In 2022, the retirement age for male workers under normal working conditions will be 60 years and 6 months and for female workers will be 55 years and 8 months; instead of 60 years and 3 months and 55 years and 4 months respectively as in 2021.

Depending on the case, workers can retire earlier or later, but not more than 5 years older than the regulations. Those who are eligible for early retirement include workers who have worked for 15 years or more in arduous or hazardous occupations on the prescribed list; those who have worked for 15 years or more in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions; and those whose working capacity has been reduced by 61%.

In contrast, highly skilled and technical workers and some special cases can retire later, if an agreement is reached with the employer.

Workers work at Dony Garment Company factory, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, October 21, 2021. Photo:Quynh Tran

Article 169 of the 2019 Labor Code stipulates that the retirement age will be adjusted annually from 2021, adding three months for male workers until reaching 62 years old in 2028; adding four months for female workers until reaching 60 years old in 2035.

Failure to classify waste will be punished.

According to the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, effective from January 1, 2022, domestic solid waste generated by households and individuals must be classified into groups of solid waste that can be reused and recycled; food waste; other domestic solid waste. Collection and transportation facilities have the right to refuse to collect and transport domestic solid waste from households and individuals that do not classify or use packaging according to regulations and notify competent authorities for inspection and handling.

Project owners, owners, and management boards of new urban areas, high-rise apartments, and office buildings must arrange equipment and facilities for storing domestic solid waste in accordance with the types of waste prescribed by this Law. Residents in apartment buildings must classify waste according to the instructions of investors and management boards...

According to Article 20 of Decree 155 of 2016, authorities will fine from 15 million to 20 million VND for individuals and households that do not classify.domestic solid wasteas prescribed.

Garbage collectors in Ward 14, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, July 2019. Photo:Thanh Nguyen

Gasoline prices are adjusted every 10 days.

According to Decree 95/2021 (amending and supplementing Decree 83 on petroleum trading), from January 2, 2022, domestic retail prices of gasoline and oil will be adjusted three times a month, or once every 10 days instead of every 15 days as at present.

The time for adjusting the price of gasoline increases 3 times a month (1st, 11th and 21st of each month), each price adjustment period is 10 days apart. If the adjustment period coincides with a holiday, the price adjustment time will be postponed to the next working day. In case the adjustment period coincides with the Lunar New Year, the adjustment time will be postponed to the next adjustment period.

People refuel at a gas station in Hanoi. Photo:Ngoc Thanh

Not wearing a helmet can be fined up to 600,000 VND

Decree 123/2021 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Decrees regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the fields of maritime, road and railway traffic, and civil aviation will take effect from January 1, 2022.

Accordingly, the act of not wearing a "helmet" or wearing a "helmet" but not fastening the strap properly when driving a motorbike, scooter, electric scooter, or electric bicycle will be fined from 400,000 VND to 600,000 VND. This fine is double that of Decree 100/2019 (200,000-300,000 VND).

Also according to this Decree, drivers who do not attach enough license plates or attach license plates in the wrong position; attach license plates with unclear letters or numbers; attach license plates that are bent, covered, or damaged; paint or add stickers that change letters, numbers, or change the color of letters, numbers, or license plate background (including trailers and semi-trailers) will be fined 4-6 million VND.

Decree 100/2019 stipulates that the penalty for this act is from 800,000 VND to 1 million VND. Thus, the penalty for the above act will increase 6 times from the beginning of 2022.

A traffic police officer asked a motorist not to wear a helmet or mask to go outside. Photo:Huu Khoa

Administrative fines up to 1 billion VND

From January 1, 2022, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations will take effect. The Law stipulates a maximum fine of up to one billion VND for individuals if they violate the management of sea areas, islands and continental shelves; nuclear and radioactive substance management; atomic energy; currency, precious metals, gemstones, banking, credit; oil and gas activities and other minerals; environmental protection; and fisheries.

The law also stipulates a maximum fine of VND500 million for violations in the fields of construction; forestry; land; real estate business. The fine of VND250 million applies to the fields of investigation, planning, exploration, exploitation, and use of water resources; irrigation; intellectual property; and press.

The fine of 200 million VND applies to the fields of production and trade of prohibited and counterfeit goods; protection of consumer rights. The fine of 150 million VND applies to the fields of price management; exploitation, production and trading of construction materials; management of technical infrastructure works; management and development of houses and offices; bidding; investment.

Increase pensions and social insurance benefits

According to Decree 108, from January 1, 2022, pensions, social allowances, and monthly allowances of low-wage pensioners and retirees before 1995 will be increased by 7.4% on the pension level of December 2021.

Pensioners and beneficiaries before January 1, 1995 will have their pensions and benefits adjusted to VND2.5 million per month. Those receiving less than VND2.3 million will have their monthly pensions increased by VND200,000; those receiving between VND2.3 million and under VND2.5 million will have their monthly pensions adjusted to VND2.5 million.

There are eight groups that have increased pensions and allowances, including commune and ward officials, part-time commune-level workers; people receiving disability benefits, rubber workers, people receiving occupational accident and disease benefits; soldiers and police who participated in the resistance war against the US and have been discharged and returned to their localities...

The source of funding for increased pensions and subsidies comes from the state budget and the Social Insurance Fund. The total estimated cost of the adjustment is about 12,650 billion VND, of which the state budget supplement for those who retired before 1995 is 3,648 billion VND.