Quỹ thưởng bằng 10% tổng quỹ lương từ 01/7/2026: Tiền thưởng công chức sẽ không còn 'cào bằng'?

Key Concepts

• Mức lương cơ sở (Base Salary): The foundation for calculating salaries, allowances, and bonuses for public sector employees.
• Nghị định 161/2026/NĐ-CP: The legal decree governing the new base salary and bonus regulations.
• Quỹ tiền thưởng (Bonus Fund): A fund equal to 10% of the total salary fund, designed to reward performance.
• Phụ cấp (Allowances): Additional payments including position-based, regional, and special allowances.
• Lương hưu (Pension): Monthly payments for retirees, adjusted to account for inflation and economic growth.

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1. Main Topics and Key Points

• Base Salary Increase: Effective from July 1, 2026, the base salary increases to 2,340,000 VND/month. This adjustment aims to narrow the gap between public sector salaries and the minimum wage in the business sector (currently, the base salary represents approximately 56.32% of the regional minimum wage).
• Scope of Application: The policy applies to officials, civil servants, public employees, and armed forces personnel working in Party, State, and socio-political organizations at all levels (central, provincial, district, and commune).
• Pension and Social Insurance Adjustments: Pensions and monthly social insurance allowances will increase by 8%.
• Support for Low-Income Retirees: A specific policy ensures that those with low pensions (especially those who retired before 1995) receive a minimum of 3.8 million VND/month.

2. Frameworks and Methodologies

• Integrated Salary Reform: The government is implementing a synchronized approach involving:
  1. Nghị định 07: Adjusting position-based allowances for commune-level officials to fit the new local government model.
  2. Thông tư 23 & 24: Adjusting regional and special allowances. For merged administrative units, the highest applicable regional allowance is applied.
  3. Nghị định 161: The 8% increase in the base salary.
• Performance-Based Bonus Mechanism: The 10% bonus fund is no longer strictly tied to salary coefficients. Instead, it is decentralized to the heads of agencies to create flexible internal regulations. Performance is evaluated monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually to ensure rewards are linked to actual task completion rather than "equal distribution" (cào bằng).

3. Data and Statistics

• Regional/Special Allowances: 47.73% of communes receive regional allowances, while 4.76% receive special allowances.
• Pension Impact: Over 3 million people receive pensions. The average pension will rise from approximately 7.2 million VND to 7.6 million VND per month following the 8% increase.
• Low-Pension Support Tiers:
  • Those with pensions < 3.5 million VND: Receive an additional 300,000 VND.
  • Those with pensions between 3.5 million and 3.8 million VND: Adjusted up to 3.8 million VND.

4. Key Arguments and Perspectives

• Mr. Phạm Trường Giang (Director of Salary and Social Insurance Department, Ministry of Home Affairs):
  • Perspective on Salary: The increase is part of a comprehensive effort to improve the livelihoods of public servants, particularly at the commune level, following the restructuring of local governments.
  • Perspective on Pensions: Unlike international practices that primarily focus on inflation compensation, Vietnam’s pension adjustments incorporate both inflation data and a share of national economic growth.
  • Quote: "The 10% bonus fund is designed to empower heads of agencies to create flexible regulations, ensuring that rewards are tied to excellent performance rather than equal distribution."

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The government’s recent policy shift represents a holistic effort to modernize the public sector compensation framework. By combining a base salary increase with structural adjustments to allowances and a performance-linked bonus system, the state aims to improve the efficiency and morale of the civil service. Simultaneously, the targeted support for low-income retirees demonstrates a commitment to social welfare, ensuring that economic growth benefits vulnerable groups, particularly those who contributed to the state before 1995. The transition to a performance-based bonus system marks a significant move away from traditional "equal distribution" models toward a more meritocratic public administration.