Ho Chi Minh City Social Security is strengthening coordination with regional People’s Procuracies to address employers’ overdue social insurance (SI), health insurance (HI) and unemployment insurance (UI) payments, aiming to safeguard workers’ legitimate benefits.
The move comes as tens of thousands of workers have been affected by prolonged delays in insurance payments.
 "Ho Chi Minh City Social Security processes insurance-related applications for residents. (Photo: Dong Son)")
Stepping up action against employers’ insurance arrears
Two months ago, Nguyen Thi Linh, a resident of An Phu Dong Ward, went for a medical examination but was unable to use her health insurance card because it had been deactivated. She later learned that her employer had failed to pay social and health insurance contributions for employees for several months.
She is among tens of thousands of workers in Ho Chi Minh City whose insurance benefits have been suspended after employers accumulated arrears in social insurance and health insurance payments, resulting in the deactivation of their health insurance cards.
As of July 31, overdue SI, HI and UI payments in the city were estimated at approximately VND6.2 trillion (US$236 million).
To protect workers’ legitimate rights and interests, the social security sector is stepping up measures to recover outstanding insurance contributions, including closer coordination with regional People’s Procuracies.
Regional People’s Procuracy No. 5 has coordinated with the Cau Kieu and Binh Thanh Social Security offices to meet with employers carrying substantial and long-standing insurance debts.
The move follows Resolution No. 205/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly, which allows People’s Procuracies to pilot civil lawsuits aimed at protecting the civil rights of vulnerable groups and safeguarding the public interest.
At the meetings, authorities explain employers’ legal obligations and urge them to draw up plans to settle their outstanding contributions and promptly comply with regulations.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Giau, Deputy Head of Regional People’s Procuracy No. 5, said that the procuracy verifies the amount and duration of overdue payments, the number of affected workers, the impact on their insurance benefits and the companies’ operating status after receiving relevant information.
The procuracy then coordinates with social security agencies and other relevant organizations to require employers to fulfill their obligations, cease violations and remedy their consequences, helping ensure workers’ rights are protected promptly.
If the conditions set out in the resolution are met and workers’ legitimate rights and interests remain inadequately protected, the procuracy will consider filing a civil lawsuit.
Positive results
In recent months, several social security offices in Ho Chi Minh City and regional People's Procuracies have stepped up coordination in working with employers behind on SI, HI and UI payments.
As of August 9, Ho Chi Minh City Social Security had coordinated with People’s Procuracies to invite 4,038 employers with overdue social insurance (SI) payments, totaling about VND1.6 trillion (US$61 million), to working sessions. As a result, 1,200 employers have paid more than VND105 billion (US$4 million) in arrears.
The initial results show that coordination between the two sectors is helping improve employers’ awareness of their legal obligations.
However, recovering overdue SI payments remains challenging due to the large number of cases and incomplete information on some employers. Some companies have changed their registered addresses or legal representatives, suspended operations or ceased operating at their registered locations. Others fail to attend meetings despite receiving invitations, while outstanding amounts can fluctuate regularly.
Therefore, People's Procuracies must work with relevant agencies to verify the legal status and actual operations of companies, compare social security data, and identify affected workers, the duration of overdue payments and the specific benefits at stake.
According to her, authorities are determined not to allow prolonged violations to undermine workers’ legitimate rights and interests. Cases involving long-standing arrears, large amounts, many affected workers, or companies that remain operational but fail to settle their debts or show signs of dishonesty will undergo further verification so that appropriate legal measures can be taken.
Ho Chi Minh City Social Security said that it will continue coordinating with People's Procuracies to strengthen information sharing, review and work with employers behind on payments, and handle or recommend that competent agencies take action against suspected violations in accordance with regulations.
The agency will also continue publicly updating lists of companies, agencies and organizations with overdue SI payments through mass media and its communication channels, promoting transparency and enabling workers and relevant agencies to monitor and oversee the situation.
Improving coordination efficiency
Vu Van Hai, Deputy Head of Regional People’s Procuracy No. 17 in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the agency has so far coordinated efforts to address cases involving 71 companies, resulting in the recovery of more than VND3.5 billion (US$133,000) in overdue insurance contributions and helping protect workers’ legitimate rights and interests.
He noted that the coordination mechanism with social security agencies allows the procuracy to promptly identify companies that violate insurance payment regulations, determine the amounts in arrears and identify affected workers. This helps streamline the verification process, strengthen the evidentiary basis and improve the effectiveness of efforts to safeguard workers’ rights.
A legal safeguard for workers
Lawyer Ho Thi Thanh Hai, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, said that the coordination and assistance provided by People's Procuracies in recovering overdue or evaded social insurance contributions is both a legal breakthrough and a policy with profound humanitarian significance.
Workers are often in a weaker position, meaning their rights can be affected for prolonged periods. The involvement of People's Procuracies creates greater pressure for legal compliance and helps restore workers’ rights more quickly, as employers tend to voluntarily settle outstanding debts even before legal proceedings begin.
This mechanism provides workers with an additional layer of protection and serves as a strong legal safeguard for trade unions and employees.
