Population ageing opportunities and challenges of population ageing for sustainable evelopment in vietnam

Vietnamnowisattackedbythe“silvertide”inthesituationwhenitseconomyisu nder-developedanditspercapitalGDPisextremelylow,andmeanwhile,itstotalpopula tionisswelling,so,withoutdoubt,quitealoto

PoliciesandSustainableEconomicDevelo

Population Ageing:

OpportunitiesandChallengesofPopulationA geingforSustainableDevelopmentinVietna

m

NGUYENTHITHUHA

TheUniversityofDanang,

UniversityofEconomics-nguyenthithuhaktdn@gmail.com

Abstract

Populationageingisaglobalissue,whichisobservedeverywhereandaffectingallnati onsandcountriesworldwide.InVietnam,ageinghasbecomeatypicalsigninthe21 st cent ury

witharapidincreasingnumberandproportiono f elderlyp e o p l e intheoverallpopul ation,andiso n e kindo f inevitabletrendwithbothopportunitiesandchallenges.Thekeyi showtoseizetheopportunities,meetthechallenges,respondtoageingo f population,a ndpromotesustainabledevelopment.Inotherwords,majortaskofcountriesisnottoobst ructo r putoffthishistoricalprogress,buttofaceuptotherealityofageingofpopulation ,toactivelyexplorestrategiesandcountermeasuresofageingofpopulationthatadapttor equirementsofsustainabledevelopment,tomaximizethebenefitsofageingofpopulati onandtominimizetheinfluences.Themainaimsofthispaperistodescribethecharacteri sticsofpopulationageinginVietnam,toprovideareviewofopportunitiesandchallenges

o f populationageingthatposetosustainabledevelopment,andthentobringforwardcou ntermeasuresfromfourimportantaspects:populationpolicy,retirementpensionsyste m,developinghumanresourcesoftheold,andacceleratingsocietyeconomydevelopm entinordertorespondtoageingofpopulationas wellas torealizesustainabledevelopmentinVietnam.

Keywords:challenge; opportunity;populationageing;suggestion;

sustainabledevelopment;Vietnam

1 Introduction

Inrecentyears,populationageinghasbeenrecognizedasanemergingsocialc hallengeinmanypartsoftheworld.Someclearevidencesofpopulationageingar eobserved,forexample,theshareo f theaged60+populationintheworldincreas edfrom8%in1950to12%in2014,anditispredictedtobe21%by2050(UnitedNatio ns,2009).Theworldlifeexpectancyalsoincreasedfrom47yearsi n 1950to70ye arsin2014,andafurtherincreaseto75yearsisexpectedby2050(UnitedNations, 2014a).However,onlyafewdecadesago,themajorconcernregardingworldde mographywasitsr a p i d growthandi n o n e hand,i n c r e a s i n g pressureo n su stainablee c o n o m i c growthduetothepossibleshrinkageofthelaborf o r c e and socialsecuritysystemstos u pp or t theelderly,suchaspensionplans,healthcare

schemesandlong-termcareinsurance(MacKellar,2000).Ontheotherhand,populationageingals obringsopportunities,forinstance,apositiveeconomicoutlookoftheemerging“ silvermarket”,adeepknowledgeoftheelder (Kohlbacher& Cornelius,2008) Withtheincreaseoflife expectancy andthe actualsize oftheolderpopulationdefininganera

ofageingsociety,inwhichtheincreasingproportionofolderpopulationwillconti nueinthecomingdecades,thek e y emergingquestionsarewhatkindso f challen gesandopportunitiesshouldw e expect?

Giventheexpectedimpactsofpopulationageinginthecomingdecades,thispap eraimstodescribecharacteristicsofpopulationageinginVietnam,toprovideare viewofopportunitiesandchallengeso f populationageingthatposetosustainabl edevelopment,a n d thenbringforwardcountermeasuresfromfourimportantas pects:populationpolicy,retirementpensionsystem,developinghumanr e s o u r

c e s o f theo l d anda c c e l e r a t i n g socialande c o n o m i c developmenttor e s

p o n d toageingofpopulationaswellastorealizesustainabledevelopmentinViet nam

2 ThecharacteristicsofpopulationageinginVietnam

Comparedwiththeprocessofageingofpopulationindevelopedcountries,agei ngofpopulationi n Vietnamhasitsobviouscharacteristicsasfollows

2.1 Conversionof ageingisfastandthe

scaleofpopulationoftheelderlyishuge.

