Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh and heads of competent bodies attended the meeting from Ha Noi-based VSS’ headquarters whilst the other end witnessed the participation of representatives of the NPS and Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Attendees join the virtual meeting at the VSS’ headquarters

Addressing the event, VSS Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh said the Vietnamese Government and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs have authorised VSS to discuss administrative arrangement in the implementation of the bilateral social insurance agreement between the two countries. Contents which were discussed and concurred during the meeting would be reported to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to carry out official signing procedures. Anh said VSS expected the two agencies would talk through and agree on contents of the draft Administrative Agreement in July 2023, and suggested that all comments and recommendations should be written in documents to ensure their preciseness.

Illustrative image 

Speaking at the event, a representative from the Korean National Pension Service said the labourers from both sides were longing for the Agreement to come into effect to facilitate and ensure their benefits when they worked in the other country.

During the meeting, representatives of the two agencies discussed the contents of the draft administrative agreement in detail, including contact bodies, the certification of social insurance subjects, the certification of the time of social insurance contributions, the settlement of claims for benefits, the payment of benefits, administrative assistance for labourers, exchange of statistics, the validity of the administrative agreement and supplementary principles, among others.

 Attendees join the virtual meeting at the NPS’ headquarters

On December 14, 2021, under the witness of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Minster of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Viet Nam, Dao Ngoc Dung, and Korean Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol signed a bilateral agreement on social insurance between the two countries.

On April 24, 2023, the Vietnamese Government promulgated Resolution No 60/NQ-CP, approving the agreement on social insurance signed between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of South Korea. The Government tasked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to sign an administrative deal and to organise the implementation of the agreement upon the Government’s approval.

Illustrative image 

The bilateral agreement consists of five parts and 24 articles with provisions on scope of application, and retirement and survivorship regime in line with Viet Nam’s Law on Social Insurance 2014 and the pension regime under the National Pension Act of South Korea. The agreement provides for the principle of equal treatment, which means that a citizen of one country, when working in the territory of the other country, shall be treated equally as a citizen of the host country in determining conditions for contributions to, entitlement to, and payment of social insurance benefits./.