Labour Regulations Update in August 2025

Decision No. 61/QD-TLD on the adjustment of trade union fee contribution rates

On 29th July 2025, the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor issued Decision No. 61/QD-TLD on adjusting the reduction of trade union fee contribution rates, effective from 1st July 2025.

Accordingly, for union members at enterprise-level trade unions contributing based on wages used as the basis for compulsory social insurance contributions, the monthly trade union fee is 0.5% of the wage used as the basis for compulsory social insurance. However, the maximum monthly contribution is 10% of the base salary as regulated by the State. For union members contributing a fixed amount, the adjustment shall continue to follow the unit’s regulations or be coordinated with the higher-level trade union for appropriate changes.

Decision No. 61/QD-TLD takes effect on 1st July 2025. With this new contribution rate, Talentnet recommends that you should review and adjust the percentage of contributions accordingly to ensure compliance with the new regulation

Official Letter No. 1804/BHXH-QLT on the use of personal identification numbers (PIN)/citizen identification cards (CID) to replace social insurance numbers (SI) and management codes

On 4th August 2025, Vietnam Social Security issued Official Letter No. 1804/BHXH-QLT, regulating the use of Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) or Citizen Identification Cards (CID) to replace the 10-digit social insurance numbers of participants in social insurance (SI) and health insurance (HI), as well as replacing unit management codes. This change ensures synchronization and interconnection with the national database, facilitating administrative procedures for individuals and businesses. 

Talentnet would like to summarize the key points relevant to Human Resources (HR) and payroll as follows: 

1. From 1st August 2025, PIN/CID will be used to replace the 10-digit SI number for participants in SI and HI. 

2. The management code structure for units participating in SI and HI will be changed. A new code structure will be issued as follows: 

DD DT LH

Where:

• DD: Unit identifier code used in administrative procedures between units and the SI agency.
• DT: Participant category code (2 letters) based on the SI agency’s database (details in Appendix I). 
• LH: Business type code (3 characters) as defined in Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg dated July 6, 2018 (details in Appendix II).

Example: A state-owned enterprise (participant code: DN) registered in aquaculture (business type code: A03) with unit identifier: 0123456789 will have the management code: 0123456789DNA03. 

3. While waiting for software updates to reflect the new regulation, the current 10-digit SI number and old management codes can still be used for information management and retrieval.

Official Letter No. 1804/BHXH-QLT takes effect on 1st August 2025. Talentnet will continue to update if there is further guidance from authorities. 

Official Letter No. 7525/VPCP-KSTT on providing online public services for enterprise-related administrative procedures

On 12th August 2025, the Government Office issued Official Letter No. 7525/VPCP-KSTT on the provision of online public services for administrative procedures related to enterprises. 

As of 12th August 2025, the number of enterprise-related administrative procedures not yet integrated into the National Public Service Portal remains high across several ministries, sectors, and localities (details attached in the appendix of the letter). 

The document calls for acceleration in the restructuring of administrative procedures, aiming for 100% of enterprise-related procedures to be conducted online in 2025, ensuring seamless, efficient, transparent, and paperless service.

Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP on foreign workers working in Vietnam

On 7th August 2025, the Government issued Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP regulating foreign workers working in Vietnam. Talentnet would like to summarize key highlights relevant to HR and payroll: 

1. Authority to issue work permits (WP) and certificates of exemption from WP (CEWP) are now transferred to provincial-level People’s Committees, which may further delegate to subordinate agencies. 

 2. Criteria for experts and technical workers are now more flexible; existing WPs/CEWPs in Vietnam may be accepted in place of experience documents in certain cases. 

 3. Applications must be submitted online via the National Public Service Portal, and the process now includes automatic coordination with the Ministry of Public Security to issue police clearance certificates. 

 4. Foreign workers can work in multiple provinces for the same employer, provided a 3-working-day prior notice is submitted to the issuing agency. 

 5. The requirement to submit a recruitment plan is removed; this step is now integrated into the WP application process. However, job postings are still required at least 5 days in advance (previously 15 days under the old decree). 

 6. Exemptions from work permits are granted to managers, executive directors, experts, and technical workers whose total working time in Vietnam is under 90 days per year, with no limit on entries as before. 

7. Changes in timelines for application submission and result issuance: 

• New WP application: Submit within 60 days, but no later than 10 days before starting date.
• Renewal applications: Submit no earlier than 45 days, no later than 10 days before expiration.
• Results will be issued within 10 working days.

8. Integration of police clearance and medical certificate conditions: 

• Police clearance can be submitted along with WP applications to shorten processing time. 
• Foreign medical certificates are only accepted if Vietnam has a treaty or mutual recognition agreement with the issuing country/territory.

Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP takes effect on 7th August 2025. Talentnet recommends that you should review the plans and documentation related to foreign workers to ensure compliance with the new regulations.