Life expectancy at birth in Vietnam is 76. However, when it comes to years of healthy life, the country does not perform well, based on the latest World Health Statistics report by the World Health Organization (WHO) released last month.
According to the WHO, the Vietnamese suffer 9.4 years due to ill health, the second worst in the region after Cambodia.
Vietnamese people live longer than almost all their peers in Southeast Asia, ranking third for life expectancy at birth. However, with life expectancy rising, attention in many parts of the world is increasingly turning towards a healthy life expectancy, the WHO report said.
“The statistics sound very optimistic, but what we should be more concerned about is a healthy life rather than life expectancy,” To Thi Bich Chau, a lawmaker, said at an ongoing parliamentary meeting on Monday. “Without good health, elderly people may suffer from multiple chronic diseases.”