Leaving Vietnam Soon? Why You Might Be Leaving $5,000 to $30,000 Behind

Leaving Vietnam soon?

Check your payslip. You might be leaving $5,000 to $30,000 behind at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai airport.

Most foreign professionals I talk to treat their monthly Vietnam Social Insurance (BHXH) deduction as a sunk cost. A local tax you pay and never see again.

That is completely wrong.

Under Vietnamese labour law, foreign employees working under local contracts are entitled to a full lump-sum withdrawal (BHXH 1 lần) once their employment ends and they leave Vietnam.

How much are we talking about?

Roughly 2 months of your average insured salary for every year you worked in Vietnam since 2014.

If you have spent 2 to 5 years here in a director, tech lead, or executive role, that payout routinely lands between $5,000 and $25,000+.

It is your money. Legally earned. Sitting in a Vietnamese treasury account.

Yet over 60% of expats never claim it.

Why?

• The language barrier: The official forms and legal procedures are 100% in Vietnamese.
• The HR deadlock: Internal HR teams help you exit the company, but rarely handle personal government claims after you resign.
• The queueing myth: People assume you have to personally stand in line at a district social office.

You do not.

Through an official Power of Attorney (PoA) notarised before you leave or authenticated at an overseas embassy, a licensed proxy can process the entire file on your behalf. You board your flight home, and the money gets transferred to your bank account.

Do not donate thousands of dollars to administrative friction.

Leaving Vietnam in 2026, or already back in Seoul, London, Tokyo, or New York with an unresolved book?

Send me a direct message with your employment dates or visit dichvubhxh.vn/en. My team will audit your file and calculate your exact refund figure in 5 minutes.