Regulations on salary regime for retired and transferred military officers

The Government issued Decree No. 52/2025 detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Officers of the Vietnam People's Army.

Decree regulating the regime and policies for officers who have ceased active service; active officers who have sacrificed or passed away; active officers who have transferred to professional soldiers or defense civil servants.

According to new regulations, officers who transfer to work at state agencies, public service units, political organizations, and socio-political organizations receiving salaries from the state budget are entitled to certain benefits.

That is, to be given priority in job placement appropriate to the professional, technical, and vocational fields; to be trained and fostered in the necessary professional and technical fields appropriate to the job undertaken. To be exempted from the entrance exam if transferring to the old agency or unit or transferring the field at the request of a competent state agency. To be given priority in adding points to the results of the civil servant and public employee recruitment exam according to the provisions of the law on cadres, civil servants, and public employees at the time of the entrance exam.

In addition, officers are ranked and paid according to their new job position, new job, new position from the effective date of the decision to transfer. In case the salary according to the group, grade, or level is ranked lower than the salary according to the military rank of the officer at the time of transfer, the salary, seniority allowance, and social insurance contributions and benefits at the time of transfer will be retained for a period of 18 months from the effective date of the decision to transfer, and will be paid by the new agency or unit.

Military officers practice in preparation for the 50th anniversary of national reunification. Photo: Pham Hai

For officers who have changed careers and are eligible for pension, if the average monthly salary for social insurance contributions used as the basis for calculating pension according to the provisions of the law on social insurance at the time of retirement is lower than the average monthly salary for social insurance contributions at the time of career change, the average monthly salary for social insurance contributions at the time of career change, converted according to the salary regime prescribed at the time of retirement, will be used as the basis for calculating pension.

For officers who have changed careers, if they are not eligible for pension and quit their jobs, in addition to receiving social insurance benefits according to regulations, they will be paid severance allowance by the agency or unit receiving salary from the state budget that manages and employs cadres, civil servants and public employees at the time of quitting their jobs. In particular, for each year of service in the Army, they will be subsidized by 1 month of salary of the month immediately before changing careers, converted according to the salary regime prescribed at the time of quitting their jobs to serve as the basis for calculating severance allowance.

In cases of transferring to work at agencies and units receiving salaries from the state budget, with a working period in the Army determined by competent authorities as warrant officers, upon retirement, the salary coefficient used as the basis for calculating average salary as the basis for calculating pension for the time of warrant officers being transferred is 3.90.

According to Decree No. 52/2025, officers who transfer to work at agencies and units receiving salaries from the state budget and then transfer to agencies and units not receiving salaries from the state budget, upon retirement, will be given an additional seniority allowance according to the time of service in the Army and the military rank at the time immediately before the officer transfers to another agency, and will be converted according to the salary regime prescribed at the time of retirement when calculating the average monthly salary for social insurance contributions for the working time according to the salary regime prescribed by the state to serve as the basis for calculating the pension for officers.

In addition, officers who have changed careers but due to job requirements, are decided by competent authorities to return to serve in the Army, will be arranged new jobs suitable to the officer's needs and abilities.