Maternity leave and pay in Vietnam 2026: mothers and fathers

For births from 1 July 2026, an insured mother in Vietnam receives a one-off grant of VND 5,060,000 per child plus 100% of her average insured salary for six months of leave, or seven months for a second child under the new Population Law. Fathers get 5 to 14 working days depending on the birth, and 10 days when it is the couple's second child. On an insured salary of VND 10 million, a first birth brings the mother about VND 65 million.

Key takeaways

• Legal basis: the Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 (in force from 1 July 2025) and the Population Law No. 113/2025/QH15 (in force from 1 July 2026).
• One-off birth grant: twice the reference level, VND 5,060,000 per child from 1 July 2026 (VND 4,680,000 before).
• Mothers: 6 months of leave, 7 months for a second child, plus 1 extra month for each additional baby in a multiple birth.
• Pay during leave: 100% of the average salary insurance was paid on over the six months before leave.
• Fathers: 5, 7, 10 or 14 working days, taken within 60 days of the birth.
• Foreign employees who pay compulsory social insurance qualify on the same terms.

Does this apply to foreigners?

Yes, if you are in the compulsory scheme. Foreign nationals with a work permit and a local labour contract of 12 months or more generally pay Vietnamese social insurance, and that includes the maternity fund. Intra-company transferees and people already at retirement age are outside the scheme. If your payslip shows the 8% social insurance (BHXH) deduction, you are almost certainly covered; if you are paid from abroad on an assignment, ask HR, because you may be insured in your home country instead.

Who qualifies

Under the 2024 Social Insurance Law:

• Mothers must have paid compulsory social insurance for at least 6 of the 12 months before the birth. A mother who has contributed for 12 months or more and is ordered to rest during pregnancy only needs 3 of the last 12 months.
• Leaving a job before the birth doesn't cancel the right, as long as the 6-month condition was already met; she files directly with the local social insurance office.
• Fathers who are insured when the baby is born get paid paternity leave. If only the father is insured, he receives the one-off grant, provided he has 6 months of contributions in the 12 before the birth.

To count back 12 months from the due date, the due date calculator and the date calculator are handy.

What a mother receives

The reference level currently equals the base salary, VND 2,530,000 from 1 July 2026 under Decree 161/2026/NĐ-CP. Births before that date use the previous VND 2,340,000, giving a grant of VND 4,680,000.

Examples

First baby, insured salary VND 10 million. Grant VND 5,060,000 plus 6 × 10,000,000 = VND 60,000,000, so VND 65,060,000 in total before check-up days or recovery leave.

Second baby, same salary. Seven months of leave: 70,000,000 + 5,060,000 = VND 75,060,000.

Twins as a first birth. Seven months of leave and a grant for each baby: 70,000,000 + 10,120,000 = VND 80,120,000.

You can plug in your own figures with the Vietnam maternity benefit calculator.

Paternity leave for fathers

Insured fathers can take paid leave within 60 days of the birth (it used to be 30), in one block or several, up to:

A day of paternity pay is the average insured salary divided by 24. On VND 12 million, five days come to VND 2,500,000 and ten days to VND 5,000,000. Weekends and public holidays don't count against the allowance. If two situations overlap, for example a second child born by caesarean, check with HR or the social insurance office which entitlement applies.

What changed in July 2026

The Population Law of 2025 amended Article 139 of the Labour Code: a mother giving birth to her second child now gets seven months of maternity leave, of which no more than two months may be taken before the birth. The condition is that she already has one living biological child at the time of the birth. A third child goes back to six months. The law and Decree 168/2026/NĐ-CP also add local incentives, such as cash support for women who have two children before 35 or live in provinces with low birth rates; amounts are set locally, so ask the ward or commune People's Committee.

People on voluntary social insurance have had a maternity grant since 1 July 2025: VND 2,000,000 per child, if they have contributed for 6 of the 12 months before the birth. If both parents qualify, only one of them receives it.

Paperwork and practical tips

• Documents: a copy of the birth certificate or birth registration extract, or the hospital's birth certificate; hospital papers for a caesarean or premature birth.
• Deadline: hand them to your employer within 45 days of returning to work; if you have left the job, file directly with social insurance.
• During leave: neither you nor your employer pays social insurance, but the months still count as contribution time.
• Going back early: after at least four months, a mother may return early if the employer agrees and a doctor confirms she is fit; she keeps maternity pay for the remaining period on top of her salary.
• Low declared salary: maternity pay follows the salary declared for insurance, not your take-home pay. The gross to net salary calculator shows what the 8% deduction implies.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a mother get for a birth in late 2026?

A grant of VND 5,060,000 per child, plus 100% of her average insured salary for six months, or seven for a second child. On VND 8 million that is 5,060,000 + 48,000,000 = VND 53,060,000 for a first baby.

I'm a foreign employee. Do I get the same maternity leave?

If you pay compulsory Vietnamese social insurance, yes: the same leave, grant and pay. The seven-month rule for a second child applies to everyone under a Vietnamese labour contract.

Does the seven-month leave apply to births before 1 July 2026?

The rule took effect on 1 July 2026 for births from that date. If you gave birth earlier and are still on leave, ask the social insurance office how the transition applies to you before planning your return.

Can a father take paternity leave if the mother isn't insured?

Yes. The father's leave depends only on his own insurance. If the mother isn't insured, the father also receives the one-off birth grant, provided he has 6 months of contributions in the last 12.

How is the six-month average worked out after a pay rise?

Add up the insured salary of the six months before leave and divide by six. Three months at VND 8 million and three at VND 10 million average VND 9 million.