Sick Leave and Medical Certificates in Vietnam: A Guide for Employees

Sick leave in Vietnam involves two different issues that employees should understand: permission to be absent from work because of illness and eligibility for sickness benefits under Vietnam's compulsory Social Insurance system.

For employees covered by compulsory Social Insurance, qualifying sickness absence can be compensated through the Social Insurance Fund rather than being treated simply as ordinary paid salary from the employer. The employee generally needs medical documentation from an authorized healthcare provider, and the required document depends on whether treatment was inpatient or outpatient.

Vietnam's current Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 took effect on July 1, 2025 and introduced several changes to sickness benefits, including the possibility of receiving benefits for partial-day sick leave. Medical documentation is now governed principally by Ministry of Health Circular 25/2025/TT-BYT and the procedures used by Vietnam Social Security.

How does sick leave work in Vietnam?

An employee who becomes ill may need time away from work for examination, treatment or recovery.

If the employee participates in compulsory Social Insurance and meets the legal conditions for sickness benefits, eligible days can be compensated by the Social Insurance Fund.

The basic process normally involves:

1. The employee receives medical treatment.
2. An authorized healthcare provider issues the relevant medical document.
3. The employee provides the document to the employer.
4. The employer prepares the sickness-benefit application and submits it to the Social Insurance authority.
5. Vietnam Social Security reviews the claim and pays the benefit if the conditions are satisfied.

A company may have additional internal rules requiring employees to notify a manager or HR department when they cannot attend work.

Is sick leave paid in Vietnam?

For qualifying employees covered by compulsory Social Insurance, sickness benefits are generally paid from the Social Insurance Fund.

Under the current system, the standard sickness allowance for ordinary illness is generally calculated at 75% of the salary used as the basis for Social Insurance contributions before the employee takes leave.

For a full day of eligible sickness absence, the daily benefit is generally calculated by dividing the monthly benefit by 24 days.

The amount paid through Social Insurance should not automatically be confused with the employee's normal full salary.

An employer may provide more generous sick-pay arrangements in an employment contract, collective agreement or internal benefits policy, but those benefits are separate from the statutory Social Insurance sickness regime.

How much does Social Insurance pay for sick leave?

For ordinary qualifying sickness, the monthly benefit is generally calculated as:

75% × the salary used to calculate compulsory Social Insurance contributions for the relevant previous period.

The daily benefit is calculated from the monthly amount according to the statutory formula.

For example, an employee does not normally receive 100% of ordinary salary from the Social Insurance Fund simply because a doctor recommends several days off work.

The exact calculation can depend on the employee's contribution history and circumstances.

How many sick days can employees receive in Vietnam?

For ordinary illness, the maximum annual period of sickness benefits depends primarily on how long the employee has contributed to compulsory Social Insurance and, in some cases, the type of work performed.

For employees working under ordinary conditions, the typical annual limits are:

Employees working in certain heavy, hazardous, dangerous or particularly hazardous occupations may qualify for higher limits.

The statutory sickness-benefit period is generally calculated in working days, excluding public holidays, Tet holidays and regular weekly rest days.

Sick leave for hazardous or dangerous work

Higher annual limits may apply to employees whose jobs fall within legally defined heavy, hazardous or dangerous categories or who work under other qualifying conditions.

Depending on contribution history, these limits can be higher than those applying to ordinary working conditions.

Employees should ask HR or the Social Insurance authority whether their occupation is officially classified within the relevant category rather than assuming that a physically difficult job automatically qualifies.

What changed under Vietnam's 2024 Social Insurance Law?

Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 took effect on July 1, 2025.

One notable change is that eligible employees can receive sickness benefits for periods shorter than a full working day.

Under the new rules:

• An absence of less than half a working day can be treated as half a day for sickness-benefit purposes.
• An absence from half a day to less than one full day can be treated as one day.

This gives employees greater flexibility when a health problem requires only part of the working day away from work.

What is a medical certificate for sick leave in Vietnam?

For outpatient treatment, the document most directly associated with statutory sickness benefits is the Certificate of Leave for Social Insurance Benefits, commonly referred to in Vietnamese as:

Giấy chứng nhận nghỉ việc hưởng bảo hiểm xã hội.

