjects of the agreement, implement the Prime Minister's Decision approving the plan for implementing the agreement, in which the VSS has been assigned to be the agency to implement the agreement.

Dr. Andre Gama, director of the ILO’s Social Security Programme said, the ILO Convention 102 on Minimum Social Security Standards (as well as other updated conventions on social security) all contain clear provisions on non-discrimination. Article 68 of Convention 102 - applicable to all social security regimes within the scope of the Convention - clearly states that non-national residents shall have the same rights as national residents.

An overview of the workshop

Dr. Andre Gama identified numerous challenges in ensuring social security for migrant workers. Often, he said, migrant workers are denied social insurance benefits because they are rarely covered by social insurance programmes due to their nationality, or fail to meet the eligibility conditions or have access to limited benefits.

In order to realise the social insurance rights of migrant workers, it is necessary to reduce the "barriers" that prevent their participation in the social security systems of destination countries. Furthermore, he emphasised the importance of ensuring that migrant workers can access their benefits even after returning to their countries of origin.

He said bilateral/multilateral agreements are treaties that aim to coordinate the social security programmes of two or more countries to overcome barriers that may prevent migrant workers from enjoying welfare regimes under the system of any country in which they have worked.

At the workshop, he also shared about important policy documents and international labour standards calling for the signing of the social security agreements.

He provided details on the ILO’s recommendations, strategies and approaches which aim to help countries access to a progressive approach and integrate a number of complementary and mutually supportive policy measures with the principle of equal treatment.

Participants at the workshop discussed and clarified many contents, principles of the legal framework in building agreements between countries.

According to experts, building basic agreement frameworks will be the legal basis for negotiations with partners when building the agreements in the short term and long term to reach a consensus.

In the afternoon session, delegates listened to international speakers from the RoK, the Philippines, Malaysia, and ISSA on their experience and global trends in building and implementing bilateral social security agreements in the context of free labour movement./.