Vietnam's Obesity Surge Pushes Healthcare Beyond Weight Loss

Childhood Weight Figures Show the Scale of Vietnam's Challenge

Vietnam's rate of overweight and obesity among children aged 5 to 19 rose from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020, according to the National Institute of Nutrition. That increase of 10.5 percentage points means the share more than doubled in a decade, bringing greater risks of chronic illness for children and greater demands on the country's healthcare services.

Associate Professor Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the digestive surgery department at 108 Central Military Hospital, has highlighted a 38% increase in overweight and obesity, placing Vietnam among Southeast Asia's fastest growing countries for obesity prevalence. The period covered by that figure was not specified. Together, the figures describe a growing health problem that reaches beyond appearance or the numbers on a weighing scale.

Urban areas face particular pressure. The figures cited for children aged 5 to 19 put overweight and obesity at 26.8% in urban areas and 18.3% in rural areas, a gap of 8.5 percentage points. Figures cited for urban youth in Ho Chi Minh City exceed 50%, while the figure for Hanoi exceeds 41%.

Obesity is recognized globally as a chronic, progressive disease, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a global epidemic. Chronic means it requires continuing care; progressive means it can worsen over time. For Vietnam, the response involves preventing unhealthy weight gain, helping people already living with obesity and preparing health services for more illnesses that require lasting treatment.

Changing Diets and Daily Routines Drive Weight Gain

Economic growth, expanding cities and changing lifestyles are contributing to Vietnam's rising obesity rates. As incomes rise, more people are consuming fast food rich in calories, spending more time sitting and taking part in less physical activity.

Children and adolescents are especially exposed to processed foods and sugary drinks. In cities, foods that provide many calories are readily available, while opportunities for physical activity can be limited. These conditions make healthy choices harder to maintain through daily routines.

A meta-analysis published in 2023 found an obesity proportion of 13.08% among Vietnamese children of school age. A meta-analysis brings together results from multiple studies to examine a broader pattern. The study found a higher proportion among boys, at 17.5%, than girls, at 8.07%.

The same analysis identified low maternal education as a significant risk factor. Its findings point to the role of family circumstances and parental knowledge in shaping children's eating habits and activity. The challenge therefore extends beyond asking individual children to change their behavior.

Undernutrition and Obesity Exist Together

Vietnam is also experiencing a double burden of malnutrition: some children continue to face stunting and undernutrition while others become overweight or develop obesity. Both problems require attention, even when they occur within the same country or community.

Rapid urbanization has made this combination especially apparent in urban centers. Easy access to foods rich in calories can coexist with inadequate nutrition and limited space or time for physical activity. Having enough food and having a nutritious diet are related needs, but they require attention to the quality of food as well as its availability.

Programs responding to childhood nutrition therefore have two connected tasks: making sure children receive adequate, nutritious food and reducing the conditions that encourage excess weight gain. Vietnam's community nutrition initiatives are being developed with both needs in mind.

Health Risks Extend Far Beyond Body Weight

The WHO identifies obesity as a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and musculoskeletal disorders, which affect muscles, bones and joints. Obesity is also associated with infertility, complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and sleep disorders.

Vietnam's prevalence of diabetes has almost doubled over the past decade, with one in every 20 adults now living with the disease. The number of people with prediabetes is three times higher. Prediabetes means blood sugar is above normal but has not reached the level used to diagnose diabetes.

Heart attacks, kidney failure and blindness are common complications among people with diabetes. As more people need continuing care for these and other chronic, noncommunicable diseases, Vietnam's healthcare system faces pressure to adapt. Noncommunicable diseases are illnesses that do not spread from person to person.

Mental health is part of the burden. Obesity can contribute to depression, while discrimination and embarrassment can discourage people from seeking medical help or taking part in healthy activities. Reducing stigma is therefore part of improving treatment, alongside addressing physical illness.

A National Study Finds Gaps in Obesity Care

The ACTION-Vietnam Study, published in April 2025, surveyed 1,000 adults living with obesity and 200 healthcare professionals. It examined how patients and practitioners understand obesity, their attitudes toward treatment and the barriers that prevent effective care.

The study found that both groups increasingly recognize obesity as a chronic disease. Yet 40% of doctors were reluctant to discuss weight, and nearly 50% of patients felt embarrassed when asked about it. Those communication gaps can make it harder to begin and sustain treatment.

Most patients believed that losing weight was entirely their own responsibility, although only a small fraction achieved and maintained significant weight loss. Healthcare professionals tended to favor lifestyle advice over medicines for obesity, with only 16.6% regularly prescribing such treatments.

Tuan, a co-author of the ACTION-Vietnam Study, described how limited discussion affects care:

Obesity is a chronic disease, a point that has not been deeply addressed by many local studies. Research shows a big gap in communication between doctors and patients, with 40% of doctors reluctant to mention weight and nearly 50% of patients feeling embarrassed when asked, which directly affects the effectiveness of treatment.

Doctors Call for Care That Goes Beyond Weight Loss

Dr. Georgia Rigas, an internationally renowned obesity specialist, argues that treatment needs a broader goal than reducing weight alone. She describes that principle in a short statement:

obesity management does not equal weight loss.

For decades, medical education focused on treating obesity's complications rather than preventing them. Rigas advocates earlier screening, identifying the root causes of a person's condition and using therapies supported by evidence. Her approach brings different healthcare disciplines together to address the disease and its consequences.

Rigas also rejects the idea that obesity can be explained simply by a person's determination:

Obesity is a chronic, progressive disease – not due to an individual's lack of willpower. Like other chronic progressive diseases, obesity management is best delivered via an integrated multi-disciplinary approach.