The certificate documents that the employee's medical condition requires time away from work and specifies the authorized period of leave.

It is not simply an informal doctor's note.

For Social Insurance purposes, the document must comply with Ministry of Health requirements and be issued by an eligible healthcare provider.

Who can issue a sick leave medical certificate?

Under Ministry of Health rules, the certificate must be issued through a licensed medical examination and treatment facility and in accordance with the professional scope of the practitioner and facility.

An employee should therefore not assume that any wellness provider, pharmacy or informal medical service can issue documentation accepted for Social Insurance sickness benefits.

If the employee specifically needs documentation for an employer or Social Insurance claim, it is useful to tell the clinic when registering for the consultation.

What document do you need for outpatient sick leave?

For outpatient treatment, employees generally need one of the accepted documents showing that medical leave is required.

The most common is:

• Certificate of Leave for Social Insurance Benefits

In certain circumstances, an employee may instead rely on documents relating to a previous inpatient admission that specify a required period of continued outpatient recovery.

Vietnam Social Security currently identifies acceptable outpatient documents including:

• The Certificate of Leave for Social Insurance Benefits
• A hospital discharge document specifying a period of outpatient treatment after discharge
• A medical-record summary specifying a required period of outpatient treatment after hospitalization

The documentation should clearly establish the medically recommended period of absence.

What if you are admitted to hospital?

For inpatient treatment, the employee does not normally use the same outpatient sick-leave certificate for the hospitalization itself.

Accepted documentation can include:

• Hospital discharge paper
• Medical-record summary
• Other qualifying documents proving the inpatient treatment period

The exact document should show the period during which the employee was receiving inpatient medical care.

If the doctor recommends additional recovery at home after discharge, the discharge documentation or medical summary should state the period of required outpatient leave where appropriate.

Can a private hospital issue a medical certificate?

A private facility can potentially issue valid medical documentation if it is properly licensed and meets the Ministry of Health requirements for issuing the relevant certificate.

The distinction is therefore not simply public hospital versus private hospital.

Employees should check whether the facility is authorized to issue the Giấy chứng nhận nghỉ việc hưởng BHXH if they need the document for a statutory sickness-benefit claim.

Large private hospitals and clinics routinely deal with employment and Social Insurance documentation, but the employee should still request the correct form.

Can an international clinic issue a sick note?

Some international clinics in Vietnam may be able to issue appropriate medical documentation if they operate as licensed healthcare facilities and the treating practitioner is authorized to issue it.

However, a generic English-language letter stating that the patient is unwell is not necessarily equivalent to the formal Vietnamese document required for Social Insurance benefits.

Foreign employees should therefore explain that they need documentation for Vietnamese Social Insurance sick leave, not merely a general medical certificate.

Is an English medical certificate enough?

For an employer's internal absence policy, an English-language medical letter may sometimes be accepted depending on company rules.

For statutory Social Insurance benefits, however, employees should ensure that the documentation meets the format and legal requirements applicable in Vietnam.

The safest option is to obtain the official Vietnamese sick-leave documentation from an authorized local medical facility when treatment occurs in Vietnam.

What if you become sick while abroad?

Vietnam Social Security has procedures for employees or their children who receive treatment outside Vietnam.

Medical records issued by a foreign healthcare provider should show information such as:

• The illness or medical condition
• The treatment period

Additional requirements can apply to foreign documents, including Vietnamese translation, certification and in some cases consular legalization, unless an applicable international agreement provides otherwise.

Employees who become ill during overseas travel should keep all original medical documentation rather than waiting until they return to Vietnam.

How long can a doctor give you off work?

The period stated on the medical certificate should correspond to the employee's health condition and professional medical assessment.

The doctor should not simply issue an arbitrary number of days requested by the patient.

The amount of leave recognized for Social Insurance purposes is also subject to statutory benefit limits.

For illnesses requiring prolonged treatment, different long-term sickness rules can apply.

Long-term sickness benefits in Vietnam

Vietnam maintains a list of diseases considered to require long-term treatment.

Under Ministry of Health Circular 25/2025/TT-BYT, the current list includes 282 diseases classified as requiring prolonged treatment.

Examples can include serious chronic, malignant and other conditions requiring extended medical care.

