Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has called for a genuine shift across the political system and society, from simply caring for older persons to treating them as a driver of rapid, sustainable economic development.
Chairing a conference of the National Committee on Aging in Hanoi on August 17, Tra, who is also its Chairwoman, said the Party and State pay special attention to elderly affairs. At the same time, awareness across the entire political system and society has become increasingly clear, comprehensive and positive.
She assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to lead a comprehensive communications campaign on elderly affairs.
The Ministry of Health was asked to urgently finalise a review of the Law on Older Persons and propose an appropriate roadmap for amendments. Policies and legal documents should be screened to ensure that gender equality and issues related to older persons are embedded in lawmaking.
Tra also called for a building a sustainable “silver economy” ecosystem to support national growth. Relevant ministries and agencies are to partner with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Policy and Strategy to develop a system of projects for the silver economy.
On data and digitalisation, she directed the Ministry of Public Security to work with the Vietnam Association of the Elderly to accelerate digital transformation and complete a national database on older persons. The database must be integrated with relevant digital platforms and sectoral databases, especially in health.
The Vietnam Association of the Elderly was told to consolidate its organisational structure and staffing at all levels and prepare thoroughly for its seventh National Congress for 2026-2031.
On the diplomatic front, she asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urgently finalise proposals for international cooperation on older persons for early Government approval and engage in negotiations on an international convention on the rights of older persons. The ministry must also proactively prepare initiatives for the 2027 Asia-Pacific Economic Leaders’ Week side event on the silver economy, while strengthening research on global trends to inform policymaking.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong reported that Vietnam now has nearly 16.5 million older persons, including more than 7 million men, accounting for 42.78%, and over 9.4 million women, or 57.22%.
During the first seven months of 2026, the social security network for older people continued to expand. More than 3.53 million receive monthly social insurance benefits, including about 2.35 million pensioners and 530,000 people aged 60 and older securing monthly social insurance allowances. More than 1.2 million receive preferential allowances for meritorious service, while nearly 2.5 million receive social retirement benefits.
Healthcare coverage has also improved, with nearly 15.7 million older people holding health insurance cards. Medical records and initial health monitoring cover 80% of older persons, and more than 69% have received at least one annual check-up.
The geriatric healthcare network keeps expanding, with seven specialised geriatric hospitals and about 155 central-and provincial-level hospitals running geriatric departments. The national population database now connects with the insurance database, allowing all medical facilities to provide insurance-covered services using chip-based ID cards or electronic identification accounts on VNeID and VssID.
Nationwide, nearly 80,000 cultural, arts, sports and physical activity clubs are operating, attracting more than 3 million elderly. The intergenerational self-help club model continues to show humanitarian value and practical impact./.
