Vietnam Sets Aside 80.4 Trillion Dong (About $3.1 Billion) for Public Sector Salary Reform in 2027

Vietnam's National Assembly has approved 80,400 billion dong for salary reform in 2027 (about $3.1 billion), passing the central budget allocation with all 469 deputies present voting in favour on November 9. The money sits inside the central budget's recurrent spending, and the same day lawmakers widened what the accumulated salary reform fund can pay for, including pensions. The monthly base salary that public sector pay is calculated from is 2,530,000 dong under Decree 161/2026, and the next step is a new pay system tied to job positions. For Metaintro readers working in or applying to Vietnam's public sector, this guide covers what was approved, who the base salary covers, how bonuses work and what is still undecided.

What Did the National Assembly Approve on November 9?

Two budget resolutions passed on the same day. In the morning, the National Assembly adopted the resolution on the 2027 state budget estimate with 471 deputies voting in favour, equal to 94.2% of all deputies. In the afternoon it passed the resolution on allocating the 2027 central budget, which is the one that carries the salary reform line.

The allocation resolution splits central spending by sector in an appendix. Within it, recurrent spending was set at 980,970 billion dong, including 80,400 billion dong for salary reform (about $38.3 billion and about $3.1 billion). Development investment in the same appendix was given 757,200 billion dong (about $29.6 billion).

The allocation resolution also stipulates funding arrangements for salary policies and additional income for certain agencies and units, and it sets aside 30 trillion VND as a contingency reserve (about $1.2 billion) in case of socio-economic fluctuations or revenue falling short of estimates.

Is 80.4 Trillion Dong the Same as 80,400 Billion Dong?

Yes. The resolution's figure appears as 80.400 tỷ đồng in Vietnamese, with a dot where English uses a comma. A thousand billion is a trillion, so 80,400 billion dong and 80.4 trillion dong are the same amount, about $3.1 billion.

The same counting trips up larger totals. In Vietnamese, central budget spending appears as hơn 2,36 triệu tỷ đồng, literally more than 2.36 million billion dong. The same total is more than 2.364 quadrillion VND (about $92.3 billion). When you read a Vietnamese pay or budget story, check whether a figure is in billions or trillions before you compare it.

For comparison, the 2026 central budget set aside 57,470 billion dong for salary reform (about $2.2 billion) inside recurrent spending of 860,430 billion dong (about $33.6 billion). Set beside the 80,400 billion dong for 2027, the 2026 salary reform line was smaller, and the 2026 resolution also gave localities 53,554 billion dong (about $2.1 billion) to pay the 2,340,000 dong (about $91) base salary.

What Can the Salary Reform Money Be Used For?

The state budget resolution sets the rules for the accumulated salary reform fund. The National Assembly decided to allocate funds for the 2027 wage reform budget as proposed by the Government, and the Government is to use the accumulated money to cover salary, allowance and income regimes, pension adjustments, social insurance benefits, monthly allowances, payments for people with meritorious service and staff streamlining, as the law provides.

Local governments get more room too, as surplus salary reform funds in local budgets may also be used to carry out centrally issued social welfare policies and streamline staff.

There is also a rule on leftovers. Central salary reform money handed to agencies or local budgets that is not used by the end of the year, including in 2026, must be returned to the central salary reform reserve and cannot be spent on anything else.

The resolution allows accumulated salary reform funds from the central budget to be used for pension adjustments, social insurance benefits, monthly allowances, preferential allowances for people who rendered services to the nation and staff streamlining, according to the Viet Nam News report.

What Is the Base Salary Now, and Who Does It Cover?

Under Decree 161/2026/NĐ-CP, issued on May 15, 2026, the base salary rose to 2,530,000 dong a month (about $99) from July 1, 2026, up from 2,340,000 dong (about $91). That is an increase of 190,000 dong (about $7.42) a month, and the new rate replaces the one set by Decree 73/2024/NĐ-CP.

The decree lists nine groups who are paid from the base salary, set out in the Lawyers of Vietnam summary of the decree (translated):

• officials and civil servants from central to commune level, under the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants
• public employees in public service units, under the Law on Public Employees
• people on labour contracts in administrative agencies and public service units whose pay is set on the Decree 204/2004 scale, by rule or by contract
• people within staffing quotas at associations that receive state budget support for their operations
• officers, professional soldiers, defence workers, defence public employees, defence civil servants and contract workers in the Vietnam People's Army
• salaried officers and non-commissioned officers, police workers and contract workers in the People's Public Security
• people working in cipher organisations
• non-commissioned officers and soldiers in the army, and non-commissioned officers and conscripts in the police
• part-time workers in villages and residential groups

The base salary is used to calculate salaries in the pay tables, allowances and other entitlements, as well as operating fees, living allowances, and the contributions and benefits calculated from the base salary. Under the decree, the Government adjusts it after it goes to the National Assembly for review and decision, in line with what the state budget can afford, consumer prices and economic growth.

How Do Bonuses Work Under the Same Decree?

Decree 161 also sets a bonus system for the first seven of those groups, excluding people who receive allowances or living stipends, as listed in the Lawyers of Vietnam summary. Bonuses are paid for exceptional work achievements and on the basis of annual assessment and quality ranking, drawing on quarterly and six-month reviews of each person on the payroll.

The bonus pool is fixed by formula under the decree. It equals 10% of the total salary fund, not including allowances, calculated by position, title, grade, step and military rank. Each agency head sets the bonus rules, and in the armed forces the rules follow regulations of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security.