Under the Social Insurance Law effective from July 2025, employees with a listed long-term disease can continue receiving sickness benefits after exhausting the ordinary annual sickness period, subject to the conditions and reduced benefit rates established by law.

How much is paid for long-term illness?

After the normal sickness-benefit period has been exhausted, employees undergoing treatment for an illness on the official long-term disease list can potentially continue receiving benefits.

The benefit rate depends on compulsory Social Insurance contribution history.

Current rates include approximately:

These provisions differ from the standard 75% benefit that generally applies during the ordinary sickness-benefit period.

Do weekends count as sick leave days?

The statutory sickness-benefit period for ordinary sickness is generally calculated in working days.

Regular weekly rest days, public holidays and Tet holidays are not normally counted toward the standard annual limit.

This is different from simply counting calendar days from the date a person becomes ill.

Can you take half a day of sick leave?

Yes. One of the changes under the Social Insurance Law effective from July 2025 is recognition of partial-day sickness benefits.

Where the legally required conditions and medical documentation are satisfied, an employee can potentially receive a benefit corresponding to a partial working day.

This may be relevant for medical appointments or conditions that do not require an entire day away from work.

Do you need a medical certificate for one day of sick leave?

If the employee wants to claim statutory sickness benefits through Social Insurance, qualifying medical documentation is important regardless of whether the absence is short.

A company may independently allow employees to take occasional short sickness absence under an internal HR policy without completing a Social Insurance claim.

These are separate issues.

Employees should check both:

• Their employer's internal sick-leave procedure
• The documentation needed for Social Insurance benefits

Can an employer ask for a medical certificate?

Employers can require employees to provide documentation supporting an absence in accordance with employment rules and the requirements of the Social Insurance sickness-benefit process.

For a statutory sickness claim, the employer needs the appropriate medical documentation before submitting the claim to the Social Insurance authority.

Internal company rules may also define when an employee must contact HR, provide a medical document or update the company about an extended absence.

When should you give the certificate to your employer?

Employees should normally submit the required medical documentation promptly after treatment or when returning to work.

Current Social Insurance procedures require the employer to prepare and submit the sickness-benefit application after receiving the employee's documentation.

Vietnam Social Security currently states that employers have seven working days after receiving a complete employee file to prepare the relevant list and send the application to the Social Insurance authority under the newer procedure.

The employee should therefore avoid holding onto the certificate unnecessarily.

How long does Social Insurance take to process sick leave?

Under current procedures, after the employer submits a complete sickness-benefit file, the Social Insurance authority generally has a specified processing period to review the claim.

Vietnam Social Security guidance states that the Social Insurance authority has seven working days after receiving a complete file from the employer to resolve the claim under the current procedure, and must provide a written explanation if the claim is not approved.

Processing can take longer if documentation is incomplete or requires correction.

What does the employer submit?

The employer normally prepares a list of employees requesting sickness benefits and submits it with the required documentation through the Social Insurance system.

Electronic submission is increasingly used through Vietnam Social Security's public-service infrastructure.

Employees usually provide the medical evidence to their employer rather than personally processing the entire employer-side Social Insurance claim.

Is sick leave the same as annual leave?

No.

Annual leave and sickness benefits are separate legal concepts.

Annual leave is paid vacation entitlement under employment law, while statutory sickness benefits arise under the Social Insurance system when an eligible employee cannot work because of illness or other qualifying circumstances.

An employee should not automatically have to use annual leave simply because they are genuinely ill and qualify for Social Insurance sickness benefits.

The exact workplace process should be checked with HR.

Is sick leave the same as unpaid leave?

No.

Unpaid leave normally means the employer and employee agree that the employee will not work and will not receive salary for that period.

Statutory sickness absence can generate a Social Insurance benefit when the legal conditions are satisfied.

If the employee does not qualify for Social Insurance sickness benefits or does not provide the required documentation, the absence may be treated differently under the employment contract or company rules.

Can you be sick while on annual leave?

The interaction between sickness benefits and other forms of leave can be legally specific.

Employees should not assume that becoming ill during annual leave automatically converts those days into statutory sickness-benefit days.

Where different leave entitlements overlap, HR should verify the applicable Social Insurance and labor rules before processing the absence.

