Viet Nam prepares for an aged society with focus on decent work and social protection

Viet Nam has adopted a five-year plan to prepare for its ageing population, drawing on international expertise and cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), according to a press release by the ILO. Set out in a decision taken by the Vietnamese Prime Minister on 3 September, the plan covers 2026 to 2031 and was announced as the country marked the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October 2026. It looks to the ILO for support on labour market policies, longer working lives, reskilling, age-inclusive workplaces, lifelong learning, and the protection of older workers.

The Prime Minister’s decision aims to help the country adapt to population ageing, ease pressure on social security and labour supply, and gradually build a care economy suited to Viet Nam’s conditions. It builds on a national strategy on older persons approved in February 2025, which considers older citizens as a key economic and social factor. The strategy targets having at least half of older people who want to work and are able to do so in jobs by 2030. The Law on Population (No. 113/2025/QH15), adopted by the National Assembly on 10 December 2025 and in force since 1 July 2026, commits the State to support older people in work, employment, and social security.

The scheme responds to a shift already visible in the country’s labour market. According to the National Statistics Office (2025), more than one in five Vietnamese will be over 60 within a decade, marking the official transition into an aged society. Approximately 2.6 million people aged 65 and above were still working in 2024, according to the National Statistics Office. This makes it essential to ensure the quality of their jobs, decent working conditions, and adequate social protection.

“The ILO has worked side by side with the Government of Viet Nam for decades, and we welcome this decision as an important step in preparing for an aged society,” said Sinwon Park, Director of the ILO Country Office for Viet Nam. “As people live and work longer, the priority must be to ensure that older workers have access to decent jobs, opportunities to update their skills, and adequate social protection.”

Park added that the ILO stands ready to bring its experience in these areas to support Viet Nam as it puts the new scheme into practice. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, global economic integration, and the shift to a greener economy are changing what jobs require. Older workers need access to lifelong learning and to employers who recruit, train, and retain them.

Extending pension and social insurance coverage, and ensuring that systems remain adequate and sustainable, is essential to providing income security in older age. Older people also have a part to play in the emerging care economy, where their experience can make them peer supporters and community-based service providers for other older people. They can serve in these roles alongside being beneficiaries of care themselves. For this model to work, care jobs need to be decent, with proper training and social protection. The ILO will continue to accompany Viet Nam in implementing the plan over the coming years.