Business · Vietnam Bureau
Ho Chi Minh City builds integrated care system for ageing population
Ho Chi Minh City is developing a multi-tiered elderly care network to address mounting pressures on traditional family-based systems as Vietnam's population ages. The new approach aims to coordinate hospitals, grassroots health facilities, families and social institutions to meet rising demand for continuous elderly support.
LSN Vietnam ·
Vietnam's largest city is rolling out a comprehensive elderly care framework designed to tackle the complex health challenges facing its ageing demographic. According to Dr. Huynh Minh Chin, Deputy Director of the relevant department, the shift reflects a critical gap between growing elderly care needs and the capacity of families to provide support alone.
Multiple chronic illnesses, mobility impairments, malnutrition, dementia and depression are becoming increasingly prevalent among Vietnam's elderly population, creating demand for integrated, round-the-clock care services. The multi-tier network seeks to address these issues by strengthening coordination across hospitals, primary health centres at grassroots level, family caregivers and social welfare institutions.
The initiative comes as Vietnam faces demographic pressures common to rapidly developing Asian economies, with longer life expectancies and smaller family sizes straining traditional support structures. Authorities across the country are recognizing the need for systemic responses, with other cities launching similar elderly care initiatives and the government planning to provide free annual health check-ups to seniors starting in 2026.
Ho Chi Minh City's approach reflects broader efforts to transform elderly care from a primarily family responsibility into a coordinated public health challenge requiring sustained institutional investment and inter-agency cooperation.