Vietnamese Elderly Amidst Transformations In Social Welfare Policy

Governmental policies and measures regarding social welfare for the elderly have been transformed over recent decades in Vietnam. Prior to the 1980s, governmental policy stressed the primary role of the state in providing welfare of all citizens, includin g free health care and various forms of social security. More recently, particularly in the wake of market reforms, policy changes emphasize diffusing responsibility to a broader array of institutions including the family, the local community, and civil society. Currently, the bulk of government payments to elderly is directed to state retirees and those considered to have sacrificed for the nation. Recent survey findings make clear that both work and family are critical to the well-being of Vietnamese elders and are far more pervasive and important sources of financial and material support than is state assistance. Many elders continue working into their 60s and even 70s. Extensive familial support centered on adult children is prevalent throughout t he country; this support includes coresidence as well as the receipt of financial and other material support from non-coresident children.

Dataset(s): 1996 Survey of Elderly in Red River Delta (Institute of Sociology, Hanoi). 1997 Survey of Elderly in Ho Chi Minh City and Environs (HCMC Institute of Economic Research). 1994 Vietnam Inter-censal Demographic Survey (General Statistical Office).