VSS ends paper health cards as digital IDs go live in June

The VSS has developed a nationally integrated and centralised IT infrastructure.

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) will stop issuing paper health insurance (HI) cards beginning 1 June.

Citizens will instead use digital identification methods such as the VssID – Digital Social Insurance app, the VNeID app, or chip-based Citizen ID (CIC) cards for medical services under the HI scheme.

The VSS has developed a nationally integrated and centralised IT infrastructure that supports automated business processes and aligns with the e-Government roadmap.

As of early 2025, 95.52 million people, or 94.2% of Vietnam’s population, are covered by health insurance. 

With such near-universal coverage, VSS said the shift to digital HI cards will streamline procedures, improve management efficiency, and reduce costs for both healthcare providers and the social insurance system.

VSS has linked the National Population Database with the National Insurance Database, verifying over 100.2 million citizen records. 

Of these, around 90.9 million individuals are enrolled in social insurance, health insurance, or unemployment insurance schemes, representing 99.2% of total participants, excluding armed forces and their dependents.

Healthcare facilities across Vietnam already accept CICs for HI services, with more than 214 million successful lookups of HI card data conducted via personal ID numbers or CICs. 

This has cut processing time for HI verification at medical facilities to between 6 and 15 seconds. 

Users can also access their HI information through the VssID and VNeID apps, eliminating the need to carry physical cards.

VSS is also working with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, and other agencies to pilot digital health record systems. 

So far, 314.1 million data entries have been submitted by healthcare facilities to the VSS, with 152.1 million linked to referral letters, follow-up appointments, and the National Population Database for VNeID integration. 

Additional submissions include over 6.25 million driver’s health certificates from 1,363 facilities, 2.36 million birth certificates from 1,951 facilities, and 31,024 death notices from 796 facilities.

Under the amended Law on Health Insurance, use of digital HI cards will be mandatory for medical services starting June 2025. The cards will feature biometric authentication and encrypted data to prevent misuse and ensure data security.

VSS plans to continue collaborating with healthcare providers to promote the use of digital HI cards via the VssID app, VNeID app, and CICs in order to support efficient access to medical services and enhance the administration of health insurance across the country.