TheannualpopulationsurveybyGeneralStatisticsOffice(2011)showedthatVie tnamhasenteredthe so-called“ageingphase” since 2011.Theincreasingrate ofageingpopulationinVietnamisveryfastandw i l l potentiallybehigherthanthat

i n developedcountries.Morespecifically,W e s t e r n countriestookahundredye

arstocompletethedemographictransition,ThailandandJapan-thetwocountrieshavingbeenconsideredasthefastestageingintheregiontook2 2yearsand26yearsrespectivelytotransitfroman“ageing”toan“aged”phase, whileVietnamonlyspent20yearstofi n i s h (Thanakwang& Soonthorndhad a,2007;UNFPA, 2011).In addition,accordingtoVietnamGeneralStatisticsOffic e(2011),theproportionoftheelderlyattheageof60-plusinVietnamwas

8.69%in2009,increasesrapidlyto11.78%in2019andisestimatedto26.10%in 2049thatism u c h higherthantheworldageingfigure(21%in2050)[10]

PoliciesandSustainableEconomicDevelo

2.2 Ageingofpopulationisaheadofeconomicdevelopment.

AccordingtotheVietnamGeneralStatisticsOffice’sannualreport,GDPperca pitainVietnami n c r e a s e d to2.109USDin2015,butthiscountryisalsoad evelpingcountrywithalowaveragei n c o m e thatisjustequalto

GDPpercapitaofMalaysiain1988, ofThailandin1993,of Indonesiain2008,ofPhilippinesin2010andKoreain1982.Moreover,although GDPpercapitalinVietnami n c r e a s e d to2109USDin2015,itismuchlowert hantheaverageincomelevelperpersonintheworld(10000USD)

(AnNgoc,2015)

Vietnamnowisattackedbythe“silvertide”inthesituationwhenitseconomyisu

nder-developedanditspercapitalGDPisextremelylow,andmeanwhile,itstotalpopula tionisswelling,so,withoutdoubt,quitealotofperplexitiesareencounteredinsoci alandeconomicdevelopmentoffosteringofageingpopulation,whichposeshugec hallengestosustainabledevelopmentinthefuture

2.3 Increasedrateofseniorsi n the70

-79 agegroupandin theoldestgroup(80+)arefaster,butlowertha

n thatofelderlypeopleinthelowest(60-69) age group.

AccordingtoVietnamGeneralStatisticsOffice (2011),therateofelderlypeop leattheageof65andabovewillincreaseremarkablyfrom6.43%in2009to6.49%i n2019and19.06%ofthetotalpopulationin2049,inwhich,theproportionoftheol destpeopleattheageabove80willincreasemostrapidlyfrom0.93%

in1999to1.47%in2019and4.16%in2049.Inthe

early21stcentury,ther a t e ofelderlypeopleinthelowestagegroup(from60to69)de

creasedfrom4.51%to4.07%,whiletheproportionofseniorsinthe70-79agegroupandtheoldest(80+)tendtorisemorequicklyf r o m 2.67%to3.05% andfrom0.93%to1.47%respectively.Intheperiod2009to2049,therewillbeahu geincreaseintherateofallagegroupsinthepopulation.Morespecifically,therateo fseniorsi n the70-79agegroup,intheoldestgroup(80+)andinthe60–

69agegroupinthepopulationrisequicklyapproximate3timesfrom3.05%to8.76

%,from1.47%to4.16%andfrom4.07%to13.18%respectively.Moreover,theave rageannualgrowthrateoftheelderlyagedfrom60to69is1.03%thatisequaltoth

eaverageannualgrowthrateoftheelderlyinthe70- 79agegroup,butislittlelowerthantheaverageannualgrowthrateoftheoldest-oldpeople(1.04%)inVietnamintheperiod2009–2049

