A schedule for gradually increasing Vietnam’s retirement age took effect on 1 Jan 2021. Decree 135 implements the retirement age increases included in the 2019 revision of the labor code.

Scheduled increases to retirement age

For 2021, the retirement age for individuals employed in normal jobs is 60 years and three months for men — up from age 60 — and 55 years and four months for women — up from age 55. The retirement age will annually increase by three months for men until it reaches 62 in 2028 and by four months for women until it reaches 60 in 2035.

Early retirement allowed for certain employees

The early retirement age — 55 years and three months for men, and 50 years and four months for women in 2021 — is five years lower than the normal retirement age. The early retirement age will increase annually to 57 for men by 2028 and 55 for women by 2035. Employees are eligible for early retirement if they have:

• 15 or more years of employment in jobs that involve heavy, hazardous or dangerous work, as set out in a government-issued list
• 15 or more years of employment in areas with extreme socioeconomic difficulties, including in regions with a regional allowance coefficient of 0.7 or more before 1 Jan 2021
• 15 or more years of combined employment in either of the above-mentioned types of work
• Suffered a 61% or more reduction in their capacity to work

Related resources

• Decree 135 (Vietnamese) (Vietnamese government, 18 Nov 2020)