Vietnam Social Security: Accompanying participants and beneficiaries in all circumstances

Along with the issuance of comprehensive professional procedures, the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has promoted decentralization and administrative reform in the implementation of social and unemployment insurance policies.

To ensure complete, prompt, and convenient settlement, the VSS has consistently monitored and guided local social security offices in resolving social and unemployment insurance regimes.

These initiatives have helped workers stabilize their lives and foster public confidence in the Party's and the State's humane social security policies.

In 2024, over 3.3 million people nationwide received social insurance and pension benefits monthly, with 70 per cent of them receiving their pensions via their bank accounts.

Over 8.5 million people benefited from sick leave, maternity leave, convalescence, and health recovery programmes. Additionally, 923,714 decisions were issued for unemployment benefits and vocational training support.

Nationwide, 186.2 million people had inpatient and outpatient health insurance coverage in 2024, an increase of more than 12.1 million compared to 2023.

The payment value also rose by more than VND18.6 trillion (nearly $737 million), reaching over VND142.9 trillion ($5.65 billion).

Robust reform of administrative procedures

With the motto "taking people and businesses as the center, reform playing the leading role, and technology taking the supporting role," the VSS has recently implemented several measures to accelerate administrative procedure reform. This effort, alongside advances in information technology and digital transformation, aims to streamline business processes and deliver the most convenient public services.

The sector's set of administrative procedures has been significantly reduced from 114 in 2015 to just 25. All procedures are now available online at level four, allowing citizens to interact with the social security agency in the fastest and most convenient way.

The agency has restructured business processes to simplify dossier components and shorten the processing time of online public services. All public services under the VSS jurisdiction are eligible to be provided online.

The number of procedures, documents, forms, records, and implementation times has been reduced to the maximum. All administrative procedures are available online via the VSS Public Service Portal and the National Public Service Portal.

The VSS has fully integrated 66 online public services into the National Public Service Portal, representing 94.3 per cent of the sector’s total online public services. This achievement significantly surpasses the 14.3 per cent target set by the Prime Minister.

Moreover, the VSS is one of seven agencies to have completed 100 per cent of the simplification plan for administrative procedures and citizen documents related to population management.

According to the Administrative Procedures Control Agency under the Government Office, the VSS ranked third among ministries and sectors in 2024 for serving people and businesses in implementing administrative procedures and providing online public services, as per Decision No 766/QD-TTg dated June 23, 2022, by the Prime Minister.

The VSS's existing administrative processes and online public services make it easier for businesses and citizens to register for and enjoy social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance more conveniently.

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To save time and money on transactions, citizens and businesses can opt to send and receive documents online. They can also monitor the progress and outcomes of settlements, ensuring publicity and transparency.

Citizens only need to declare once to complete three administrative procedures at three different State agencies: birth registration, permanent residence registration, and health insurance card issuance for children under six; and death registration, permanent residence cancellation, burial, and death benefits settlement. These procedures are interconnected.

Citizens will be notified to receive the result at one agency or online via public postal service. This reduces travel time, streamlines administrative processes, saves paperwork, and speeds up processing.

Digital technology creates breakthroughs

The VSS is one of the leading ministries and sectors in applying information technology and digital transformation.

The VSS's national insurance database has been linked and merged with the National Database on Population and data from other sectors as part of Project No 06's implementation.

In 2024, the VSS’ system has verified population information of over 99.6 million in the database managed by the VSS with the national population database.

Among those, about 89.6 million people are participating in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies, accounting for 98.9 per cent of the total number of participants. This is an important foundation for the VSS to launch digital technology applications, create breakthroughs, and improve service quality.

Now 100 per cent of health insurance-covered medical facilities nationwide have used chip-embedded ID cards. More than 163.98 million people use ID cards instead of health insurance cards to carry out health insurance medical examination and treatment procedures, helping shorten time and procedures, improve service quality, and effectively manage the health insurance fund.

As of now, approximately 80 per cent of beneficiaries in urban areas receive social insurance and unemployment benefits via ATM cards, marking a 16 per cent increase compared to 2023. This achievement exceeds the target of 20 per cent set by the Prime Minister in Decision No 1813/QD-TTg. The cashless payment method has been highly appreciated by insurance participants.

The VSS has also actively supported the health sector by integrating the data of electronic driver’s health certificates, birth certificates, and death certificates into the VSS system. This integration is crucial for interconnecting administrative procedures and public services related to the online issuance and re-issuance of driver's licenses.

Furthermore, the VSS has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security to pilot the interconnection of health insurance data for health check-ups and treatment. This effort is aimed at launching online medical records in the near future.

Accompanying people during storms and floods

Typhoon Yagi in 2024 caused significant damage to 26 northern localities. To protect people and uphold their rights to health and social insurance, the VSS consistently complied with directives from the Prime Minister and the Government before, during, and after the typhoon.

To ensure appropriate responses, the sector closely monitored the typhoon's progress, assessing and predicting issues that could impact the settlement of social insurance and health insurance regimes.

In the 26 provinces and cities affected by Typhoon Yagi, the VSS prioritised the prompt and continuous payment of social insurance policies.

The VSS instructed provincial social security offices to mobilise staff at medical facilities to handle issues like misplaced health insurance cards, hospital transfer paperwork, and lost mobile devices without the VNeID or VssID applications so that health insurance participants can receive prompt medical examinations and treatment.

The VSS also coordinated with the health sector, medical facilities and relevant agencies to ensure medicines and medical equipment and promptly transfer patients to higher levels if the facility does not meet professional requirements.

Following the typhoon, the VSS worked hard to ensure that beneficiaries received their social insurance payments as soon as possible, guaranteeing minimal payment disruptions and quick pension and social insurance benefit payments even in the face of floods and storms./.