3

Co-existenceofopportunitiesandchallengesbroughtbyageingofpopul

ation

Sustainabledevelopmentmeanssustainableandhealthydevelopmentofthe wholehumansocietyo n thebasisofmutualcoordinationandc om mon develop mentofpopulation,society,economy,r e s o u r c e s andenvironmentandund ertheguaranteeofresourcesandwithabenignenvironment.I t s purposeisnoto nlytosatisfydemandsofcontemporarypopulation,butalsonottoposethreatsto developmentoflatergenerations.Sustainabledevelopmentiscenteredwithh umanbeingandregardstheoveralldevelopmentofhumanbeingorthesocietyasi tstargetofdevelopment.Thus,agoodpopulationenvironmentisrequiredinorde rtoimplementthestrategyofsustainabledevelopment.A goodpopulationenvir onmentw i l l promotecoordinateddevelopmentand

sustainabledevelopmentofpopulationandeconomy,society,environmentandr esources(Li,2015).Therapidlyincreasingpopulationoftheelderlybringsopportun itiestothesustainabledevelopmento f socialeconomy,butatthesametime,itw illputforwardchallengestothenationalsituationinVietnam

3.1 Ageingofpopulationbringsopportunitiesforsustainabledev elopment.

3.1.1Ageingpopulationprovidestalentresourceswithhighqualityandlowcos tforsustainabledevelopment

Humanr e s o u r c e s oftheelderly,e s pe c ia ll y talentre s ou rc e s , havehigh valueandadvantages.Advantagesoftalentresourcesoftheelderlyaremainlyr eflectedintwoaspects.Ontheonehand,theyhaveincomparableexperiencesan dskillsandaccumulatedculturaltradition.Inordertorealizesustainabledevelopm ent,asocietyhastoinherittheexcellentachievementsofitstraditionalculture,andc arryforwardandinnovatetheseachievements.Thegroupoftheelderlyisthebond andbridgethatservesasalinkbetweenthepastandthefutureandasaconnectingl inkbetweentheprecedingandthefollowing,andisanimportantsupportandgu aranteeofsustainabledevelopmentofthesociety.Ontheotherhand,agroupofh ealthyoldpeoplewithknowledgeandskillsispreciouswealtho f theentiresociety Theearlierasocietyisabletorealizethis,themorepossibleitisforthemtoacquir eadvantagesbroughtaboutbyageingofpopulation

3.1.2 Ageingpopulationgeneratesseniorconsumptionmarket

Intheprocessofageingofpopulation,notonlytheratioofconsumptionoftheeld erlytothetotalc o n s u m p t i o n amountofthe

societyisincreasing,butalsothe

particularityofdemandoftheelderlycausestheconsumptionstructureofthewhol esocietytochange.TheseniorconsumptionmarketoftheelderlyinVietnamison ethatcontains hugepotentialandemergeswith changesoftheagestructureo fpopulation.Althoughthismarkethasalreadybeenstarted,itisstillataninitialst

age,andmanyofitsfieldsarestillblankorareunder-developed.Inaddition,duringthepostperiodofageingofpopulation,namely,the stageofageing,demandofthesocietyonthetertiaryindustrywillexhibitanobvio ustendencyofincrease andthemarketaboutmedicalcareandlifeserviceofthe elderlywillalsobegreatlydeveloped

3.1.3 Ageingpopulationistheshockabsorberofsocialstability

Afterageingpopulationsuffersfromfrustrationsandvicissitudesoflife;theirst ateofmindandfeelingsbecomemoremoderate,andtheirwaytolookuponaniss ueanddealwithanissuewillbecomemoreobjectiveandrational.Comparedwit hyoungpeople,theyarelessimpulsiveandarelessrebellious.Furthermore,theyt endtoinfluenceandeducatewiththeirownactionstheyounggenerationwhoare moreimpulsiveandaremorerebellious,soastoenablethewholesocietytobeco memoreharmonious,coordinatedandstable,andaharmonious,coordinatedandst ablesocietyi s , withoutdoubt,thefoundationofsustainabledevelopment

PoliciesandSustainableEconomicDevelo

3.2 Ageingofpopulationposeschallengestosustainabledevelop ment.

Ageingofpopulationnotonlybringsopportunitiesforsustainabledevelopme nt,butalsoputsf o r w a r d newchallengestosustainabledevelopmentoftheso ciety.Infact,humanresourceoftheelderlyisalsoneutral,whichisakindofwealth ifemployedinacorrectwayandisakindofburdeni f employedinanincorrectway.A

ccordingtoBloometal.

