Retirement comes with a hospital bed for many Vietnamese seniors

Editorial note: The draft political report by the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam highlights improvements in average life expectancy and public health. By 2025, life expectancy at birth is projected to reach 74.8 years, with approximately 67 years of healthy living. However, the report also points to persistent shortcomings in medical services – particularly in grassroots and preventive healthcare.

Vietnam is undergoing a rapid demographic transition into an aging society. Amid this shift, a lack of elderly-focused medical infrastructure, equipment, and personnel poses significant challenges.

VietNamNet presents a series on the critical shortage of medical facilities and human resources for elder care. These stories aim to spotlight the needs of the elderly and the systemic gaps in healthcare, while proposing urgent solutions for a more comprehensive elder care system.

Multiple conditions, mounting costs

L.T.H., a 65-year-old from Ha Tinh, has been a familiar patient of Dr. Ha Thi Van Anh, Head of the Outpatient Department at the National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi, for many years.

He first came in with hypertension seven years ago. Later, he was diagnosed with diabetes and lipid metabolism disorders. As the years went by, his health worsened, and he now suffers from five chronic conditions.

“I had just received my retirement book and didn’t even get a day to rest before being hospitalized,” he said. Initially, he could attend appointments and stay in the hospital on his own. But now, his children have to hire help to take care of him around the clock.

Cases like Mr. H.’s are common at the National Geriatric Hospital, especially since Vietnam officially entered its aging population phase in 2011. As the number of elderly increases, so does demand for treatment of age-related diseases. The hospital has been forced to continually expand its outpatient facilities.

Each doctor in the Outpatient Department sees around 50 patients per day, operating across 12 consultation tables. Departments like cardiology and endocrinology (diabetes care) are the busiest, with up to 150-200 patients seen daily. In total, the department handles about 500 consultations per day.

A recent study by Dr. Van Anh assessed common illnesses in older adults. “It’s rare for an elderly patient to come in with just one condition,” she noted. “Most have three to five, and some as many as eight or nine.”

The burden of aging

According to the Ministry of Health, life expectancy in Vietnam reached 74.7 years in 2024, the highest on record. However, the number of healthy years lived averages just 65.4 years.

Dr. Truong Hong Son, Secretary General of the Vietnam Medical Association, noted that people aged 64 and above in Vietnam often suffer from multiple chronic illnesses, particularly non-communicable diseases. This means that although people live longer, they also live longer with illness – on average, about 10 years.

Dr. Van Anh explained that as the body ages, its organs and functions deteriorate, making the elderly more vulnerable to environmental stressors and chronic conditions. Geriatric syndromes such as incontinence, cognitive decline, and dementia are increasingly common.

The most prevalent illnesses among older Vietnamese include hypertension, osteoarthritis, and blurred vision due to cataracts. Conditions like diabetes, blood lipid disorders, depression, and cognitive impairment are rising sharply but remain underdiagnosed. Many older people assume symptoms like forgetfulness or sleep disturbances are just natural signs of aging.

Although they make up just over 14% of the population, the elderly account for more than 50% of annual healthcare expenditures. Treatment costs for older patients are nearly ten times higher than those for younger individuals.

According to Dr. Van Anh, these high costs stem not only from direct medical expenses (consultations, treatments, medications) but also indirect costs such as travel, lodging for caretakers, and the use of specialized medical equipment and rehabilitation tools.

Older patients often have multiple coexisting conditions and require a comprehensive geriatric assessment to receive accurate and complete diagnoses. This necessitates advanced diagnostic testing, increasing the cost of care.

Additionally, the elderly must often take multiple medications and undergo frequent monitoring, including laboratory tests, imaging, and other evaluations to track disease progression. For inpatients, slower recovery times compared to younger individuals further add to the financial burden.

The demographic storm

Matt Jackson, Country Representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam, warned that the country’s population is aging faster than most other countries. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan confirmed that Vietnam has one of the fastest aging rates in Asia.

In 2024, Vietnam had approximately 14.2 million people aged 60 and over – an increase of 2.8 million from 2019 and 4.7 million from 2014. By 2030, the number is projected to reach nearly 18 million, exceeding earlier forecasts of 17.2 million. Currently, nearly 2 million people in the country are over 80.

Vietnam is expected to officially become an aging nation by 2036, when one in every five citizens will be aged 60 or older.

According to Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Department of Population at the Ministry of Health, in 2009, there was one person over 60 for every 11 citizens. By 2029, the ratio will be one in six, and between 2036 and 2038, one in five.

The aging index – calculated as the number of people aged 60 and above per 100 children under 15 – is also rising sharply. It was 53.1% in 2021 and rose to 60.2% in 2024. It is projected to surpass 100% by 2032, marking the point when older adults will outnumber children.

Currently, the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta are the two regions with the highest aging indexes at 76.8% and 70.6% respectively.

UNFPA forecasts that Vietnam will become an aged society by 2036 and a “super-aged society” by 2049.

Developing a comprehensive healthcare system for older adults has become an urgent national priority. Resolution 72 of the Politburo sets a goal of raising the average life expectancy to over 80 by 2045, with at least 71 of those years being healthy. Turning that vision into reality will require decisive and immediate action.

Vo Thu