Sick leave to care for a child

Vietnam's Social Insurance system also provides sickness benefits for eligible employees who need to stop working to care for a sick child below the statutory age threshold.

Medical documentation is required for the child's illness.

The current Social Insurance framework also recognizes partial-day benefits for qualifying child-care sickness absence.

This is a separate entitlement from the employee's own illness.

Are foreign employees eligible for sick leave benefits?

Foreign employees working legally in Vietnam may fall within the compulsory Social Insurance system depending on their employment status, contract and any statutory exemptions.

Where a foreign employee participates in compulsory Social Insurance and is covered by the sickness regime, the same practical issues become relevant:

• Valid medical documentation
• Qualifying sickness absence
• Employer submission
• Benefit calculation

Foreign employees should confirm their Social Insurance participation with HR because not every foreign worker has identical coverage.

What if your employer does not accept the medical certificate?

First determine why the document was rejected.

Possible reasons include:

• The healthcare provider was not authorized to issue the certificate
• The wrong form was used
• Required information is missing
• The certificate dates do not match the claimed absence
• The document is only a general doctor's letter rather than the official Social Insurance certificate

Ask the clinic and HR department which specific requirement has not been met.

If necessary, the medical facility may be able to correct or reissue documentation according to Ministry of Health rules.

Can a doctor backdate a medical certificate?

Employees should not assume that a clinic can freely issue retrospective sick leave for any previous absence.

Medical certificates must reflect an actual medical examination and comply with Ministry of Health rules governing their issuance.

If you need sick-leave documentation, seek medical assessment while you are ill rather than waiting until several days after recovery and asking for a certificate retrospectively.

Can telemedicine provide a sick leave certificate?

Vietnam has increasingly developed remote healthcare, but whether a particular remote consultation can support an official Social Insurance sick-leave certificate depends on current medical-documentation rules and the licensed provider's authority.

Employees should confirm this with the clinic before relying on a telemedicine appointment for statutory documentation.

What information is normally on a sick leave certificate?

The official certificate contains information identifying the patient, healthcare provider and medically authorized leave period.

The exact format is established by Ministry of Health rules.

The document is designed to provide enough information for the employer and Social Insurance authority to process the sickness claim while remaining part of the formal healthcare documentation system.

Should you keep a copy of your medical certificate?

Yes.

Before giving original documentation to HR, it is useful to keep a photograph, scan or copy for your own records.

This can help if:

• The employer asks for clarification
• Social Insurance requests additional information
• The document is misplaced
• You need to establish the history of a long illness

What should you do if you become sick and cannot work?

A practical process is:

1. Notify your employer according to company policy.
2. Seek medical care if appropriate.
3. Tell the medical provider that you need documentation for sick leave and Social Insurance.
4. Confirm that the correct certificate or discharge document has been issued.
5. Check the dates before leaving the clinic or hospital.
6. Keep a copy.
7. Submit the required documentation to HR promptly.
8. Ask HR whether any additional company form is required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Sick leave and medical certificates in Vietnam are closely connected to the country's compulsory Social Insurance system. An employee who cannot work because of illness may qualify for sickness benefits, but valid medical documentation is essential.

For outpatient treatment, the key document is usually the Giấy chứng nhận nghỉ việc hưởng bảo hiểm xã hội, or Certificate of Leave for Social Insurance Benefits. Inpatient treatment is normally documented through hospital discharge records, medical-record summaries or other accepted evidence of hospitalization.

For ordinary sickness, eligible employees typically receive a benefit based on 75% of the salary used for Social Insurance contributions, with annual benefit periods commonly ranging from 30 to 60 working days depending on contribution history under normal working conditions. Different rules can apply to hazardous work and long-term illnesses.

Employees should notify their employer promptly, request the correct document from the healthcare provider and submit it to HR without unnecessary delay. Foreign employees should also confirm whether they participate in compulsory Social Insurance because their eligibility can depend on their employment and legal status.

Sources

1. Government of Vietnam - Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15
2. Vietnam Social Security - Sickness Benefits Under the 2024 Social Insurance Law
3. Government of Vietnam - Decree 158/2025/ND-CP on Compulsory Social Insurance