(2011),asnumerousprofoundimpactsofpopulationageingareanticipated,thea

uthordividestheexpectedchallengesintofollowingways(Bloometal.,2011): 3.2.1 Ageingofpopulationwillfinallycauseinsufficientlaborforceandag eingofworkingageandwillaffectimprovementoflaborproductivity

Itisbelievedthatphysicalstrengthofelderlylaborforcefallsgraduallyintoade cline,andtheelderlycannotreactasfastastheyoung,unabletoadapttoproductio

nactivitieswithafastrhythm.Especiallyinlabor-intensiveproduction,theelderlylaborforceisunfavorableforimprovementofla borproductivityanditsinfluencesonindustrieswithrelativelylowautomationlevel andhighlaborintensityarerelativelyobvious.Themajorindustryindevelopedco untriesistechnologyintensiveindustry,anditsimprovementoflaborproductivi tymainlydependsonscienceandtechnology,sounfavorableinfluenceo f workin

g-agepopulationageingi s relativelysmall.However,Vietnambelongstoadevelop

ingcountry,inwhichmostindustriesarelabor-intensiveindustrieswithphysicalstrengthasthemajorsubject.Asaresultofdiffere ncesofdifferentlaborforceagesin termsofphysicalstrength,energyandadapta bility,thesupplystructureoflaborforceandchangesofquantityareunfavorablefo rimprovementoflaborproductivitytoacertainextent

3.2.2 Ageingofpopulationaffectsolderpeopleintermsofphysicalandpsycho logicalaspects

Anotherchallengeofpopulationageingishowtoensurethefulfillmentofliving conditionsforolderindividuals.Earlierstudiessuggestthatolderpeoplehavehi gherhealthrisks,forinstance,c h r o n i c diseases(Adamsetal.,2012).Inaddi tion,olderpeoplearealsoexposedtogreaterrisksbybeingtrappedinastateofsoc ialexclusionorrelativepoverty(Killeen,1998)

Intermsofthepsychologicalconditionsofolderpeople,lonelinessandsocialis olationaretwoi m p o r t a n t conceptsthatenablebetterunderstandingo f thes tateo f o l d e r peoplei n a society.Lonelinessi s a subjectiven o t i o n a n d descri besthestateo f individualsexperiencingthelosso r absenceofanintimateorneed edrelationship(Killeen,1998;Waltonetal., 1991).In contrast,socialisolationisanobjectivenotionthatdescribestheactualdegreeofc onnectednesstootherindividualso r socialgroups.Theconditionofbeingsociall yisolatedisexplainedas“theobjectivestateofhavingminimalcontactwithother people”(Wengeretal.,1996).Peoplewithahigherdegreeoflonelinesstendtobe malesatthelowincomelevelorthosewhoinfrequentlycommunicatewiththeirchil dreno r otherfamilymembers,orthosewhoprovidehomecarefortheirspouseorr elatives(Drennanetal.,2008),whilepoorphysicalhealth,lowmoraleandexperie ncingdifficultiesincommunicationandmobilityareconsideredasthecausesof socialisolation(Findlay,2003)

Asindividualsgothroughdifferentstagesoflife,theyexperiencevariouspatter nsoflosingsocialr e l a t i o n s h i p s thattheyhavebuilt.For example,retire mentisarepresentativeoccasionoflosingconnectionsthatc a n increaseo n e ’ s vulnerabilitynoto n l y i n financialterms,b u t a l s o i n socialrelationships.Deat hsofpartners,friends,andfamilymembersarealsosymbolicmomentsthatmayb ecomeatriggerforagreaterdegreeofsocialisolation.Furthermore,genderappe arsasthesecondtriggerforsocialisolation.Infact,olderwomentendtobesubjec tedtodiscriminationinemployment,accesstodailyneeds,ownershipofpropertya ndevenparticipationinleisureactivities.I n addition,i n developingcountries,o l

d e r w o m e n tendtohavelowere d u c a t i o n a l levelsande c o n o m i c inde pendence;hence,theytendtobeeconomicallydependentoneithertheirhusband sorrelatives(Cornman,1996)

