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It is believed to be an impressive figure because the number of people who bought social insurance in 2019 is equal to the number of people who signed up between 2008 and 2018, according to an official report by Vietnam Social Security.

The report said only 6,000 people participated in voluntary social insurance in 2008 – the first year of implementation of the voluntary social insurance policy nationwide, the number was 270,000 in 2018.

The agency unofficially predicts that the number of people buying voluntary social insurance will reach 600,000 by the end of December 2019.

Bui Sy Loi, vice chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs said the number of people participating in the voluntary social insurance scheme showed changes in people’s awareness about the policy.

It also meant that dissemination of the policy had been effective, he said.

More people realised the benefits of voluntary social insurance, so they actively bought it, he added.

“It is very crucial in sustainably developing voluntary social insurance,” he said.

Tran Dinh Lieu, deputy general director of Vietnam Social Security said the agency had strengthened dissemination of voluntary social insurance in recent years, so that more and more people were aware of the value and benefits of the insurance.

Additionally, the State had provided a policy to financially support voluntary social insurance users based on the rural poverty line since 2018. Specifically, a person on the list of poor households would receive financial support of up to 30 per cent from the State when they bought voluntary social insurance. The financial support would be 25 per cent for a person on the near-poor household list and 10 per cent for others, Lieu said.

The policy had increased the attractiveness of the insurance for buyers, he said.

According to the agency, communication plays an important role in developing the voluntary social insurance scheme. This is the type of insurance that gives people the right to choose whether to participate or not. Therefore, it is necessary to change people’s awareness to promote their participation.

Realising this goal, the agency has actively coordinated with ministries, sectors, organisations and mass media to diversify forms of communication on voluntary social insurance, promoting highlights and attracting the attention of labourers.

Forms of direct communication, including group dialogues, have been strengthened. New types of media such as communication in the form of graphics (Infographic) and on social media are implemented regularly. The customer-care system, automatic-answering system and the social insurance lookup system have also contributed to improving communication efficiency as well as enhancing the satisfaction of participants./.