HANOI, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam on Thursday held here a ceremony to celebrate the International Day of Older Persons (Oct. 1) and to launch the Action Month for the Vietnamese Elderly.
Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the country will intensify investment for better care and protection of elder people, as well as promotion of their roles in society including improving relevant legal documents, building more geriatrics at medical facilities and having more suitable social welfare policies for them.
Vietnam, one of the five countries with the fastest aging rates in the world, currently has 10.1 million old people, or 11 percent of its population, he said, adding that the rate is projected to increase to 17 percent by 2030 and 25 percent by 2050.
