Ministry of Health issues guidelines on doctors' salary ranking from 2026

The Ministry of Health has issued guidance to standardize and properly apply the salary ranking for medical doctors, traditional medicine doctors, preventive medicine doctors, and pharmacists from 2026. On December 11, 2025, the National Assembly enacted Resolution No. 261/2025/QH15 on certain mechanisms and policies to create a breakthrough for protecting, caring for, and improving public health. This resolution takes effect from January 1, 2026. Clause 1, Article 3 of Resolution 261/2025/QH15 provides: “Doctors of medicine, traditional medicine doctors, dentists, preventive medicine doctors, and pharmacists are paid at grade 2 when recruited into the corresponding professional titles until there is a new salary regulation.” Clause 5, Article 9 of the same resolution provides: “From the date this resolution takes effect, doctors recruited and currently receiving grade-1 salaries shall be placed at grade 2.” To implement uniformly and in accordance with the regulations, the Ministry of Health instructs agencies to implement as follows: 1. For doctors of medicine, traditional medicine doctors, dentists, preventive medicine doctors, and pharmacists recruited after January 1, 2026: If apprenticeship regime is not implemented, the competent authority shall appoint the person to the Grade III professional title and place at salary grade 2; the date of entitlement to salary grade 2 shall be counted from the date of appointment and salary grade designation. 2. For those who have compulsory social insurance contributions before recruitment and who meet the condition to be placed at grade 2 or higher, continue to place salaries under the current regulations. 3. In cases requiring apprenticeship: Apprentices shall receive 85% of the Grade 2 salary of the Grade III professional title and be appointed to the Grade III title, with placement at Grade 2 after completing the apprenticeship period. 4. For doctors recruited before January 1, 2026: If they have been appointed to Grade III and are currently receiving Grade 1 salary, the competent authority shall implement the transfer to Grade 2 for the Grade III title under Clause 5, Article 9 of Resolution 261/2025/QH15. 5. The time to receive Grade 2 salary and the next salary-raising milestone shall be counted from January 1, 2026. 6. If currently under apprenticeship and receiving 85% of Grade 1: The agency shall continue the apprenticeship regime under current regulations; appointment to the Grade III title and placement at Grade 2 shall be implemented from the end of the apprenticeship period. From December 2027, four doctor titles must take professional practice competency assessments. From 16:10, 03/03/2026 Ministry of Health responds to the issue of raising starting salaries for doctors. The Ministry of Health will rotate and deploy doctors to commune-level health stations. Keywords: doctors y khoa, social insurance, Ministry of Health, salary grade 2, Resolution 261/2025/QH15