National Report “Vietnam: An Aging Society” Released

The latest research conducted by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, Justus Liebig Giessen University, Germany, with funding from the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the cooperation of a group of experts from various agencies in Vietnam, has confirmed that the global demographic shift has reached Vietnam and our country is facing a new challenge - population aging. Currently, Vietnam has about 11.4 million people over 60 years old (approximately 12% of the population). The aging index increased from 36% in 2009 to nearly 49% in 2019. With such a rapid rate of population aging, from 2026, the proportion of people over 65 years old will account for more than 10% and Vietnam will also end the golden population structure that has existed since 2007, entering a period of worrying aging population. This study calls on stakeholders to adopt new approaches and integrate ageing issues into broader issues of social development.

Front cover of the Country Report "Vietnam: An Aging Society"

With the aim of creating a quality, reliable source of information for a wide range of readers, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, with funding from the Hanns Seidel Foundation, has launched the project of publishing the Annual Country Report on Vietnam. The project will provide in-depth comments and updated independent information on political, economic and social issues that attract much attention in modern Vietnamese society.

The Country Report – "Vietnam: An Aging Society" includes 9 articles, presented in Vietnamese and English, with the following topics:Social policy for an aging population in Vietnam, Demographic change in Vietnam, Elderly people and pensions in Vietnam, Aging and health, Overview of social care in Vietnam, The role of social organizations in implementing social security policies for the elderly in Vietnam, Changing image of the elderly in Vietnam, Ethnic minorities and social policy in Vietnam, Population policy in transition and a section providing general information, publications and related eventsThe articles in the Report are written by leading experts in the fields of sociology, anthropology, gender and family.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (Vice Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities) delivered the opening speech.

Speaking at the Report Announcement Seminar, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) stated that although it was conducted in just 4 months, the “National Report – Vietnam: An Aging Society” is a quality source of information for many different audiences, from policy makers to representatives of international organizations, managers, and researchers. The report was conducted by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, one of the leading units in research on Social Sciences and Humanities, with the participation of leading scientists from units within the university (Faculty of Sociology, Faculty of International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Faculty of Anthropology) and outside the university (Vietnam Institute of Sociology, Institute of Gender and Family Studies, Institute of Ethnology, Ministry of Education and Training).

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong hopes that the cooperation project between the University and Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam will not only expand the understanding of the topic of population aging in the community, but also provide valuable arguments for the policy-making process, advocating policy recommendations for sustainable development in Vietnam in the future. The University also wishes to continue to cooperate with Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam as well as German organizations in conducting research on social policy issues in Vietnam.

Mr. Michael Siegner (Chief Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Vietnam))Opening remarks

On behalf of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Vietnam, Mr. Michael Siegner (Chief Representative) shared that advances in health, society and economy have led to increased life expectancy and decreased fertility, shifting the population distribution towards aging worldwide. Vietnam is no exception, in fact, our country has the highest aging rate in Southeast Asia. For Vietnam - an emerging economy, this process has its own meaning and impacts. This is really a big question that needs to be concerned and paid attention to by relevant parties.

Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Former Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) presented a summary of the National Report "Vietnam: An Aging Society"

Next, Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh presented a summary of the main research results in the National Report "Vietnam: An Aging Society". The report pointed out three main problems that Vietnam is facing: the demographic shift in Vietnam is happening faster than in other countries, causing the golden population structure in Vietnam to develop strongly before the population aging has occurred; Vietnamese people "are not rich yet but old", and at the same time, they do not have pensions, have limited financial resources to prepare for the future when they are old; the level of response of support services for the elderly such as nursing homes is still quite limited, and not all elderly people have access to social care services.

The report makes a number of recommendations to address the problem: effectively exploiting the golden population structure; firmly maintaining the replacement fertility rate; adapting to population aging, distributing the population reasonably and improving population quality; implementing a national social policy from "emergency assistance" to helping people so that they can "help themselves" and "protect themselves from risks"; testing and developing new models, coordinating efforts between social organizations, families and market institutions to better serve the needs of the elderly in the new context.

During the discussion, experts and sociologists from universities and research institutes gave comments and contributions to the main contents of the Report, and discussed in depth the issue of population aging in Vietnam, health care for the elderly, gender issues in an aging society, and lessons learned from other countries in the world.