Vietnam's healthcare response is beginning to reflect this approach. Continuing management can combine lifestyle support, medical treatment and attention to related conditions. Better communication between patients and practitioners is central to making those options accessible without embarrassment or blame.

A Digital Platform Connects People With Care

Vietnam's Ministry of Health, hospitals, universities and professional associations are collaborating with global companies such as Novo Nordisk to reshape obesity care. Novo Nordisk, known for its work in diabetes and chronic disease management, is supporting efforts to raise awareness, reduce stigma and strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals.

The Vietnam Medical Association and Novo Nordisk Vietnam have developed the obesity information platform. The website explains obesity as a chronic disease, provides digital tools such as body mass index (BMI) calculators and connects people with healthcare organizations specializing in obesity management.

BMI is a measure that relates a person's weight to their height. Alongside its calculators, the platform shares success stories and practical advice intended to encourage people living with obesity to seek help and make changes they can maintain.

Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Xuyen, president of the Vietnam Medical Association, explained why access to reliable information and treatment matters:

Obesity is a complex chronic disease, leading to increased risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, bone health issues, reproduction problems, and certain cancers. Reliable websites like this provide a good channel for engaging people with overweight and obesity and connecting them to healthcare organizations for treatment.

Community Nutrition Programs Address Both Needs

Vietnam is investing in community programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity, especially among children. These efforts extend prevention beyond medical appointments and into the places where families obtain food and establish daily habits.

The ENOUGH Nutrition Initiative, launched in partnership with the National Institute of Nutrition and World Vision International, aims to ensure every child has access to adequate, nutritious food. It seeks to reduce both undernutrition and obesity.

The initiative focuses on improving food supply, educating caregivers and integrating nutrition programs across multiple provinces. Its approach connects food access with the knowledge families need to support children's health.

The developments described in Vietnam's response span several years:

• 2010: Overweight and obesity affected 8.5% of children aged 5 to 19, according to the National Institute of Nutrition.
• 2020: That share reached 19%, more than double the 2010 level.
• 2023: A meta-analysis found an obesity proportion of 13.08% among Vietnamese children of school age, with higher figures among boys than girls.
• April 2025: The ACTION-Vietnam Study was published, documenting attitudes and barriers among 1,000 adults living with obesity and 200 healthcare professionals.

Medicines Offer More Options, but Access Is Limited

Lifestyle changes remain the cornerstone of obesity prevention and management. Medical treatments offer further options for people struggling with severe obesity, including those who also have type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay, head of endocrinology at Bach Mai Hospital, has highlighted the promise of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies. These medicines act on a receptor involved in blood sugar and appetite regulation. They are internationally recognized for helping people lose weight and improving cardiovascular risk factors.

GLP-1 receptor agonists can be particularly beneficial for patients with overweight or obesity who also have type 2 diabetes. They lower blood glucose and reduce risks involving the heart and kidneys.

Vietnam currently has access to liraglutide. Bay has expressed hope that newer medicines, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, will become available. Access to advanced treatments remains limited, alongside the need for broader insurance coverage and more obesity treatment centers bringing together different medical specialties.

The priorities identified for more comprehensive care include:

• Expanding access to effective medicines and surgery for severe obesity.
• Promoting healthy lifestyles through media campaigns and programs in schools.
• Improving training for healthcare professionals and support for patients.
• Establishing regular monitoring to track progress and treatment outcomes.

Southeast Asia Faces Similar Pressures

Vietnam's experience forms part of a broader rise in obesity and related chronic diseases across Southeast Asia. Urbanization, changing diets and increasingly sedentary lifestyles are driving similar pressures elsewhere in the region.

Countries have developed national nutrition strategies, community interventions and fiscal measures such as sugar taxes. Progress has been slow, prompting calls for a coordinated response to the conditions that shape unhealthy eating and physical inactivity.

Regional priorities include regulating food marketing to children, promoting healthy school meals and making nutritious food more accessible. These measures address what people encounter in shops, schools and daily life, alongside the advice they receive in clinics.

The approach described by regional experts involves government bodies and society working together. Policy changes, community participation and regular monitoring are intended to make prevention part of everyday environments while allowing governments to assess whether their actions are working.

Consumer Spending Reflects Change and Unequal Access

Vietnam's economic development has brought greater spending power and changes in consumption. A recent PwC survey found that 63% of Vietnamese consumers planned to increase spending on essential goods, including healthcare products, in the coming year.

Rising incomes and urbanization have also brought greater consumption of processed foods and more reliance on digital platforms for shopping and information. At the same time, awareness of health and sustainability is growing, with many consumers willing to pay more for healthier products and products that are better for the environment.

High levels of physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and limited access to preventive healthcare continue to complicate that picture. Rural communities and people with low incomes face particular difficulties obtaining preventive services.

Vietnam's response therefore needs to connect the growing interest in health with practical access to nutritious food, physical activity and medical care. Reducing those gaps matters for children facing either form of malnutrition and for adults managing obesity and its complications.

Key Points

• Overweight and obesity among Vietnamese children aged 5 to 19 rose from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020.
• Urban areas face higher rates, while Vietnam also continues to confront stunting and undernutrition.
• Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and other physical and mental health problems.
• The ACTION-Vietnam Study found reluctance among doctors and embarrassment among patients when discussing weight.
• Digital information, community nutrition programs and better training are part of the response.
• Medicines provide further treatment options, but access, insurance coverage and specialist services need expansion.
• Prevention and continuing care require action across healthcare, schools, food policy and communities.