Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam, which is experiencing a period ofpopulation aging, is seeking ways to turn the situation into opportunities byoptimising the strengths of senior citizens.

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam is oneof the countries with the fastest population aging pace in the world. Many experts heldthat the situation is affecting the majority of areas of the social life.

Data from the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam officially enteredthe population aging period in 2011 when the ratio of senior citizens fromthe age of 65 and above was 7%.

Dr. Pham Vu Hoang, Vice Director of the General Office forPopulation and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, said that inVietnam, the population aging is happening much faster than population growth. The population aging is accompanied by an increased need to continue working, butit has yet to be associated with improving the health of the elderly, he said.

Hoang held that challenges from the population aging in Vietnamincludes the reduction in productivity and economic growth, the ensuring ofincome for the elderly and social inequality.

The population aging means an increase in the demand for healthcare services, putting great pressure on the nation's medical and public health care systems, he said, noting that the average cost of health care services foran elderly person is 7-8 times higher than the average cost for a young person.

Therefore, he underlined that policy makers should consider tasks,solutions and conditions to adapt to the aging population, preparing for anaging society in terms of policy, law, physical, technical and mindset aspects.

It is necessary to consider the elderly as a population groupthat plays an important role and contributes to the country's socio-economicdevelopment, and as a support for the young generation, he said.

Experts held that in the time to come, the country shouldoptimise opportunities from the population aging, as it is not only happening inVietnam but the whole world. It is crucial to place challenges from the issuein the same position as opportunities it brings, they said.

At the same time, they pointed to the need to ensure incomefor the elderly by creating suitable jobs for them, while building a strongpension fund.

For a developing country like Vietnam where a large numberof labourers are working in the informal sector, it is necessary to focus on expandingthe coverage of social security and pension support among the elderly,ensuring that senior citizens access basic social and healthcare services.

Alongside, the country should complete its health caresystem and build a friendly living environment for the elderly, while increasing training for medical staff in caring for them, and calling forthe engagement of the private sector in providing medical and cultural servicesfor the elderly, they said.

Population experts said that the aging population will also bringnew opportunities by forming new markets.

They also stressed the need for Vietnam to firmly maintain a replacementfertility rate to ensure balance among groups of ages, stabilising workforceand slowing down the transition from the population aging period to oldpopulation stage, thus making more time to develop social security and healthcare services for the elderly./.