Protecting workers’ insurance entitlements

Participation in social insurance (SI), health insurance (HI) and unemployment insurance (UI) is an entitlement for workers and a mandatory responsibility for businesses.

Workers complete administrative procedures related to social insurance benefits at the Dong Nai Social Security Office.

The full and timely implementation of insurance policies, combined with stronger inspections and corrective action against violations, will help protect workers’ legitimate rights, giving them peace of mind at work and encouraging long-term commitment to their employers.

Fulfilling responsibilities toward workers

Nguyen Thi Cam Huong, Head of Human Resources at Chang Shin Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Tan Trieu Ward, said the company employs more than 40,000 workers. Of these, over 31,000 have indefinite-term employment contracts, while the remainder hold fixed-term contracts ranging from one to 36 months.

In addition to paying wages and allowances in accordance with regulations, the company makes full and timely contributions to social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance for its employees. It also keeps relevant policies up to date and guides employees on benefits related to sickness, maternity, occupational accidents and diseases, retirement and survivor benefits. Applications for benefits, payment records, and procedures for finalizing and returning social insurance books are processed promptly. In particular, the company encourages employees to install the VssID digital social insurance application to track their contribution and benefit histories and check their entitlements under the three insurance schemes. By fully meeting its insurance obligations, the company helps employees feel secure in their jobs, Huong said.

While many businesses strictly comply with legal requirements on social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance, others continue to fall short. Relevant authorities are therefore stepping up inspections, detecting violations, requiring corrective action and urging businesses to address shortcomings.

Nguyen Hoang Truc, Head of the Inspection Division of Dong Nai Social Security, said that during the first nine months of 2026, the agency conducted scheduled inspections at 260 organizations and unscheduled inspections at another 54. The inspections identified 71 cases in which workers had not been registered for insurance, involving more than VND457.9 million in unpaid contributions; nine cases involving insufficient contribution periods, totaling over VND58.4 million; and 69 cases in which contributions were made at lower-than-required levels, amounting to more than VND324.3 million. In addition, more than 1,200 cases of improperly claimed social insurance benefits were identified, involving over VND639.3 million.

Violations occurred in workforce management, insurance registration, the determination of contribution levels and the preparation of benefit claims. Following the inspections, the organizations concerned paid more than VND839.1 million in back contributions for cases involving unregistered workers, insufficient contribution periods and contributions below the required levels. More than VND638.6 million was also recovered for the social insurance fund due to improper benefit claims, along with over VND12.2 million in cases involving improperly received lump-sum social insurance benefits.

According to Truc, despite progress in some areas, recovering outstanding insurance contributions remains difficult when businesses have ceased operations, can no longer be found at their registered addresses, are insolvent or are undergoing dissolution or bankruptcy proceedings. Some cases also require further verification and coordination with relevant authorities.

Shared responsibility

Pham Minh Thanh, Director of Dong Nai Social Security, emphasized that for workers, each monthly insurance contribution is tied to their right to healthcare, benefits during sickness and maternity, income support in the event of job loss, and a source of income in old age. Every case of a worker not yet being registered for insurance or a prolonged delay in contributions involves an individual's rights and benefits, potentially affecting the financial stability of an entire family. Business leaders must therefore pay ongoing attention to compliance with insurance policies, from signing employment contracts to paying wages, making insurance contributions and certifying benefit claims, he said.

Thanh called on businesses to review their employee lists and cross-check employment contracts, payroll records and working periods against insurance registration data to ensure that the correct employees are registered and that contribution levels and deadlines are observed. Outstanding or overdue contributions must be settled promptly. Benefit applications must be checked against attendance records and actual leave periods, and businesses must not certify inaccurate information. Upon discovering errors, they must coordinate with social security agencies to make timely corrections in accordance with regulations.

Thanh also called on the agency’s professional divisions to improve the quality of inspections and application processing, and provide timely guidance on issues that businesses commonly misunderstand. Applications meeting the requirements must be processed within the prescribed deadlines. Where additional documents or clarification are needed, businesses must receive specific, well-founded instructions. Preventing violations must go hand in hand with ensuring that workers’ legitimate entitlements are fully and promptly protected.

“In the coming period, the city’s Social Security will continue conducting both scheduled and unscheduled inspections, focusing on organizations with prolonged contribution arrears, incomplete employee registrations or signs of violations, while urging them to implement post-inspection recommendations. Serious cases will be verified and handled in coordination with relevant authorities. Conduct that meets the elements of a criminal offense may be subject to criminal liability under Articles 214 and 216 of the Penal Code,” Thanh cautioned.

During the first nine months of 2026, Dong Nai Social Security Director Pham Minh Thanh signed 18 decisions imposing administrative penalties for violations, all of which have been enforced, with total fines amounting to VND101 million. At the time the inspection decisions were issued, the organizations under inspection had accumulated more than VND3.7 billion in overdue or evaded insurance contributions. During the inspections, these organizations addressed more than VND2.1 billion of the outstanding amounts.

By Hanh Dung – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho