Expanding social security coverage for platform workers: Lessons from foreign law and implications for Vietnam

In the context of digital transformation and the rapid development of the platform economy, workers operating outside the formal labor sector, such as app-based drivers, are not yet fully protected by social security, creating legal gaps and practical risks. Using comparative legal methods and drawing on international experience in relation to Vietnam, this study analyzes proposals for establishing a specific social security mechanism based on a hybrid contribution model and representative organizations for platform workers. From a theoretical and practical perspective, the study proposes reforms to social security law aimed at ensuring fairness, inclusiveness, and adaptability to changes in the labor market within the digital economy.