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A number of new policies will take effect from July 2026, most notably new regulations on salary and allowance policies.
Starting July 1, 2026, a number of new policies on wages, benefits, and allowances for workers will officially take effect, bringing long-awaited improvements for many citizens. These policies are expected to enhance employees' motivation, encourage innovation, and improve living standards.
Under Government Decree No. 161/2026, dated May 15, 2026, which regulates the statutory base salary and bonus scheme for public officials, civil servants, public employees, and members of the armed forces, the base salary will increase from VND 2.34 million to VND 2.53 million per month, effective July 1, 2026.
The new base salary applies to individuals whose salaries and allowances are calculated based on the statutory base salary, including: Public officials and civil servants from central to commune level; Public employees working in public service units; Employees working under labor contracts in administrative agencies and public service units whose salary scales follow the Government's salary framework; Personnel working within state-funded professional associations; Officers, professional soldiers, defense workers, defense civil servants, and contract employees in the Vietnam People's Army; Officers, non-commissioned officers receiving salaries, police workers, and contract employees in the People's Public Security Force; Personnel working in cryptographic organizations; Non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel in the Vietnam People's Army and People's Public Security Force; and Part-time officials working in villages and residential groups.
The increase in the base salary will also raise various social welfare benefits, including social insurance allowances and monthly benefits, helping improve workers' livelihoods.
The Government has also issued Decree No. 162/2026, providing for adjustments to pensions, social insurance benefits, and monthly allowances.
Accordingly, from July 1, 2026, pensioners and recipients of social insurance and monthly allowances will receive an 8% increase based on their June 2026 benefit level.
For individuals who retired or began receiving benefits before January 1, 1995, additional adjustments will apply if their monthly benefit remains below VND 3.8 million after the 8% increase: Those receiving VND 3.5 million or less per month will receive an additional VND 300,000 per month; Those receiving more than VND 3.5 million but less than VND 3.8 million will have their monthly benefit increased to VND 3.8 million. The adjusted pension and benefit levels will also serve as the basis for future increases.
Speaking at a meeting with voters during the election campaign for the 16th National Assembly in Lao Cai Province in March 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that wage reform extends beyond the public sector and also concerns private-sector employees. She emphasized that the reform must follow an appropriate roadmap consistent with economic conditions, available financial resources, and the state budget.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, continued administrative restructuring, organizational streamlining, and stronger economic growth will improve state budget revenues, creating more favorable conditions for further wage reform. As a result, recent salary adjustments have been implemented gradually and prudently to ensure sustainability and align with the country's economic capacity.
To date, the statutory base salary for public officials, civil servants, public employees, and members of the armed forces has increased by approximately 58%. The Government is also continuing to improve the performance-based bonus system, allowing agencies and organizations to evaluate employees based on key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure that salaries and bonuses are awarded fairly according to performance, thereby improving public-sector efficiency.
The Government has issued Decree No. 182/2026, which introduces professional preferential allowances for teachers, educational institution managers, and educational support staff working in public educational institutions.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the decree implements the 2025 Law on Teachers, strengthens remuneration policies for education personnel, and ensures consistency across the education sector's professional allowance system.
The decree takes effect on July 7, 2026, while the new allowance rates will be applied retroactively from January 1, 2026.
The regulation applies to teachers, school administrators, and educational support personnel employed in public educational institutions within Vietnam's national education system, including those serving probationary periods or working under contracts paid according to the public employee salary scale.
In line with the implementation roadmap of Politburo Resolution No. 71 on breakthroughs in education and training development, the decree sets professional allowance rates ranging from 20% to 80%, depending on the beneficiary group, education level, type of institution, job responsibilities, and working conditions.
Notably, educational support staff are included in the professional allowance scheme for the first time and will receive a 20% allowance, recognizing their important contribution to educational activities.
The decree also increases professional allowance rates for several categories of teachers and specialized educational institutions, with some rates rising from 35% to 45%, 50% to 60%, and 70% to 80%.
The Government has issued Decree No. 174/2026 on administrative penalties in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, electronic transactions, and information technology.
Effective July 1, 2026, the decree introduces stricter penalties for violations related to the use of social networking services.
The decree consists of eight chapters and 117 articles, specifying administrative violations, penalties, remedial measures, and enforcement authority across multiple sectors, including cybersecurity-related cryptographic services.
Individuals may face fines ranging from VND 30 million to VND 50 million for: Sharing information that distorts history, denies revolutionary achievements, undermines national unity, insults religion, or promotes gender or racial discrimination, where the conduct does not constitute a criminal offense; Disclosing state secrets, personal privacy, or other protected confidential information without reaching the threshold for criminal prosecution; and posting or sharing false information that causes public panic, harms socio-economic activities, disrupts the operations of state agencies or public officials, or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of organizations or individuals, where criminal liability does not apply.
Violators may also be required to remove unlawful or misleading content and have their social media accounts, community pages, groups, or content channels suspended.
New health insurance regulations under the Law on Health Insurance, Government Decree No. 188/2025 and Decree No. 161/2026 will officially take effect on July 1, 2026.
According to Vietnam Social Security, one of the key changes is the expansion of outpatient health insurance coverage in certain cases.
Patients receiving outpatient treatment at designated primary and specialized healthcare facilities will be entitled to reimbursement equal to 50% of their applicable health insurance benefit for diseases not listed in Circular No. 01/2025, whereas such services were previously not covered.
Officials clarified that the 50% reimbursement refers to 50% of each individual's insurance entitlement, rather than 50% of the total medical bill. For example: Patients entitled to 80% coverage will receive reimbursement equivalent to 40% of eligible costs; Those entitled to 95% coverage will receive 47.5% reimbursement; Individuals eligible for 100% coverage will receive reimbursement equal to 50% of eligible expenses. Costs outside the insurance coverage scope or optional medical services remain payable by patients. The increase in the statutory base salary to VND 2.53 million per month also affects several health insurance benefits. Patients will receive 100% reimbursement for medical expenses if the total cost of one visit is below 15% of the base salary (equivalent to VND 379,500). Individuals who have participated in health insurance continuously for at least five years will receive 100% reimbursement once their annual co-payment exceeds six times the base salary (equivalent to VND 15.18 million). The reimbursement ceiling for certain medical devices used in technical services has also been raised to 45 months' worth of the base salary, equivalent to VND 113.85 million per procedure.
Under Government Resolution No. 66.18/2026, the processing time for building permit applications will be significantly shortened.
Effective from July 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, the new processing timelines are: 10 working days for issuing a building permit (down from 20 days); 9 working days for amending a building permit (down from 20 days); and 7 working days for issuing or amending permits for individual houses (down from 15 days). The resolution also removes several professional qualification requirements in the construction sector.
For example, individuals responsible for cost estimation, appraisal, and construction cost management will no longer be required to hold a construction practice certificate.
Similarly, professional competency and experience requirements for chief construction inspectors have been relaxed, while individuals meeting project management competency requirements will automatically qualify to serve as construction site managers without having to satisfy additional experience criteria.
Also from July 1, 2026, six new government decrees governing the construction sector will take effect. These regulations cover project investment settlement, construction cost management, construction quality and maintenance, building materials management, construction contracts, and professional competency requirements, as well as the national construction information and database system.
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