BUILDING A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE SILVER ECONOMY IN VIET NAM: FROM OLDER-PERSON POLICY TO A RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM

Abstract

Population ageing is evolving from a social-protection issue into a structural 
variable of Viet Nam’s socio-economic development. Although the existing legal framework provides 
a foundation for the care, support and social participation of older persons, core components of 
the silver economy—including long-term care, service standards, protection of older consumers, 
assistive technologies, later-life employment and data governance—remain fragmented. This article 
applies doctrinal legal analysis, policy analysis and selective comparative law to assess the gap 
between current Vietnamese law and the requirements of a functioning silver-economy ecosystem. 
It identifies five bottlenecks: a welfare-dominated policy mindset; the absence of a coherent long
term-care regime; insufficient standardisation of relevant products and services; underdeveloped 
mechanisms for mobilising older persons’ labour and knowledge; and weak inter-agency data 
governance and coordination. The article proposes a “responsible silver economy” framework that 
combines market creation with the protection of older persons’ rights, dignity, assets and personal 
data. It recommends a phased reform agenda centred on amending the Law on the Elderly, piloting 
regulated long-term-care models, standardising providers and contracts, strengthening consumer 
protection and establishing a national coordination and monitoring mechanism.