As Vietnam closes out 2025, a spotlight shines on the country’s ongoing efforts to support its most vulnerable citizens. Across different regions, from the Central Highlands to the northern provinces, a series of coordinated social assistance, legal aid, and charitable initiatives are making tangible impacts on the lives of millions. These programs, driven by government policy and grassroots compassion alike, are not only helping individuals weather hardship but also reinforcing the nation’s commitment to fairness, dignity, and social inclusion.
On December 20, 2025, the Ministry of Health addressed proposals from Gia Lai province voters ahead of the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly. The voters’ requests were clear: strengthen social welfare and improve the quality of life for social assistance beneficiaries, people with meritorious service, the poor in especially difficult areas, and ethnic minorities. According to the Ministry, the State has built and steadily improved a comprehensive and fair system of social assistance policies. These policies are crafted to balance the nation’s budgetary realities with inflation and the rising cost of living, all while striving toward international social welfare standards.
Every year, the State budget allocates about 40,000 billion VND to social assistance. That’s not pocket change—it’s a concerted investment in the country’s future. By 2025, the number of people receiving monthly social assistance jumped from around 2.4 million in 2012 to approximately 4.5 million, now representing 4.5% of Vietnam’s population. The government has repeatedly increased the baseline social assistance standard, with five separate adjustments since 2007. The latest target: raising the standard to 500,000 VND per month, even as the government faces ongoing budget constraints.
"Raising the social assistance standard to 500,000 VND per month and maintaining all current subsidy policies shows a major effort by the government, especially given the many budget challenges," the Ministry of Health emphasized in its response. The Ministry also noted that social assistance policies will continue to evolve, keeping pace with planned salary reforms and inflation. For those who qualify, the support is substantial: monthly subsidies ranging from one to 2.5 times the social assistance standard, free health insurance cards that cover 100% of medical costs, educational and funeral expense support, and emergency aid for disasters, epidemics, or other crises.
For individuals without caregivers, the State steps in with community-based or institutional care, including direct support for those providing care. Policies for people with meritorious service, the poor in extremely difficult areas, and ethnic minorities are managed by specialized ministries, but the Ministry of Health pledged ongoing coordination to ensure healthcare access for these groups. All of these efforts, the Ministry explained, are designed to help those in need achieve a minimum standard of living and approach international benchmarks for social welfare.
But social welfare in Vietnam is not just about government policy—it’s also about the warmth of community. On the evening of December 20, 2025, the Association for the Support of Disabled People and Orphaned Children in Quang Ninh province, together with the Quang Ninh Charity Group "Thân Yêu" and the Provincial Social Assistance Center, hosted a heartwarming birthday celebration for 83 disadvantaged children at the center. The event was more than just cake and candles. The children sang, blew out candles, cut birthday cake, snapped photos, and enjoyed a festive dinner and games. Each child received a birthday present, thanks to the charity group, and was given the chance to write a simple wish on a card to place into a "wish box."
Beyond the festivities, the charity group donated essential supplies—rice, instant noodles, milk, detergent, speakers, drinks, and candies—to the Social Assistance Center. According to Bao Quang Ninh, "The program not only brought joy in the moment, but also allowed the children to feel full love, care, and connection like other children." For kids facing tough circumstances, these gestures make a world of difference, offering them a sense of belonging and hope that can be hard to come by.
Meanwhile, in Bac Ninh province on December 18, 2025, the Department of Popularization, Legal Education and Legal Assistance under the Ministry of Justice organized a workshop to review and gather feedback on the implementation of legal aid within national target programs. These programs, running from 2021 to 2025, focus on building new rural communities and fostering socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions. The workshop, chaired by Deputy Head To Thi Thu Ha and attended by Deputy Director Le Anh Tuan of the Bac Ninh Department of Justice, brought together a diverse group: representatives from provincial departments, legal aid centers, People’s Committees, mass organizations, and respected local villagers.
The timing was significant. As 2025 marks the final year of the current national target programs and the beginning of planning for 2026-2030, the workshop aimed to take stock of what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where improvements are needed. As To Thi Thu Ha put it in her opening remarks, "Legal assistance is one of the important social policies of the Party and State, playing a direct role in ensuring human rights, civil rights, especially access to justice for the poor, vulnerable, ethnic minorities, and people living in rural and difficult areas."
Over the past five years, legal aid activities have been rolled out from the central government down to the local level, helping to bring the law closer to ordinary people, boost legal awareness, and safeguard the right to legal support as guaranteed by law. The workshop’s goal was to provide a comprehensive, objective evaluation of these efforts and to lay the groundwork for innovation and higher quality in the next phase.
At the event, Le Anh Tuan shared how Bac Ninh’s legal aid initiatives have been tightly linked to the goals of the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. "Legal aid activities have focused on grassroots communities, paying special attention to vulnerable groups, contributing to social justice, stability, and improved legal understanding for the people," he explained. Le Thi Thuy, Director of the Center for Legal Information and Support, presented a draft assessment highlighting both achievements and ongoing challenges, and offered recommendations for boosting the effectiveness of legal aid in the coming years.
Participants didn’t just listen—they actively contributed ideas on how to improve legal aid delivery, enhance coordination between legal aid centers and local authorities, integrate legal aid into rural development criteria, upgrade the skills of legal aid providers, and harness technology to make legal help more accessible. Several attendees emphasized the importance of communicating about legal aid in ethnic minority languages and tailoring outreach to address local legal issues, especially in areas like land rights and family law.
In her closing remarks, To Thi Thu Ha praised the participants’ dedication and stressed that their input would help shape future legal aid policies. She affirmed, "The opinions and discussions at the workshop are an important source of information, helping the Department of Popularization, Legal Education and Legal Assistance propose appropriate solutions, contributing to improving the quality and effectiveness of legal aid implementation in national target programs in the next period."
From policy reforms and budget increases to grassroots charity and legal empowerment, Vietnam’s multifaceted approach to social assistance is steadily building a stronger safety net. As the nation prepares for the next phase of development, these stories—of government action, community solidarity, and individual resilience—offer a glimpse of a society striving to ensure no one is left behind.
