At the 37th online conference of the ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) themed "Extending the coverage of social security", Manh told participants that Vietnam has worked hard to help people and businesses overcome the impacts of COVID-19. He said Vietnam has made a number of administrative procedures available online via the national public service portal, paid retirement pensions and social welfare direct to bank accounts, and recently launched the VssID app offering various social insurance services to save user’s time and money and reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.  

Social insurance in Vietnam has grown, Manh noted. 16 million people are covered by social insurance, 32% of the workforce, and 86 million people have health insurance, 90% of Vietnam’s total population. This is expected to grow to 91% by the end of this year.

Manh said of international cooperation in social security, “As a reliable partner, and active, responsible ASSA member, Vietnam Social Security wants to share its experience and learn from other ASSA members how to protect and help residents survive this difficult period. We want ASSA members to enhance connectivity and help the next ASSA President build an ASEAN social security community of consensus and development.”

At the conference, Vietnam Social Security was honored by ASSA with a "Sustainable innovation" award for encouraging voluntary social insurance.