As we enter the New Year of 2025, let us reflect on the top 10 notable achievements of Viet Nam Social Security in 2024.

All 63 provinces and cities have established Steering Committees 

1. Proactive advisory on social and health insurance legislation

As the agency responsible for implementing social and health insurance policies, Viet Nam Social Security has consistently taken a proactive role in advising and proposing amendments to improve these laws. A vast majority of the agency’s contributions have been accepted, especially those aimed at protecting the rights and legal interests of policyholders and beneficiaries. The amended Law on Social Insurance and the amended Law on Health Insurance, featuring numerous reformative and progressive elements, were officially passed at the seventh and eighth sessions of the 15th National Assembly, receiving broad consensus across all levels and sectors.

The revised Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15, enacted on June 29, 2024, comprises 11 chapters and 141 articles and will come into force on July 1, 2025. Compared to the 2014 law, the revised Law on Social Insurance introduces significant changes aimed at major objectives such as expanding the coverage base, enhancing benefits for policyholders to attract more workers, and strengthening penalties for late or non-payment of contributions.

The amended Law on Health Insurance No. 51/2024/QH15, effective January 1, 2025, includes significant updates that increase benefits and simplify procedures, making it more convenient for policyholders. These updates include coverage for rare or critical illnesses and surgical procedures without the need for referrals, and expanded benefits to include treatment for conditions such as strabismus and refractive errors in minors.

The year 2024 marks substantial breakthroughs in refining the legal framework, ensuring the continued progress of the nation’s social security system, and improving the rights of participants while addressing shortcomings in existing regulations.

2. The political system continues to engage strongly and comprehensively, from central Government to local communities

Recognising the crucial role of local Party committees and authorities in the effective implementation of social and health insurance policies, the Viet Nam Social Security’s Party Committee has sent directives to provincial Party secretaries, urging continued leadership and guidance in executing these policies at the local level. The Viet Nam Social Security has also taken decisive steps to ensure that Social Security Offices in provinces and cities are closely aligned with local authorities, actively advising and seeking support for these policies.

So far, all communes across all 63 provinces and cities have established Steering Committees. Sixty-two of the provinces have included the target of increasing health insurance coverage as part of their local socio-economic development goals. Additionally, 23 provinces have allocated local budgets to support voluntary social insurance participants, and all provinces have committed funds to assist health insurance participants.

3. Persistent efforts to expand social, health and unemployment insurance coverage; approaching universal health insurance goals

By December 31, 2024, the number of people enrolled in social insurance is expected to reach approximately 20.11 million, a 9.2 per cent increase from 2023, representing 42.71 per cent of the working-age population. Of these, 2.29 million individuals are voluntary social insurance participants, an increase of over 10 times compared to 2017.

Health insurance coverage is estimated at 95.52 million people, or 94.2 per cent of the population. Unemployment insurance enrolment is expected to reach 16.09 million people, an 8.8 per cent increase from 2023.

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The achievements indicate that the Viet Nam Social Security has exceeded its targets for the development of social, health and unemployment insurance as set out in the Government’s Resolution 01/NQ-CP, providing a solid foundation for the successful completion of targets outlined in the Party, National Assembly and Government’s resolutions.

4. Ensuring timely and full payment of benefits to policyholders with a commitment to fast, efficient service and reform

Following Decree No. 75/2024/ND-CP, the Viet Nam Social Security has swiftly prioritised the full and timely payment of pensions, social insurance allowances and monthly benefits under the new rates starting from July 1, 2024.

Notably, during natural disasters caused by Typhoon Yagi in various regions, the Viet Nam Social Security has remained closely engaged with the situation, implementing proactive measures to ensure there was no disruption in the payment of benefits.

In 2024, the agency is expected to disburse approximately VND350 trillion ($13.8 billion) for social insurance and unemployment benefits, serving over 3.3 million pensioners and those receiving social insurance allowances. Additionally, more than 8.54 million claims for sickness, maternity and health rehabilitation benefits have been processed, ensuring the timely and accurate payment of entitlements.

5. Effective management and optimisation of the health insurance fund; timely and accurate payments for health services

In 2024, an estimated 186.2 million visits to healthcare facilities were made under the health insurance scheme, an increase of 12.2 million compared to 2023.

Total payment claims amounted to VND142.9 trillion ($5.65 billion), up VND18.7 trillion ($740 billion) from the previous year. The agency has worked closely with the healthcare sector to resolve challenges in the implementation of health insurance policies, ensuring that beneficiaries' rights are protected and contributing to the overall improvement of healthcare services.

6. Viet Nam Social Security continues to achieve significant milestones in digital transformation and service delivery

As the managing authority for the national social insurance database, the agency has successfully verified 89.6 million individuals, representing 99 per cent of all current social, health and unemployment insurance participants. This is linked to the national population database (excluding the armed forces and military families).

In line with the principle of “measuring service quality by public satisfaction”, the agency has prioritised simplifying procedures and creating more user-friendly services. Among its achievements, the agency has digitised all of its administrative processes, with nearly 621,000 organisations and enterprises engaging in electronic transactions. Moreover, more than 13.1 million electronic records were processed in 2024, significantly improving service efficiency.

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7. Strengthening financial discipline and safeguarding the sustainability of the insurance funds

By December 31, 2024, the agency’s inspection teams have audited 20,432 units, identifying over 54,000 workers who had failed to participate in or contributed insufficiently to social insurance, leading to the recovery of approximately VND227.4 billion ($8.6 million) in overdue contributions.

The social and health insurance funds play an essential role in the country’s finances, with a planned 80 per cent of investments allocated to Government bonds in 2024, supporting the government’s macroeconomic policies and national development goals.

8. Enhancing international standing and collaboration in global social insurance integration

The Viet Nam Social Security has established bilateral partnerships with nearly 50 social insurance organisations across 25 countries, and signed memoranda of understanding with several international partners. Notably, on January 23, 2024, it signed an agreement with the National Pension Service of South Korea.

Additionally, it also collaborates with global institutions such as the World Bank (WB), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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9. Effective communication and public engagement, promoting social insurance policies and gaining public support

In 2024, the agency worked with both national and local media to disseminate nearly 32,000 news articles, reports and features as well as conducted approximately 27,000 conferences, training sessions and consultations for more than 1.38 million individuals.

The agency’s e-portal has attracted over 110 million visits and its social media platforms have been highly effective in spreading awareness of social insurance policies.

10. Streamlining operations, enhancing effectiveness and efficiency

The agency has successfully downsized its organisational structure in line with Government directives.

The discipline and accountability within the agency have been upheld, ensuring that responsibilities at all levels are clearly defined and met.

Lessons learned

Despite facing numerous challenges in the implementation of social and health insurance policies—such as encouraging elderly people to adopt cashless pension payments and tackling fraud within the insurance system—the agency has successfully met its targets through a proactive approach.

This includes close coordination with various levels of Government, flexible management, and continuous improvements in communication, technology adoption, and process optimization.

In 2025, the agency will continue to focus on implementing comprehensive measures to improve service delivery, expand participation, and further streamline administrative procedures, ensuring the sustainable development of the social insurance system./.