Each person's bonus amount is set by the agency's rules and is not necessarily tied to that person's salary coefficient.

Has a 2027 Pay Raise Been Decided Yet?

Not yet. The Government has told the Ministry of Home Affairs to work with other ministries on proposed salary policies in line with the 14th National Party Congress Resolution, to be submitted to competent authorities for approval.

Tran Cam Tu, Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, acknowledged that some public employees receive very low pay, and that civil servants in some ministries and sectors still earn basic monthly salaries of around VND10 million (approximately US$400). Tu also noted that allowances for commune-level officials and civil servants had recently been increased to 55%.

Tu said the Politburo was directing agencies to address these issues promptly, with the aim of establishing a clearer system of staffing quotas, salaries and allowances by early 2027.

How Will Public Sector Pay Be Tied to Job Positions?

Under Decree 361/2025, ministries, central agencies and provincial People's Committees had to approve updated job position frameworks for civil servants by July 1, 2026, and the government said ministries and local authorities have largely completed that approval.

Public employees in public service units come next. Under Decree 232/2026, their job position frameworks must be approved by July 1, 2027, and until new approval decisions are issued, the frameworks approved earlier still apply to recruitment and management.

Staff numbers for the next period are being set too. The Party Central Committee's Organisation Commission is expected to submit the proposed staffing plan for the 2027-2031 period to the Politburo in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Rather than relying primarily on civil service grades, salary scales and seniority, Vietnam plans to gradually link employee evaluation, remuneration and benefits to the requirements of individual positions, professional competence, performance outcomes and the value of employees' contributions, according to the VietNamNet report.

A Politburo conclusion issued on October 17 named these frameworks as the foundation for recruitment, personnel placement, performance assessment, staffing management and salary reform. The goal is to move away from uniform salary arrangements that fail to adequately reflect differences in job performance and effectiveness.

What Changes for Workers on Labour Contracts on January 1?

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra signed Decree 399/2026 on minimum wages for people working under labour contracts, effective January 1, 2027. The new monthly minimums by region under Decree 399/2026 are:

• Region I, from 5,310,000 dong to 5,700,000 dong (about $207 to about $223)
• Region II, from 4,730,000 dong to 5,080,000 dong (about $185 to about $198)
• Region III, from 4,140,000 dong to 4,450,000 dong (about $162 to about $174)
• Region IV, from 3,700,000 dong to 4,040,000 dong (about $144 to about $158)

Hourly minimums rise too, with Region I going from 25,500 dong (about $1.00) to 27,400 dong an hour (about $1.07) and Region IV going from 17,800 dong (about $0.69) to 19,400 dong (about $0.76). Employers inside industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones and concentrated digital technology zones that span regions with different rates apply the highest minimum wage among them.

How Does the Salary Line Fit Into the Wider 2027 Budget?

Total spending is set at almost 4.074 quadrillion VND (about $159.1 billion), with a deficit equal to 4.5% of GDP. Development investment is set at about 43% of total spending, against 35.5% in the 2026 estimate in the plan presented to the National Assembly on October 17 (translated).

Recurrent spending takes a smaller share of the total but still grows. Recurrent spending in 2027 is estimated to rise by 120.5 thousand billion dong over 2026 (about $4.7 billion), with priority for Party resolutions, political tasks, defence, security, social welfare and salary reform, in the plan Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan presented (translated).

The budget sets aside 10 per cent of recurrent expenditure, excluding salaries and other personnel-related spending, for social welfare policies.

In a separate resolution passed on Saturday, the National Assembly set a target of at least 10% economic growth in 2027, with inflation kept at around 4.5%.

What This Means for Public Sector Workers and Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The salary reform line shows the state has money ready for pay policy next year, but it is a budget line, not a raise. New salary policy proposals are still being developed, and the resolution lets the accumulated salary reform fund also pay for pensions and staff streamlining. Treat any headline that promises a set percentage raise next year with caution until a decree with a new base salary is issued.

The bigger change is how pay will be decided. If you are a civil servant or public employee, make sure your job description matches what you actually do now, because Vietnam plans to gradually link pay to the requirements of each position, and frameworks for public employees have a July 2027 approval deadline. Keep records of results that would count in an annual ranking, since the annual ranking is one basis for bonuses. If you are weighing pay floors across the region, Malaysia has its own planned minimum wage increase.

If you are applying to the public sector, know the trade-offs. Some posts pay very little, as Tran Cam Tu acknowledged. For a sense of how other public sectors are changing, compare China's civil service exam places for next year with the Netherlands plan to shed civil service jobs. If you work on a labour contract, check your payslip against the new regional minimum from January.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A budget line tells you money is coming, but the decree tells you what lands in your pay. Read the rules on how pay will be set, and make sure your work record fits them before they take effect.

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People Also Asked

Q: How much has Vietnam set aside for salary reform in 2027?

A: The 2027 central budget allocation includes 80,400 billion dong for salary reform, which is the same as 80.4 trillion dong, or about $3.1 billion.

Q: What is Vietnam's base salary for civil servants now?

A: It is 2,530,000 dong a month from July 1, 2026 (about $99), set by Decree 161/2026.

Q: Can the salary reform fund be used for pensions?

A: Yes, the 2027 state budget resolution lets the accumulated central fund pay for pension adjustments, social insurance benefits, monthly allowances, payments for people who rendered services to the nation and staff streamlining.

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