On July 1, 2026, a new population law took effect in Vietnam. One of its highlights is that maternity leave for female workers who give birth to a second child is extended by one month, from six to seven, and leave for husbands whose wives have a second child is doubled from five to ten working days. Alongside this, the "base salary (mức lương cơ sở)" that forms the basis for social-insurance calculations was raised from 2.34 million dong to 2.53 million dong a month. For people who employ local staff in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, or residents living with a Vietnamese partner, it changes both how leave is taken and monthly premiums. It's hard to feel relevant for those just passing through as tourists, but if you have plans involving Vietnam this summer, it's worth grasping as material for reading the mood of the streets.
July 1: what changed
The Population Law (8 chapters, 30 articles), passed by Vietnam's National Assembly in December 2025, took effect on July 1, 2026. The big point is that it removes the 'two-child' family-planning framework and instead steers toward making it easier to have children. Three things directly affect workers. First, maternity leave for women who give birth to a second child goes from the previous six months to seven. Second, leave for male workers whose wives give birth to a second child goes from 5 business days to 10. Third, a new childbirth lump-sum payment for women who have up to two children by age 35, among others. All are carried through by the design principle of 'lowering the hurdle to having a second child.'
Why Vietnam is encouraging childbirth
Behind it are the same footsteps of falling birthrates as in Japan and Korea. According to a JETRO report, Vietnam's total fertility rate in 2025 was 1.93, below the 2.1 benchmark for maintaining the population. Although it edged back up from 1.91 the year before, the overall trend is downward, still carrying a regional gap of low urban births and high rural births. The phrase "growing old before getting rich" has come to be spoken within Vietnam too, and this Population Law reverses the long-running birth-suppression policy. Both the extended maternity leave and the childbirth lump-sum benefit turn this policy shift into concrete systems.
How maternity and childcare leave were extended
Line up the changes in numbers and the picture comes into focus.
| Item | Before the revision | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity leave for women having a second child | 6 months | Seven months |
| Leave for a husband whose wife gives birth to a second child | 5 business days | 10 business days |
| Base salary (the basis for social insurance calculations) | 2.34 million dong a month | 2.53 million dong a month |
Benefits during maternity leave are basically calculated by multiplying the average salary of the six months before leave by the number of months of leave, plus a lump sum equal to two months of the base salary in the birth month. If the number of months rises by one, the total benefit is boosted accordingly. The base salary of 2.53 million dong is about 15,000 yen in Japanese terms (at 1 yen = about 165 dong, a guide as of this writing). The figure itself looks small, but since it's the "unit" for various benefits and add-on allowances, it quietly affects the level of monthly premiums and lump sums.
A new mechanism: the childbirth lump-sum benefit
Another pillar is financial support for women. Under Decree 168/2026/ND-CP, which guides the Population Law's implementation, women from ethnic minorities, women living in provinces or cities where the birth rate is below the replacement level, and women who have up to two children by age 35, among others, are said to be eligible for financial support of at least 2 million dong at childbirth. Two million dong is roughly 12,000 yen (at the same rate). Local media also reported it under headlines like 'about 12,000 yen for women who have a second child by 35,' and the figure is consistent across multiple sources. The specific procedures for receiving the support are to be set out in detail in the decree and implementation guides, and the narrowing of eligibility and required documents will firm up in future practice.
How locals see it
On Vietnamese social media and in everyday-life forums, reactions to this revision are mixed. Some welcome it—"it's a push for families who were considering a second child"—while plenty take a cooler view: "it's not so simple that a one-time payment of 12,000 yen decides whether you have a child." Urban parenting-age people make the practical point that "the burden of childcare and housing is heavier." Among corporate HR staff, the more immediate topic is how to arrange staffing during busy periods now that a husband's leave has doubled from five days to ten. A gap between a policy's ideals and on-the-ground juggling is a scene shared with other countries pushing measures against falling birthrates.
Implications for people who work in—and hire in—Vietnam
Where this revision bites hardest is residents and Japanese-affiliated companies that employ Vietnamese staff locally. If an employee has a second child, the woman is away for seven months and her husband takes ten working days off too. The smaller the team, the more you need staffing plans that assume this gap. If your work rules or employment contracts still say the old "six months' maternity leave, five days for husbands," you'll want to update the wording in time for births from July onward. Because the increase to a 2.53 million dong base salary also flows through to the company's share of social-insurance premiums, getting an early start on reviewing your salary tables saves panic later. Vietnam's immigration procedures and the handling of taxes and pensions are also changing this summer, making it a good chance to inspect labor matters all at once. Together with this,Immigration procedures unified into VNeID from JuneandThe story of income tax and pensions changing from July, checking it too lets you sort out household and company procedures all at once.
The ripple effects the system has on society
Extended maternity leave and birth lump sums are more than one-off benefits. For companies, the premises of labor costs and staffing change, gradually affecting the design of hiring and assignments. In the long run, it's also a turning point in society's overall design philosophy - how to support women's retention in the workplace and the timing of a second child. Vietnam is trying to institutionalize, ahead of time and mid-economic-growth, a theme Japan has long debated. How far this revision moves the birth rate won't be clear for a few years, but at the very least, the stance of trying to show "ease of having children" in numbers will surely change the environment for people who live and work in Vietnam going forward.
Things to check going forward
First, if you or those around you will be involved in a birth from July on, you'll want to confirm your social-insurance status and whether your workplace's rules reflect the new system. Applications for maternity or paternal leave basically go through your workplace's HR, and having your last six months of pay records — the basis for calculating benefits — on hand makes the process smoother. If you look likely to qualify for the childbirth lump sum, the eligibility conditions and required documents are set out in Decree 168's implementation guide, so checking the latest guidance at your local social-insurance office or workplace is the sure route. Vietnam's everyday-life rules are being updated one after another this summer. Even those staying only briefly for travel or business,The entry health declaration revived from Julythe point that there's more to do before departure, as here, is worth keeping in mind.
Sources
- VietnamPlus "Major new policies taking effect from July 2026"
- Viet An Law: 7-Month Maternity Leave Expansion for Second Child from 2026 in Vietnam
- VIETJO Vietnam News: 12,000-yen support for women who have a second child by 35, under a new decree effective July
- JETRO: the total fertility rate for 2025 was 1.93, a slight improvement from 1.91 the year before (Vietnam)
