The retirement age in Vietnam in 2026 is 61 years 6 months for men and 57 years for women. Decree 135/2020/ND-CP sets the schedule: the age rises by 3 months a year for men until it reaches 62 in 2028, and by 4 months a year for women until it reaches 60 in 2035. For a foreigner on a Vietnamese contract, the number decides when a monthly pension can start, while a foreigner’s single refund of contributions is tied to the end of the contract, and I found no rule that forces a foreign employee to stop working at that age.
I handle visa paperwork for foreigners in Da Nang, and the retirement age usually comes up when a foreign employee asks what happens to their insurance when a contract ends. I read Decree 135/2020, the Law on Social Insurance 2024 and the work permit decree before writing this. The original texts are on the government legal database, so check the wording there before you act on anything below.
What is the retirement age in Vietnam in 2026?
In 2026 the retirement age is 61 years 6 months for men and 57 years 0 months for women, according to the 2026 row of the table in Article 4 of Decree 135/2020/ND-CP, which implements Article 169 of the Labour Code 2019. The schedule started on 1 January 2021 at 60 years 3 months for men and 55 years 4 months for women, and it moves every year until it reaches its final level.
| Year of retirement | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60 years 3 months | 55 years 4 months |
| 2024 | 61 years 0 months | 56 years 4 months |
| 2025 | 61 years 3 months | 56 years 8 months |
| 2026 | 61 years 6 months | 57 years 0 months |
| 2027 | 61 years 9 months | 57 years 4 months |
| 2028 | 62 years 0 months | 57 years 8 months |
| 2030 | 62 years 0 months | 58 years 4 months |
| 2033 | 62 years 0 months | 59 years 4 months |
| 2035 and later | 62 years 0 months | 60 years 0 months |
Men stop rising after 2028 and women after 2035. The Law on Social Insurance 2024, in force since 1 July 2025, leaves this schedule in place.
When exactly does a person retire at that age?
A person retires on the last day of the month in which they reach the age for the year of retirement, and the pension starts on the first day of the following month, under Article 3 of Decree 135/2020/ND-CP. When only the year of birth is known, the authorities use 1 January of that year. The age comes from the table row of the year in which you retire.
Here is a worked example calculated from Article 3 and marked as my own arithmetic. A man born on 15 March 1965 reaches 61 years 6 months on 15 September 2026, so his retirement date is 30 September 2026 and his pension starts on 1 October 2026.
Can anyone retire earlier or later than the normal age?
Yes, within limits. Labour Code Article 169 and Decree 135/2020 allow retirement up to 5 years early for people with at least 15 years in heavy or hazardous jobs on the labour ministry list, at least 15 years in extremely disadvantaged areas, a combined 15 years of both kinds of work, or a work capacity loss of 61% or more. The lowest early ages in 2026 are 56 years 6 months for men and 52 years for women.
Working past the age is allowed by agreement with the employer. In that case the retirement date is the day the labour contract ends, under Article 6 of the same decree.
How many years of contributions do you need for a pension?
You need 15 years of compulsory social insurance since 1 July 2025, down from 20 years, under the Law on Social Insurance 2024. A man who reaches 61 years 6 months in 2026, or a woman who reaches 57 years, qualifies for a monthly pension with those 15 years behind them. Older guides still quote 20 years, which was the rule before July 2025. Check the current figure on Vietnam Social Security.
Retirees who never worked under a Vietnamese contract have no pension to claim, and my guide to pension and healthcare options for older foreigners covers what exists for them.
Do foreigners pay Vietnamese social insurance?
Yes, when the foreigner works under a labour contract of at least 12 months with a Vietnamese employer, compulsory social insurance applies under the Law on Social Insurance 2024. Exemptions cover staff transferred inside the same company, foreigners who had already reached the Vietnamese retirement age when they signed, and cases handled by an international treaty.
The duty began for foreigners on 1 December 2018 under Decree 143/2018/ND-CP. The pension and survivorship contribution, an 8% employee share, has applied to foreigners since 1 January 2022. Since 1 July 2025 the rules sit in the 2024 law and Decree 158/2025/ND-CP.
What happens to your contributions when you leave Vietnam?
A foreign worker can withdraw the pension contributions as a single payment when the labour contract ends or the work permit expires without renewal. A foreigner does not have to wait 12 months after leaving the job, which Vietnamese workers must do. The payment is 2 months of average insured salary for each year of contributions made since 1 January 2022. Under one year, the actual contributions are repaid, capped at 2 months of salary.
Staying after the contract ends is a separate question, and a visa extension without leaving the country is one route.
Timing is the catch. The visa or residence card tied to your work permit usually ends with the contract, so the day your employer signs you off is also the day your legal stay needs a new basis. You can handle that yourself on the government e‑visa portal, but the portal declines many foreign cards at the payment step, and a failed payment while your status runs out is where people get stuck. BestBus Vietnam pays the e‑visa fee with its own card and, if you need to leave and re-enter, runs the border trip from Da Nang. Message me your dates on WhatsApp and I will tell you what fits before the contract ends.
Is there an upper age limit for a foreign work permit?
I found none. Article 151 of the Labour Code 2019 requires a foreign worker to be at least 18 with full civil capacity and sets no maximum age, and the summaries of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, in force since 7 August 2025, mention no age ceiling either. That is my reading of the texts, and no authority has ruled on it, so confirm with the Provincial People’s Committee that issues permits before you plan around it.
Decree 219/2025 replaced Decree 152/2020, moved permit issuing to provincial committees and lets you file 10 to 60 days before the start date. Permits issued earlier stay valid until they expire. While you wait for a permit, budgeting for the wait before a work permit clears covers the gap.
What does this mean for a foreign worker?
If you work in Vietnam on a contract of 12 months or more, you pay into the pension fund, and the retirement age sets when a pension could start. Most foreigners leave before 15 years of contributions, so the realistic payout is the lump sum at the end of the contract. Plan around your contract and permit dates.
You can run every step above yourself with the insurance office and the e‑visa portal. If you would rather not track your contract end date against your visa dates, tell me your contract end date on WhatsApp and I will work out what to file and when.
Methodology: Where These Numbers Come From
Schedule and early-retirement rules come from Decree 135/2020/ND-CP and Articles 151 and 169 of the Labour Code 2019. Contribution and foreigner rules come from the Law on Social Insurance 2024 and Decrees 158/2025 and 219/2025, cross-checked against law-firm and press explainers read on 9 October 2026. My English text of Decree 135 is an unofficial translation, so compare it with the original. The no-age-limit reading for work permits is my inference from the texts, and no authority has confirmed it.
Frequently asked questions
Will the retirement age in Vietnam change again?
I found no announced change to the 2026 to 2028 steps in the sources I checked on 9 October 2026. Only a new decree or law would alter the schedule in Decree 135/2020.
Can a foreigner ever receive a monthly pension in Vietnam?
Only with 15 years of contributions and the retirement age reached. Foreign pension contributions began on 1 January 2022, so the earliest realistic date is about 2037, which is my arithmetic. A foreigner already on a pension can ask for a lump sum under Article 18 of Decree 158/2025/ND-CP.
How long does the lump-sum refund take, and when do I file?
The law gives about 7 working days after a complete file, and in practice it can take up to 10 working days. Sources disagree on the filing window, so ask your local social insurance office how many days before or after the contract ends it accepts the file.
Do I pay social insurance if I am already past retirement age when I sign a contract?
Generally no. Vietnam Briefing and Vietcetera both list foreigners who have already reached the Vietnamese retirement age at signing as exempt. Wording for transferees differs slightly between sources, so ask your employer to confirm in writing.
