Fire and Evacuation Safety in Residential Long-Term Care in Viet Nam: Resident-Specific Evacuation Planning, Staff Readiness and Emergency Coordination

Fire and Evacuation Safety in Residential Long-Term Care in Viet Nam: Resident-Specific Evacuation Planning, Staff Readiness and Emergency Coordination

It is two o'clock in the morning when a fire alarm sounds at a residential care facility. Most residents are asleep. Several cannot walk independently, two need substantial assistance to leave their beds, and one resident living with dementia becomes distressed when unfamiliar staff approach her. Only a small team is on duty.

The building has fire alarms, emergency lighting, and designated escape routes. Staff have attended fire safety training. Yet an urgent question remains: can the employees working that night protect residents and move those at risk according to the building's evacuation arrangements, using the staff and equipment actually available?

This is one of the most difficult questions in residential long-term care. Fire safety depends not only on alarms, building design, and emergency exits, but also on the abilities of the people living there and the capacity of staff to respond when conditions change rapidly.

For organizations caring for older people in Viet Nam, effective fire and evacuation safety requires more than regulatory documentation or periodic drills. The building's fire protection features, residents' individual needs, staffing arrangements, and coordination with emergency responders must work together as a practical system.

Why Residential Long-Term Care Requires a Different Approach

Residential care facilities accommodate people with widely different levels of independence. Some residents can recognize an alarm, understand instructions, and move toward safety with little assistance. Others may have difficulty hearing a warning, recognizing danger, walking, following directions, or changing position without substantial support.

These differences become particularly important during a fire, when smoke, heat, and reduced visibility can make conditions dangerous before everyone has had time to leave.

A resident who normally walks independently may become disoriented when awakened suddenly at night. Someone who uses a wheelchair may move safely along an accessible corridor but be unable to descend stairs without appropriate assistance. A person living with dementia may become frightened by an alarm, unfamiliar instructions, or unexpected physical contact.

Health conditions, medications, fatigue, and recent changes in mobility may further affect how someone responds. Even residents who are usually independent may need additional assistance during an emergency.

International guidance recognizes these challenges. The UK Home Office's guidance for residential care premises and the Scottish Government's guidance for existing care homes emphasize the relationship between residents' dependency, building fire protection, available staffing, and evacuation arrangements.

A facility therefore cannot determine its emergency readiness by inspecting the building alone. It must also understand whether the people living there can be protected under realistic operating conditions, including overnight and during periods of reduced staffing.

Connecting Building Safety With Resident Needs

Fire prevention, early detection, alarm systems, fire-resistant construction, protected escape routes, emergency lighting, and access for firefighters all contribute to building safety. Each performs a different function.

An alarm provides warning. Fire-resistant construction can help restrict the spread of fire and smoke for a period of time when properly designed, installed, and maintained. Protected routes support movement toward safer areas, while emergency lighting can assist evacuation when normal lighting fails.

These measures are essential, but none guarantees that a resident who cannot move independently will reach safety without assistance.

The building's design must be suitable for its actual use and the characteristics of the people it accommodates.

A facility converted from an ordinary residential building may face challenges that differ from those of a purpose-designed care home. Narrow corridors, changes in floor level, limited accessible exits, and unsuitable room arrangements may complicate assisted evacuation.

Multi-story facilities present additional considerations when residents with significant mobility limitations occupy upper floors. Room allocation, available routes, and the means of assisting residents must be consistent with the building's fire protection features and assessed evacuation arrangements.

These matters require competent professional evaluation. A strategy that works in one care facility may be unsuitable in another, even when the buildings appear similar.

Fire protection systems also require continued attention. An obstructed corridor, a fire door that does not close properly, or a malfunctioning alarm can undermine an otherwise carefully prepared emergency plan.

Changes in the building's use, layout, occupancy, or resident population may require reassessment. A facility that was suitable for predominantly independent residents may face different risks after admitting people who need substantial assistance with movement.

Building safety and resident safety cannot be managed as separate issues.

Developing Evacuation Plans Around Individual Residents

A meaningful evacuation plan starts with understanding the people who actually live in the facility.

An individual assessment should consider whether a resident can recognize a warning, understand instructions, move independently, and use the available evacuation routes. It should also identify assistance required because of mobility limitations, sensory impairment, cognitive difficulties, or relevant health conditions.

Some residents may need verbal guidance or reassurance. Others may require a trained escort, suitable mobility support, or specialized evacuation equipment.

A person's usual method of moving between a bed and wheelchair may not be appropriate during a fire, particularly if the intended evacuation route involves stairs, restricted spaces, or movement through an unfamiliar environment.

Evacuation planning should therefore address the requirements of an emergency rather than simply reproduce an everyday mobility assessment.

Relevant information may include the resident's usual room location, communication needs, ability to respond to an alarm, assistance required, and the equipment or arrangements identified through competent assessment.

Individual plans should fit within the facility's wider evacuation strategy. They must not assume that an exit, protected area, or device is suitable unless that assumption is supported by the building's fire safety assessment and applicable requirements.

The resident should participate in planning whenever possible. Someone may be able to explain which movements cause pain, whether they can assist with certain activities, and what helps them remain calm during stressful situations.

Family members and legally authorized representatives may also provide useful information, particularly when a resident has difficulty communicating. Their involvement should respect the resident's rights and applicable decision-making arrangements.

Needs may change following illness, surgery, hospitalization, or functional deterioration. An individual who could previously leave a room with minimal assistance may later require a different approach.

Assessments should therefore be reviewed on admission, following relevant changes, and at intervals appropriate to the risks.

Most importantly, the information must be usable. A detailed document that cannot be accessed or understood by authorized staff during an emergency offers limited practical protection.

Choosing an Evacuation Strategy That the Building Can Support

Different buildings may require different evacuation strategies.

Some facilities are designed around movement toward a place of safety outside the building. Others may have appropriate fire-resistant compartments and protected routes that support a staged evacuation approach.

Progressive horizontal evacuation is one example discussed in international care home guidance. Under this approach, residents may be moved from an affected area into another suitably protected compartment on the same level as part of a planned sequence of evacuation.

For residents who cannot easily use stairs, this arrangement may offer important benefits when the building has been appropriately designed and the strategy has been professionally assessed.

However, progressive horizontal evacuation is not suitable for every building.

Its effectiveness depends on factors such as fire-resistant separation, protection against smoke spread, adequate escape routes, sufficient capacity in receiving areas, and the ability of staff to move residents as required.

An ordinary adjoining room cannot be treated as a protected fire compartment simply because it is separated by a door. Similarly, allowing residents to remain temporarily within a building must not be based on convenience or an unsupported assumption that the fire will remain contained.

Ordinary passenger elevators should not be assumed safe for evacuation during a fire. Any proposed use of specifically designed evacuation lifts or other designated systems requires assessment of their intended function, applicable regulations, building arrangements, and operational requirements.

The appropriate response may also change according to the fire's location, smoke conditions, available routes, and instructions from emergency responders.

For care facilities in Viet Nam, the evacuation strategy should be documented, professionally assessed, and consistent with applicable Vietnamese requirements and any approvals required for the particular building.

Individual resident plans must operate within that strategy. They cannot compensate for inadequate fire protection, unsuitable building design, or an evacuation arrangement that cannot be implemented safely.

Why Nighttime Staffing Deserves Special Attention

Many residential care facilities operate with fewer employees at night than during normal daytime hours.

During the day, managers, administrative personnel, rehabilitation professionals, and additional care workers may be present. