What Happens To Your Social Insurance When You Leave Vietnam?

If you have worked in Vietnam for several years, compulsory social insurance is likely to be a familiar item on your monthly payslip.

Every month, part of your salary goes toward Vietnam's compulsory social insurance system. But what happens to those contributions when your time in the country comes to an end?

For foreign workers, the answer may be more straightforward than you expect. If you are covered by Vietnam's compulsory social insurance system and when your employment contract ends, or when your work permit, practicing certificate or practicing license expires and is not renewed, you may be eligible to receive your social insurance as a lump-sum payment rather than leaving your social insurance benefits.

And unlike the rules that apply to some Vietnamese workers, foreign employees do not have to simply wait a year after leaving their job to qualify under this particular provision.

The rules changed when Vietnam's new Law on Social Insurance took effect on July 1, 2025, but the entitlement for foreign workers who leave their employment remains.

Here's what foreign workers should know before leaving Vietnam.

First, Are You Covered By Compulsory Social Insurance?

Not every foreigner working in Vietnam is automatically enrolled.

Under the 2024 Law on Social Insurance, a foreign citizen working in Vietnam is generally subject to compulsory social insurance if they work under a fixed-term employment contract of at least 12 months with an employer in Vietnam.

There are exceptions, including people transferred internally within a company, people who had already reached Vietnam's statutory retirement age when they signed the employment contract, and cases covered differently by an international treaty to which Vietnam is a party.

So the first question is not simply whether you have worked in Vietnam, but whether you have actually participated in the compulsory social insurance system.

If you have, social insurance benefits do not necessarily disappear when you leave the country.

When Can A Foreign Worker Claim A Lump-Sum Payment?

For foreign employees, the law specifically provides for a lump-sum social insurance payment when their employment contract ends, or when their work permit, practicing certificate or practicing license expires and is not renewed.

This is one of the most significant differences between foreign and Vietnamese workers.

Under the current Social Insurance Law, foreign workers who have stopped participating in compulsory social insurance can request a lump-sum payment in several circumstances. One of them is specifically tied to the termination or non-renewal of their employment contract or work authorization.

In other words, when your employment in Vietnam ends, you may become eligible to claim a lump-sum social insurance benefit. You may not need to leave the country immediately, but the end of your employment could be the point at which you become eligible to settle your social insurance benefit.

You do not have to assume that your social insurance benefits must remain unclaimed for another year.

How Much Can You Receive?

The amount is calculated based on the number of years you have contributed and the salary used as the basis for your social insurance contributions.

Under the previous rules for foreign workers, the lump-sum benefit was calculated at two months of the average salary used for social insurance contributions for each year of compulsory social insurance participation. The current law continues to provide a lump-sum benefit for foreign workers under the circumstances described above, with the amount calculated according to the statutory formula.

The important point is that the figure is not simply the total amount that you personally paid into the system.

The calculation is based on your contribution period and the salary used for social insurance purposes, so someone someone with a higher salary recorded as the basis for social insurance contributions or contributed for longer may receive a larger benefit.

If you're trying to estimate the amount before leaving Vietnam, it is therefore worth checking your recorded contribution history and the salary figures used for your social insurance.

What Documents Do You Need?

For a lump-sum social insurance claim, the basic application includes your social insurance record and an application for the lump-sum benefit.

Vietnam Social Security currently lists Form No. 14-HSB as the application for social insurance benefits. A Vietnamese–English version of the form is available for foreign applicants through Ho Chi Minh City Social Security’s official document portal. As administrative forms may be updated, applicants should confirm the latest applicable version with the authority handling their claim.

For foreign workers, additional documentation may be required depending on the circumstances of the claim, so it is worth confirming the exact requirements with the relevant social insurance authority before submitting the application.

This is particularly important if you're already outside Vietnam or are preparing to leave shortly after your employment ends.

Where Can You Submit The Application?

The application can be submitted through the social insurance system's available service channels.

Depending on the procedure and your circumstances, these can include:

• In person, through the relevant social insurance authority;
• By public postal service; or
• Online, through Vietnam Social Security's public-service system or other authorized electronic channels.

Vietnam's Social Insurance Law also recognizes electronic transactions in the social insurance sector, with electronic documents having the same legal value as paper documents.

For someone preparing to leave Vietnam, the online and postal options can be particularly useful, although applicants should confirm the currently available submission method with the social insurance authority handling their case.

How Long Does It Take?

Processing times are another important consideration when planning your departure.

Under the 2024 Law on Social Insurance, the social insurance authority must process a lump-sum social insurance claim within seven working days of receiving a complete application. If the claim is not approved, the authority must provide a written explanation.

The processing period begins only after a complete application has been received, so applicants should allow additional time to finalize their contribution records and prepare the required documents.

Before You Leave Vietnam, Check These Five Things

If you're finishing your last job in Vietnam, don't treat social insurance as something that your employer simply handles after you've left.

Before packing your bags, check:

1. Are you actually enrolled in compulsory social insurance? Check your social insurance record and contribution history.
2. Has your employment officially ended? You'll need documentation establishing the relevant event that makes you eligible for the lump-sum benefit.
3. Is your work permit or other work authorization expiring without renewal? This can also be a qualifying circumstance for foreign workers under the law.
4. Do you have the necessary application documents? At minimum, the current framework requires the social insurance record and an application for the lump-sum benefit. Vietnam Social Security lists Form 14-HSB for this purpose.
5. Have you confirmed how you'll receive the payment? If you're leaving Vietnam, make sure you understand the available payment and submission arrangements before you go.

One Last Thing To Remember

Social insurance is easy to overlook because it rarely feels like money you are actively saving. Your share is contributed through monthly payroll deductions, your employer contributes as required, and the system is designed around long-term social protection.

But for a foreign worker whose career in Vietnam is coming to an end, that calculation can look different.

If you have been contributing to Vietnam's compulsory social insurance system, leaving the country does not necessarily mean leaving those contributions behind.

Legal sources

• Lawyer Pham Thanh Huu, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, whose legal advice was featured in the article, “Can foreigners in Vietnam claim a lump-sum social insurance payment?” published by VnExpress.
• Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15, effective July 1, 2025.
• Decree No. 143/2018/ND-CP, which previously regulated compulsory social insurance for foreign workers in Vietnam and was effective until July 1, 2025.
• Vietnam Social Security guidance and administrative procedures concerning lump-sum social insurance benefits and Form No. 14-HSB.