In the context of aging population and various social and policy issues facing elderly care, the Institute for Family and Gender Studies deploys the project “Strengthening Social Engagement in Elder Care in the Transformation of the Economic and Family Structure in Asia: Policy and Practical Dialogue among Local Communities in Vietnam and Japan” during 2016-2018 with the sponsorship of Toyota Foundation, Japan, under the chair of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Thi as a project director. Within the project framework, the international seminar “Strengthening Social Engagement in Elder Care: Policy and Practical Dialogues among Local Communities in Vietnam, Japan and the United Kingdom” was held in two days, from 2nd to 3rd of May 2018 in Hanoi. The workshop was organized to analyze and share lessons learned on the system of social welfare policies and the practice of elderly care at the family and community levels from researchers, managers, and practitioners working in this field in a number of economies, cultures, and societies such as Japan, United Kingdom and Vietnam. The workshop attracted a great deal of attention and participation of various representatives from local and international organizations. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences attended and gave the opening speech. On behalf of Japan, Ms. Michiru Sasagawa, Toyota Foundation representative, attended and co-chaired the workshop. The workshop was attended by representatives from agencies such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Education and Training; the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs; the Vietnam Association of the Elderly; the Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly; the National Assembly Office; the Association of Sociology. In addition, the workshop also attracted the participation of scientists, experts, and lecturers in the field of family, gender and the elderly in Vietnam. The seminar also included the participation of the central and local press agencies to write articles and news. On the international side, scientists from the University of Manchester Metropolitan (UK), Kumamoto Gakuen University, Kyoto Sangyo University (Japan), Minamata City Council of Welfare (Japan) joined and provided information and lessons learned from a comparative approach. The workshop also included international organizations in Vietnam such as JICA, ActionAids, HelpAge International, WB, UNFPA,... During the two days of operation, the workshop consisted of four sessions. Session 1: Project participants and experts had a hands-on experience exchange at Bach Nien Thien Duc Center, Soc Son, Hanoi. 18 international and national presentations presenting at the workshop from Session 2 to Session 4, focusing on theoretical, institutional and practical issues in Vietnam, Japan and the UK in elderly care with the participation of family, community and society. Session 2 with the theme “Models of Elder Care from European and Asian Perspectives: Theoretical, Frameworks, Institutional and Practical Experiences”. The presentation “Elder care in an ageing world: theories and and implications” of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Thi shows that despite of the similarities or differences in the aging context between Vietnamese, British and Japanese societies, it was possible to apply significant theories such as the diamond care framework, the theory of aging in the community in studies on aging and elder care. Prof. Dr. Hugh McLaughlin and Dr. Jopei Tan (Manchester Metropolitan University) presented their paper, “The Role of Elder Care in the UK: Policies, Challenges and Opportunities,” which presented evidence of rapid aging in Britain and dementia has become common and increased the burden of social care for the elderly. Accordingly, the responsibility of the state for the community and the delivery of care by individuals and communities other than by the state was one of the most obvious changes in elder care policies in the UK, especially since the Care Act came into force in 2014. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Minh, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Family and Gender Studies, in his presentation “Aging Population in Vietnam and some Policy Issues” focused on policy issues that need to be addressed for the state, the community, the family and the market in elder care. According to the professor, in the context of limited social services, the Vietnamese family continues to be the main institution of elder care and the use of the elderly in appropriate work environments should be encouraged. Practical Experiences of Elder Care in Japan and Vietnam is the subject of Session 3 with six presentations by policy implementers and practitioners from Vietnam and Japan. Experience sharing from private care models from Japan and Vietnam suggests that private care is essential for the development of social services in the context of population aging. Lessons learned from the Japanese side that Vietnam should not invest too many private elder care centers to better control the service. Session 4 on Social Engagement in Elder Care: Evidence from a Comparative Study between Japan and Viet Nam is the results of an analysis by Prof. Dr. Trinh Duy Luan (Vietnam’s Sociology Association) and researchers from the Institute for Family and Gender Studies. In the analysis of social support policies for the elderly in Vietnam todays, Prof. Dr. Tr?nh Duy Luân has reviewed all social support policies for the elderly. Prof. Dr. Trinh Duy Luan highlighted the limitations and gaps of policy in elder care, which focused only on the role of the state and ignored other parties. With a variety of approaches, scientists and policymakers clarified the theories and suggested the application of elderly care approaches in the context of population aging, as well as analysed the opportunities and challenges of the population aging in Vietnam and policy issues that adapt to the population aging. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Thi, Director of the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, said that in Vietnam, families still played an important role in spiritual and material care for the elderly. Strengthening the involvement of the community, social organizations, and the state in elderly care, however, was one of the essentialities to create sustainability and welfare for the elderly in Vietnam in particular and in aging societies in general.

Abstract: The survey was conducted with more than 1,300 high school students who were selected from six schools in three Ha Noi districts. The objective of this survey was to explore the status of the connection Ha Noi high school students have with their families. It also explores the social factors associated with these connections. The results showed that although high school students are in transition from childhood to adulthood, they still maintain good connections with their families, and especially good relationships with their parents. It was also clear from the data that neither students’ social demographic factors nor their families’ economic conditions were the predictive factors explaining their relationships with or connections to their families. The factors explaining the students’ connections to their families were their parents’ marital status and education levels. In addition, students who had 1,000 or more online friends were at risk for poorer connections with their parents and others in their families.

Abstract: Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors in Viet Nam. It has made great strides in the past years and Viet Nam has become a leading global exporter of agricultural products. Vietnam’s legal and policy system on agricultural, food and nutrition security has gradually improved with an expanded range of beneficiaries, greater attention paid to equality in benefiting from policies, and larger and more diversified resources for policy implementation. Based on a desk review, quantitative analysis of national statistics and qualitative assessment taken in Ninh Thuan and Lao Cai provinces, this discussion paper aims to provide evidence on gender inequality in access to key agricultural resources and food and nutrition security in Viet Nam’s context, and to contribute to public debates on policy design in Viet Nam.