Practical care for vulnerable groups
The 16th Hai Phong People’s Council has adopted 48 resolutions, many of which focus on social welfare policies and care for vulnerable groups, at its 32nd session.
Before merger, Hai Duong province and Hai Phong city both paid close attention to issuing social welfare policies, gradually improving people’s living standards, especially for vulnerable groups.
However, following the merger, some policies were not unified, with differences in content and spending levels between the western and eastern parts of the city. Voters and residents, particularly vulnerable people, expressed their hope that the city People’s Council would soon issue new policies, selecting the most favorable measures from the two former localities so that residents could receive better support.
With the principle of selecting superior policies to ensure that people benefit from new policies that are equal to or better than previous ones, the city People’s Council reviewed, studied and approved social welfare policies that reflect public aspirations after the merger.
For example, under the resolution promulgating regulations on policies to support social assistance beneficiaries and payment levels for social assistance in Hai Phong during the 2026 – 2030 period, the city People’s Council decided to apply a standard social assistance level of 700,000 VND per month across the entire city. This is the highest of the two standard levels previously applied by the former Hai Duong province and Hai Phong city.
Total city budget expenditure to support social assistance beneficiaries and social assistance payments under this resolution is estimated at nearly 3.609 trillion VND in 2026 and close to 18.044 trillion VND in the 2026 – 2030 period.
Information on the adoption of the new social assistance standard at the highest level previously applied by the two former localities, now implemented citywide after the merger, has been welcomed and supported by voters and residents.
The approved policies demonstrate continuity and selective integration of policies previously issued by the two localities, while ensuring suitability to practical conditions and the city’s post-merger budget. The city People’s Council promptly fulfilled an important task following the merger, enabling social welfare policies to be implemented uniformly, ensuring fairness, transparency and that no one is left behind.
From January 1, 2026, these new policies will take effect. This has brought joy after months of anticipation for residents of Hai Phong following the merger. As the policies take effect in practice, vulnerable groups will receive better care with improved support levels, people’s living standards will continue to rise, and the city’s commitment to sharing and caring for vulnerable groups will be clearly demonstrated.
PHONG TUYET