Onemajorchallengeregardinglonelinessandsocialisolationofolderpeopleex istsinthesocialperceptiontowardsolderpeople.Generalperceptionsoftheelderl yoftenhavenegativeconnotations,a n d theys e t a s t r o n g a s s u m p t i o n that“

o l d e r p e o p l e a r e inevitablyd e p e n d e n t a n d a burdeno n society”(Beard, 2011)

3.2.3 Increaseofthetotalnumberofretiredpeopleandexpenditureofretire mentpensionwillinfluenceexpandedreproduction

Atthenationallevel,populationageingisoftenframedasanimminentissuefo rsocialwelfaresystems,whicharebasedonthebalancebetweenolderpopulation whoreceivesservicesandyoungerp o p u l a t i o n whosupportsthesystem’sop eration.Additionally,sincepublicinsuranceformedicalandgeriatricservicesisco

veredalmostuniversallyindevelopedcountriesandolder-oldpersonshaveahigherriskofsufferingfromchronicdiseasesand

developingdisabilities (Anderson&Peter, 2000),therewillbeconsiderablepressureonwelfarebudgetaryschemes

Inthecontextofdevelopingcountries,wheresocialwelfareschemesarenotyet wellestablished,themainchallengeistorespondadequatelytotheescalatingme dicalandotherneedsoftheelderly.Moreover,thedifficultyinconstructingcarefaciliti esfastenoughtocatchupwiththegrowingageingpopulationandtherelativelyexpe

nsivemedicalcostsforlowandmiddle-incomepeopleinVietnam,i t willbeimportanttotraingeriatriccareworkers,topre

pareapolicytocoveruninsuredandunder-i n s u r e d elderlyandtobupareapolicytocoveruninsuredandunder-ildastrategytocopewpareapolicytocoveruninsuredandunder-iththeexpectedpareapolicytocoveruninsuredandunder-increaseofeld

erlywithdisabilities Besides,a c c o r d i n g to“Vietnam2 0 3 5 Report"b y t h e W o r l d B a n k a n

d VietnamMinistryofP l a n n i n g andInvestment,Vietnamesespendinginhea

lthislargeinrelationtoGDP-about6%-thatishigherthanmostofthedevelopingcountriesinAsia.Expenditureofthecount ryonretirementpensiongrowstoofastanditsproportioninGDPincreases,whichi

sunfavorableforexpandedre-productionandsustainabledevelopmentofsocialeconomy(WorldBank,&Minist ryofPlanningandInvestmentofVietnam,2016)

3.2.4 Ageingofpopulationisunfavorableforsocialstability

Asaresultofdecreasedtoleranceofphysicalactivitiesanddegeneratedintellig

independenceuponotherswillbeaggravated,andtheywillbecomeaweakgroup

timebeing,thesocialsecuritysystemisstillnotperfect,andtheeconomicself-supportabilityoftheelderlyisnote n o u g h Especially,ruralelderlypeoplealm osttotallydependontheirchildren,whichwillincreasetheeconomicburdenofth efamily.Increaseofthepopulationoftheelderlywillbringaboutdirecto r indirec tinfluenceuponthefamilyeconomicincomeandthefamilyconsumptionlevela ndwillgeneratecontradictionsbetweengenerations.Iftherelationship bet weengenerationsisnotwellhandled,itmightaffectthestabilityofthesociety Harmonyofthesocietyisfirstofall,harmonyofpeople.Onlyiftheelderlyisharmoni ousandthefamilyisharmonious,thesocietycanbestableandthensuchasocietyc anbecreatedinwhichgenerationsareharmonious,thereisnodistinctionofages ,allpeopleshareeverything,andthesocietycanbesustainablydeveloped

