In October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training released results on a survey on students’ health in Vietnam, conducted with nearly 8,000 students aged 13-18 at 81 schools in 20 provinces and cities. 

It found that 12.59% of students often or always felt lonely and 16.81% often found it difficult to focus on homework, while more than 15% of students thought about committing suicide. 

In late 2022, ActionAid International in Vietnam and partners also published a report on mental health care in schools, based on a survey of over 1,000 students, teachers and parents. About 50% of the children participating in this survey cited strict parents and academic failure as the two main factors affecting their mental health.

According to some studies in Vietnam, the rate of female students having suicidal thoughts is higher than that of male students. Besides, 16.31% of high-school students often feel lonely.

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Tran Van Thuan said that mental disorders are very common around the world. The WHO estimated that 1 in 8 people is living with mental disorder. Every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. About 50% of mental disorders begin by the age of 14.

In Vietnam, about 12 percent of children face mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, loneliness and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, equivalent to more than 3 million children in need of mental health services.

Vo Thu