From the General Secretary's concerns about Vietnam's stature strategy

“Investing in children’s nutrition today is investing in the nation’s height tomorrow” – This statement seems like a slogan, but it has become a strategy in many advanced countries. In the race for comprehensive human development, many countries in the world have considered milk and a scientific nutritional regimen as the foundation for national physical and mental strength. As for Vietnam, is the journey to increase height and improve the physical strength of the young generation – drastic and methodical enough?

National stature starts from… kindergarten menu

Today, on the occasion of the traditional day of Vietnamese youth, General Secretary To Lam wrote a very profound article titled “The future for the rising generation”. In the article, the General Secretary expressed his concern about the stature of the Vietnamese people. The article reads:

“ In recent years, along with the development of the economy, Vietnam has achieved many remarkable achievements in improving the quality of life, education and health for the people. However, when considering the physical condition, overall health and average height of young people, there is still a clear gap compared to countries in the region and developed countries in the world. The average height of men in Vietnam in the most recent survey in 2020 was 168.1cm, women was 156.2cm, lower than countries in the region such as Thailand, Korea and Japan. The life expectancy of Vietnamese people is currently 74.5 years, 5-10 years lower than Japan, Korea, Germany. The rate of stunting malnutrition in Vietnam (19.6%) is also much higher than in developed countries such as Japan or Singapore, showing that childhood nutrition still has a long-term impact on the physical health of young people. In competitions In high-performance sports, Vietnam can achieve good results in sports that require skills but find it difficult to compete in sports that require strength and endurance .

Physical development is not a family matter, but a national strategy. Illustration photo

While children in the Netherlands eat cheese sandwiches and drink a glass of whole milk before sports class; while Japanese students have a standard meal of rice, miso soup, grilled mackerel, boiled vegetables and a carton of fresh milk every day; in many Vietnamese schools, breakfast is still a loaf of white bread or a hastily made package of instant noodles. No milk. No calcium. No long-term nutrition.

That difference reflects one thing: Physical development is not a family affair, but a national strategy. If we want Vietnamese people to be not only good but also healthy, tall, and strong – the story must start with… the first glass of milk and a standard school meal.

Milk – “superfood” in the stature strategy of developed countries

South Korea is a testament to the change in stature of its people when the country has a strategy for physical development, from the shortest in Asia to the fastest growing country in height. In 1960, South Koreans were among the shortest in the region with an average height of only 162 cm for men. After 50 years of persistently implementing the “2 glasses of milk a day” policy in schools, men’s height has jumped to 174 cm, and women’s height has increased from 152 cm to 162 cm. It is no coincidence that South Korea has made the school milk program a national policy, with the majority of funding from the state budget.

As for Japan, the land of the rising sun has also learned many lessons from a country that once had short people and stunted children after World War II, but has also made dramatic changes. As early as 1954, they implemented a “milk feeding program” – providing free milk to all elementary school students. This was accompanied by a balanced school menu, rich in protein, calcium, and green vegetables. Today, Japan is no longer in the short group, but is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy and physical strength in the world.

In Europe, the stature of the people is reflected in the view that not only drinking milk, but eating milk. In Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark – milk is an indispensable ingredient in every meal, from fresh milk, yogurt, to cheese. The government even subsidizes people's access to dairy products. Children are given milk in school as a civic right.

Why is milk so important? Milk contains ingredients such as Calcium, Vitamin D, Protein (casein, whey), IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor) and Lactoferrin..., which help increase bone density, help bones develop strong, support calcium absorption, regulate the immune system, increase muscle growth, build physical strength, stimulate bone cells, promote height growth and increase resistance, protect the weak digestive system.

In particular, IGF-1 – a growth factor in milk – plays a role in triggering height spurts during puberty. Countries with high milk consumption tend to have taller average heights, according to a 2020 study by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Where is Vietnam on the world height map?

According to 2022 data: Average height of Vietnamese men: 168.1 cm and average height of Vietnamese women: 156.2 cm.