4 Suggestionstorespondtoageingofpopulationandrealizesustaina

bledevelopment

Throughanalysis,itcanbeseen,ageingofpopulationisanecessarytrend,bot hwithopportunitiesandchallenges.Ourmajortaskisnottoobstructorputoffthishi storicalprogress,buttofaceuptotherealityofageingofpopulation,toactivelyex plorestrategiesandcountermeasureso f ageingofpopulationthatadapttorequi rementsofsustainabledevelopment,tomaximizethebenefitsofageingofpopul ationandtominimizetheinfluences

4.1 Thecountryshouldformulateapopulationpolicythatcannot onlycontrolgrowthofpopulation,b u t canalsoprevente x c e s s i v

e ageingpopulationtorealizecoordinateddevelopmentofageing ofpopulationandeconomy.

Atpresent,thehugepopulationinVietnamhasbecomeaheavyburdenofecono micdevelopment.Thus,Vietnamhastocarefullycarryoutexistingpopulationpoli cyandcontinuetocontrolgrowtho f population.Atthesametime,underthecircu mstancewhenthetotalfertilityratereduces,inwhichtheurbanf e r t i l i t y r a t e rapi dlydeclineswhiletheruralf e r t i l i t y r a t e increases,Vietnamshouldappropriat elyincreasetheurbanfertilityratetoencouragethecouplesinurbanareatogivebir thtotwochildrenwhileusingpoliciestoreducetherural fertility rate.Thiswa ycannotonlycontrol growthofpopulationthroughmaintainingthereplaceme ntfertilityrate(2childrenperwoman)butalsopreventtoofastageingspeedandred ucethefeedingcoefficientoftheelderlythatisfavorablef o r coordinateddevelo pmentofageingandeconomy

4.2

Thecountryshouldestablishandmakeperfecttheold-agesecuritysysteminwhichtheprogress

ofageingofpopulationfitswiththelevelofeconomicdevelopment

Itisaprimaryissuetoberesolvedintheprocessofageingtoguaranteeproviding fortheelderly.I n ordertoadapttotheprogresso f ageingo f populationanddema ndo f socialande c o n o m i c development,weoughttoestablishamulti-levelold-agesecuritysystemthattakesintoconsideration

ofbothfairnessandefficiency,hasmultiplechannelsofresourcesoffunds,andh asacombinationo f socialagesupport,f a m i l y

agesupportandc o m m u n i t y

old-agehelpservicew i t h a distinctionbetweenurbanandruralareas.Thecountrys houldacceleratereformofsocialendowmenti n s u r a n c e systemandenlarget hec o v e r a g e o f endowmenti n s u r a n c e , i m p r o v e thesocializeddegreeof endowmentinsuranceandrealizeoverallsocialplanningofendowmenti n s u r

a n c e ,

expandresourcesofold-ageinsurancepension,setupamechanisminwhichretiredpeoplecansharea chievementsofeconomicdevelopment,changethecollectionmeansofold-agei n s u r a n c e pensionandtransferfrom

themodelofpay-as-you-gotothemodelofpartialaccumulation,accumulatemoreinsurancepensionasac cumulatedfundsandmakepreparationsfortheradicalgrowthofretirementpensi oninthepeakperiodofageingpopulationinthe21stCentury.Thiscannotonlyguar anteetheeconomiclifeoftheelderlyinashortperiod,butcanalsoalleviatepress ureinthefuture

