Ho Chi Minh City to Audit 6,787 Transport Firms
Ho Chi Minh City is moving to close a widening compliance gap in its transport sector, with the municipal Social Insurance agency proposing a systematic review of all 6,787 licensed transport businesses to verify mandatory insurance coverage for drivers and vehicle service staff.
Review Proposal Targets 324,000 Vehicles
Nguyen Quoc Thanh, deputy director of the agency, outlined the plan during a working session with a Federation of Labor monitoring delegation on Tuesday. The sector’s scale, 324,473 permitted vehicles across cooperatives, companies, and individual operators, has raised concerns about evasion and unpaid contributions, prompting calls for stricter oversight.
The agency has asked the city’s Federation of Labor to recommend that the City People’s Committee direct the Department of Construction to participate in the review. This would involve examining labor contracts and confirming whether social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance contributions are being paid for eligible workers.
Particular scrutiny is expected for the use of cooperation contracts, service contracts, or other arrangements that obscure the employment relationship and allow operators to sidestep contribution obligations. Such practices have become a persistent challenge in the tightly packed transport industry.
Nearly 8.4% Revenue Gap from Delays
As of September 30, delayed contributions across the three insurance schemes totaled nearly VN$13.6 trillion, representing more than 8.4% of Vietnam Social Insurance’s revenue target. Some 158,273 units were behind on payments, making debt recovery a top priority for the agency.
Data reported by Lao Dong shows 100 businesses in the city have been late in paying for six months or more, collectively owing more than VN$892 billion for nearly 13,500 employees. These cases are likely to face heightened scrutiny under the proposed review framework.
Under Vietnam’s Law on Social Insurance, effective July 1, 2025, under-declaring the wage used as a contribution base or continuing non-payment after a reminder attracts fines of 18% to 20% of the evaded amount, capped at VN$75 million. Repeat violations may be referred to criminal authorities under Decree 283/2026/ND-CP, issued July 15 and effective September 10.
Amid the push for compliance, not all operators are falling short. A representative of a transport company based in eastern Ho Chi Minh City confirmed that all its drivers sign contracts and enroll in social and health insurance before starting work. “For drivers working at the company, full compliance with regulations is mandatory,” the representative said.