Compared to the ASEAN region, the height of Vietnamese people is still lower than that of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia – and the gap is very large compared to Japan and Korea. Notably, the rate of stunted children is still at 19%, a number that cannot be ignored.

To improve each person's stature, the "golden window" factor cannot be missed. Accordingly, human height development mainly occurs in 3 golden stages, including: Fetal stage - the first 1,000 days of life; From 2-5 years old (foundational stage); Puberty (10-18 years old)

Without timely nutritional intervention – especially milk, protein, vitamin D – height potential cannot be achieved. Once the “golden window” closes, any subsequent intervention can only save, not fully compensate.

According to international recommendations, an ideal nutritional regimen, in addition to food and exercise, along with a reasonable diet and sleep, also requires a daily amount of milk. Children aged 1-3 need 400ml; children aged 4-12 need 500-600ml and children aged 13-18 need 500-1,000ml of milk.

The above facts show that most countries with strong height growth have something in common: milk and school meals are subsidized or free, and included in the education program.

The South Korean government spends more than $1 billion a year on school milk. Japan has its own School Nutrition Agency. The EU has had a School Milk Fund since 1977.

From the perspective of the creator of the nutrition strategy - Labor Hero Thai Huong, founder of TH Group, said, "If we want the country to be strong, we must start with children. Whether children develop comprehensive physical and mental strength or not - depends largely on the nutritional regimen and the source of milk they drink every day." As the person who initiated the "For Vietnamese stature" initiative, laying the foundation for many interdisciplinary cooperation programs to build national nutrition standards for students, Ms. Thai Huong expressed, "We cannot let Vietnamese children be disadvantaged compared to their peers in Japan, Korea, the Netherlands... just because they do not have the conditions to drink milk every day. This is the responsibility of society, the country, and the business community."

Around the world, many top leaders also spoke about the role of milk in improving people's stature. As Bill Gates (billionaire, philanthropist): “We can change the future of a country just by improving child nutrition. Every smart investment starts with nutrition.”

Or the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): “Milk is more than just a food – it is a human development strategy. Every glass of milk a child drinks is a step forward in the fight against poverty and inequality.”

Jacinda Ardern (Former Prime Minister of New Zealand) said: “We invest in school milk because we know that a child cannot learn well if they are hungry or lack calcium. Every glass of milk at school is a national commitment to the future.”

From a scientific perspective, Dr. Frank T. Vert (International Nutrition Institute, Harvard University): “Milk supplementation during the period of 5-18 years old increases height by 4-6 cm, increases bone density and helps the brain develop. This is an irreplaceable food in any height strategy.”

Lessons from the world: Not just media, but policy

Vietnam has a School Milk Program, but it has not been expanded and maintained consistently. This is a policy bottleneck that needs to be resolved if a breakthrough is to be made.

Therefore, to improve the physical condition and stature of the people, Vietnam needs to take stronger actions with a number of specific solutions: Develop a National Strategy on physical development and height by 2050; Issue mandatory school nutrition standards for all educational institutions; Subsidize milk and dairy products for preschool and primary school children, prioritizing rural and disadvantaged areas; Strengthen communication about the role of milk and scientific nutrition, through mass campaigns such as "Drink milk for Vietnamese height"; Organize an annual Action Month for school nutrition.

A nation that wants to grow must start with the height of its young generation. From the Netherlands to South Korea, from Japan to New Zealand, countries have proven one truth: milk is not a story of the food industry alone, but a strategic choice that determines the destiny of the nation.

Vietnam cannot afford to fall behind in the race for stature. We cannot talk about the aspiration of becoming a great power if we are not ready to invest synchronously in the physical strength and height of the young generation – starting with a glass of milk every day, nutritious meals, and a national policy of zero tolerance for malnutrition in school.

Hoang Phuong, CEO - Marketing expert

Source: https://congthuong.vn/tu-tran-tro-cua-tong-bi-thu-nghi-ve-chien-luoc-tam-voc-viet-379897.html