What is the retirement policy in Vietnam?

So, you want to know about retirement in Vietnam? Oh boy, where do I even begin? It’s a whole mess, honestly. It’s not like here in [Your Country], where it’s relatively straightforward. (Well, relatively…my uncle fought with his pension for years!). In Vietnam, it’s…well, it’s a slow, agonizing crawl towards retirement, that’s for sure.

They keep raising the retirement age, a little bit each year, you know? Like, a tiny, almost imperceptible increase, but it adds up. My aunt, she worked her fingers to the bone at that textile factory for forty years – forty years! – and now they’re saying she needs to work even longer. It’s heartbreaking! Seriously, isn’t that just cruel? After dedicating so much of their lives to building the country, they deserve a break, some peace and quiet, not more years of back-breaking labor.

I read somewhere – I think it was a news article, maybe the VN Express? – that they’re trying to align it with other countries in the region, something about increasing life expectancy and all that. But I still don’t think it’s fair. It feels like they’re just squeezing more and more out of people who are already tired, already worn down. I mean, my neighbor’s husband, he’s a teacher, and he’s practically falling apart, yet they expect him to keep teaching for another two years. Two more years! It’s insane! It’s just not right. They deserve to spend time with their grandkids, not stressing over another lesson plan. It makes me so angry, honestly. It feels like a slow, unfair punishment.