At 70, Nguyen Thi Chung has spent the last 10 years at a private carecentre in Dong Ngac Village, Tu Liem District. Her husband died yearsago and her only daughter became married.

Using a wheelchair due to semi-paralysis, Chung said her daughter's home is ill-equipped to provide her with the care she needs.

"Thereare other elders here whom I can make friends with," she said. "Duringthe weekend, we occasionally have musical performances. I like it here."

Forgenerations, Vietnamese elders have had few alternatives when no longercapable of caring for themselves, traditionally staying with theirfamilies.

The choices include hospital-like residences run bymonks at pagodas or public social welfare centres for those withoutrelatives, homes or money. According to the Vietnam Association of theElderly, there are only about 400 appropriate health care facilitiesnationwide.

Meanwhile, demographics are shifting. Even with itsabundant labour force, Vietnam achieved its status as an "ageingpopulation" in 2011.

The General Office for Population and FamilyPlanning estimates the country's elderly population over 60 increasedfrom 8.7 percent in 2009 to 10.1 in 2011, with the possibility ofhitting 15 million people in the next 10-15 years.

Now, even intight-knit families, many working adult children are unable to care fortheir weakening parents, making private care centres, or "nursinghomes," a growing option in Vietnam.

Nguyen Tuan Ngoc, directorof the private care centre in Dong Ngac Village, where Chung is staying,said he first notices the demand when setting up the first centre inMinh Khai Village in 2001.

At the time, Ngoc said he has topersuade people to come and live at the centre. Thirty elder residentscome during the first three years.

In 2009, the facility moved toDong Ngac Village, expanding to offer 250 beds across 4,000-sq.m areadivided into intensive care, special care and places for those in goodhealth. An additional five-ha centre will soon be put into operation inSoc Son Village.

"In Vietnam, there's a lot of stigma associatedwith sending elders to nursing homes," Ngoc explained. "We want to provethat with quality services, we can provide better living conditions forthem than at home."

However, unlike nursing homes abroad whereeven healthy seniors prefer living, most elders at local private carecentres suffer from chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer's,cardiovascular problems, diabetes and arthritis.

At the Dong Ngaccentre, 70 percent of residents are in "weak" health conditions while10 percent are categorised as "extremely weak." Ngoc admitted thatelders who still enjoy good health prefer living at home where they helpadult children take care of the grandkids.

Tran Viet Huong, fromHanoi, said her family has tried everything in taking care of hersemi-paralysed father, who has suffered several strokes and a trafficaccident.

Besides paying medical fees of up to 15 million VND(715 USD) per month, the family has to overcome criticisms fromrelatives for sending the father to the Dong Ngac centre.

"Myfather, similar to all other adults at the centre, receives qualifiedtreatment and care," she said. "Residents can also participate invarious activities in addition to receiving massages and exercise on adaily basis."

Dang Vu Canh Linh, deputy director of theHanoi-based Institute of Tradition and Development Research, havingspent years researching living patterns among the elderly, said thedemand for private nursing homes will increase in the next 10-15 years.

Accordingly,nursing homes must facilitate interaction between the elderly and theoutside world, especially with younger generations, to help them engagein social and charitable activities.

"During our research, wenotice that many elderly people choose nursing homes, not because theirchildren do not care for them, but because they want to retain theirindependence and make new friends," Linh said.

Le Tieu Binh,owner of two home-styled nursing homes in northern Linh Dam, Hoang MaiDistrict, said this model allows staff to provide closer care to theelderly and make them feel at home.

Established in 2006, Binh's two care centres currently house about 50 seniors, most suffering from chronic diseases.

"We have one staff member living in each room housing the elderly," she said.

"In this way our residents have someone to talk to and feel less lonely."

However, such private nursing homes are only affordable to the minority.

Areport released by the United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam inJuly 2011, titled The Aging Population in Vietnam, suggested that thedevelopment of private elderly care centres has been difficult partlydue to "minimal consensus" from society and "no specific support fromthe Government."

Giang Thanh Long, vice dean of the School ofPublic Policy and Management of the National Economics University andUNFPA expert on ageing, said private nursing homes cannot currently meetdemand due to high fees.

"The Government should support theconstructing and development of private care centres by offeringpreferable policies on land leasing and taxation," he said, adding thatthis could help make private nursing homes more accessible to themajority.

Pham Tuyet Nhung, deputy head of the VietnamAssociation of Elderly's Foreign Affairs Department, said it will takeyears before the country can have nursing homes that meet foreignstandards.-VNA