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| A health festival for middle-aged and elderly people held in Hanoi on March 21, 2026__Photo: VNA |
A rapidly ageing population
Vietnam is undergoing a demographic transition that will reshape its economy, labour market, healthcare system and family life over the coming decades.
According to official statistics, the country had approximately 14.2 million people aged 60 and over in 2024. The figure is estimated to rise to 20.9 million in 2034, 27.5 million in 2044 and 38.5 million in 2074.
The population aged 80 and over, the group most likely to require specialised medical treatment, daily assistance and long-term social care, is expected to grow particularly rapidly. Its size is forecast to increase from around two million in 2024 to 3.3 million in 2034 and expand nearly eightfold over the 50-year projection period.
Vietnam is expected to become an aged society in 2034, when people aged 65 and over account for around 14 per cent of the population. From 2050, it is projected to become a super-aged society, with this age group making up more than 21 per cent.
The challenge lies not only in the rising number of older people but also in the quality of their later years.
Average life expectancy in Vietnam has exceeded 74 years, yet healthy life expectancy has not risen at the same pace. According to geriatric studies, Vietnamese people aged over 60 have an average of three to four chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia.
This gap between living longer and living healthier is likely to place mounting pressure on healthcare and long-term care services.
Some localities have begun preparing their healthcare and community-care systems for a rapidly growing older population.
Ho Chi Minh City, for example, has developed a scheme to expand its network of care facilities for older people through 2030 as rising life expectancy drives greater demand for long-term care.
According to Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the scheme aims to establish more than 30 care facilities under public, private and public-private partnership models. It also envisages a network of 168 community care facilities in wards and communes.
The scheme is expected to provide a long-term framework for mobilising social resources, strengthening inter-agency coordination and developing a more comprehensive and sustainable care system. Its objectives are to improve older people’s quality of life and ease pressure on the city’s healthcare facilities.
The city currently has 12 hospitals with geriatric departments, while all healthcare facilities have designated priority areas for people aged 80 and over.
Community-based support is also being expanded through 102 “Older People Helping Older People” clubs and 102 volunteer teams, which provide assistance to more than 4,000 disadvantaged older residents.
Ho Chi Minh City’s approach illustrates the importance of establishing a multi-tier system combining hospital treatment, residential facilities, home-based support and community care.
However, preparing for population ageing goes far beyond expanding geriatric departments or care facilities. The demographic transition will also affect employment, pension, insurance, housing, transport, technology, consumer demand and the organisation of cities and communities.
Older people should therefore be viewed not only as beneficiaries of healthcare and social assistance, but also as active consumers, workers, business owners and holders of valuable knowledge and experience.
Population ageing is consequently not merely a healthcare and welfare challenge. It also presents an opportunity to develop new markets, new services and new forms of employment through the emerging silver economy.
Turning population ageing into a growth opportunity
The European Union broadly defines the silver economy as all economic activities serving people aged over 50, covering sectors such as healthcare, housing, finance, technology and tourism.
The concept also encompasses policies and business models that enable older people to remain economically active, share their knowledge and continue contributing to their families and communities.
Many older people remain willing and able to work, run businesses, care for family members and pass on their professional knowledge and experience. With suitable policies, longer lives could become a source of productivity and social value rather than simply additional public expenditure.
Vietnam has begun to incorporate this perspective into national policymaking.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, one of its priorities in the third quarter of 2026 is to design labour and employment policies in response to rapid population ageing. In particular, the ministry plans to formulate a silver economy scheme aimed at turning the challenges of an ageing population into a new driver of growth.
The task stems from Government Resolution 109/NQ-CP adopted on April 16, 2026, which updated and supplemented the Government’s Action Programme for implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and the Party Central Committee’s Conclusion 18-KL/TW.
The scheme is intended to promote a shift from viewing older people as a social security burden to recognising them as a valuable resource whose potential should be harnessed while ensuring that they receive appropriate care.
To devise the scheme, the Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate with other ministries and agencies to review existing policies concerning silver economy development and propose solutions through 2030, with a vision towards 2045.
The review will examine the scale, structure and pace of population ageing; older people’s participation in the labour market; healthcare and care services; finance and insurance; social security; culture, tourism and sports; access to information technology; and supporting infrastructure.
Agencies are also expected to identify shortcomings and propose new or revised measures concerning finance, investment, enterprise development, employment, healthcare, education, technology and infrastructure.
Against this policy backdrop, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vo Huu Phuoc, head of the Faculty of Socio-Economics and Environment at the Academy of Politics Region II, has proposed four priorities for developing the silver economy.
First, businesses should be encouraged to provide services for older people, including home-based care, rehabilitation and residential care facilities.
Second, Vietnam should develop a long-term care insurance system, as demand for such coverage is expected to rise significantly over the next 10 to 20 years.
Third, cities should become more age-friendly through improvements in public transport, green spaces, healthcare infrastructure and community services.
Fourth, people beyond retirement age should be given more opportunities to remain economically active through flexible working arrangements suited to their health, skills and experience.
Taken together, these proposals indicate that developing the silver economy will require more than expanding elderly care. It will also depend on insurance mechanisms, age-friendly infrastructure, appropriate employment policies and new services that respond to the changing needs of an ageing population.
At the same time, the silver economy should not be treated merely as a commercial opportunity. Many older people have low incomes or inadequate pensions or are still dependent on their families. Private care facilities, specialised healthcare and assistive technology may remain beyond their reach. The State will therefore need to establish quality standards, protect older consumers and ensure that essential healthcare and care services are affordable.
Policy responses are also extending beyond economic development to individual preparedness. While the Ministry of Home Affairs’ proposed scheme focuses on adapting the economy, labour market and services, the Ministry of Health is addressing the same demographic transition through healthy ageing and early planning.
The Ministry of Health is now consulting on a draft circular guiding the implementation of several components of the National Target Programme on Healthcare, Population and Development for the 2026-35 period, with the first phase running from 2026 to 2030.
Under the draft, guidance materials would be developed for people aged 40 and over, covering healthy lifestyles, physical exercise, home-based care for older people, financial planning and suitable employment before retirement.
The Ministry of Health also proposes similar guidance for all people under 60, encouraging earlier preparation for an active, independent and financially secure old age.
Together, the two initiatives point to a broader approach to population ageing. Individuals need to prepare earlier for longer lives, while the State and society must create economic, social and healthcare conditions that allow them to age with security and dignity.
Whether Vietnam can turn rapid population ageing into an opportunity for inclusive development depends on how effectively these plans are translated into accessible services, sustainable markets and practical support for people throughout their lives.- (VLLF)