4.3 Thecountryshoulddevelopandemployhumanresourceofth eelderlyandtransformageingofpopulationasapressuretoamoti ve.

Animportantmeasuretofaceuptochallengesofageingistodevelopandemploy humanresourceo f theelderlyandletm o r e o l d peoplew i t h laborcapacityparti cipatei n socialande c o n o m i c development.Firstly,thiscanmakeupfordefici encyoflaborforce.Secondly,thiscancreatemorewealthf o r thecountry.Thirdly, thisc a n changeparto f c o n s u m p t i o n populationtoproductionpopulationand changethepressureofageingofpopulationtoamotivethatpromoteseconomican dsocialdevelopment.Thespecificmeasuresareasfollows.First,thecountryshoul dgraduallyincreaseageo f retirement.Undertheattacko f ani n c r e a s e o f agei ngi n m a n y c o u n t r i e s i n theworld,retirementhasbecomeanewgloballydiffi cultproblem.Sufferedfromdeficitandthecrisisofageing,a numberofcountriesint heworldaremovingbackthe ageofretirement toreduce the pressureofdeficitandlessenattackofageingoneconomicdevelopment.Since201 0,ithasbecomeaunanimousc h o i c e ofmanycountries(especiallydevelopedcou ntries)toextendageofretirement.Forinstance,G e r m a n y hasincreasedthe ageofretirementto67inordertocutdownonreleaseofretirementpensionandre ducepressureofthefinancialexpenditureofthegovernment.Theageofretireme ntthatisbeingusedatpresentinVietnamwasconfirmedaccordingtotheproducti vitylevelandthepercapitalifeexpectancyinthe90sinthe20thcentury.Overtwenty years,thesocialproductivitylevelin Vietnamhasbeengreatlyi m p ro ve d andlif eexpectancyhasbeenextendedto70.Thus,i n c r e a s e oftheupperlimitofthe workingageatanappropriatetimecaneffectivelydevelopandemploylaborreso urcesandmakethehigherrateofworkingagepopulationaswellasthelowerrateo f dependentpopulationthatarefavorableforeconomicdevelopment.Second,the countryshouldencouragere-employmentamongyoungerelderlypeople.Re-employmentofyoungerelderlypeoplemeansthattheelderlypeoplewithgoodph ysicalcondition,workingaspiration,andworkingabilityat the ageof60to69comeback toaworkingpositionafter theirretirement.Thus,wecanconductc o n t i n u o u s educationandvocational trainingonyoungerelderlypeople,improvetheirscientificandtechnicalleveland theirabilitytoadapttodevelopmentofskills,selectappropriateworkingpositions

tocontinuetoofferserviceforthe society,alleviate economic pressureofthe

society,andmaintainnormalrunningofsociallife.Third,wesupporthealthyagein g.Healthyageingmeansthatmostoftheelderlyareingoodhealthandhavealonglif e,whichisnotonlyreflectedasextensiono f longevity,butmoreimportantlyasim provementofthequalityoflife.Thiscannotonlypromotedevelopmentofemploy mentoftalentresourcesoftheelderly,butcanalsoreduceexpenditureofmedi calcareandreducefinancialpressureofthenation

4.4 Thecountryoughttoacceleratesocialandeconomicdevelop mentandimprovee n d u r a n c e toageingofpopulation.

Theissueofageingistosatisfybothparticulardemandoftheelderlyandthesoci alandeconomicdevelopmentbroughtaboutbyageingo f population.Vietnamn o

w i s i n thesituationwhenthee c o n o m y

wasunder-developedandhasenteredthestageofageing.Theobjectivefactthattheageingo f populationisaheadofeconomicdevelopmentneedsaccelerationofsocialande conomicdevelopmentsoastostrengthenenduranceonageingofpopulation.Th us,beforecomingthepeakp e r i o d ofpopulationageing,Vietnamshouldmake fulluseofthe“goldenperiod”ofpopulationagestructure,andvigorouslydevelop

e c o n o m y tolaya materialf o u n d a t i o n toadapttotherapiddevelopmentofa geingandfortheforthcomingofageingsociety.Especially,Vietnamshouldregard ageingindustryasanimportantpointofincreaseintheeconomicdevelopmentofthe ageingsociety,expanddomesticdemand,driveconsumption,alleviatetheempl oymentpressureofthesociety,andpromoteeconomicprosperity

5 Conclusion

Ageingof populationi s theobjectiveruleo f humansocialdevelopmentandi s t henecessaryoutcomeofsocialandeconomicdevelopment.Therapidlyincrea singpopulationoftheelderlyinVietnambringsbothopportunitiesandchallenge stothesustainabledevelopmentofsocialeconomy.Thiscountryoughttotakeposi tiveresponsivemeasurestoalleviateunfavorableinfluencesofageingo f popula tionuponeconomicandsocialdevelopmentandcreatemorefavorablepopulati onenvironmentforimplementationofthestrategyofsustainabledevelopment

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