The first activity under this new program was a learning seminar in Hanoi where 40 government officials from various line ministries, including Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Vietnam National Committee on Aging participated to gain a better understanding of the nature of the issues and challenges of eldercare the country is facing.
World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, Ousmane Dione, said rapid population aging in Vietnam will have significant economic, social and fiscal implications. He urged Vietnam to start preparing for an ageing society now by developing a comprehensive and financially sustainable health and social care service system that can provide the elderly with the care they need. Based on current demographic trends, Vietnam’s elderly population will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total population – the threshold for a country’s population to be considered aged – in about 17 years. Vietnam is projected to become an aged society around 2035.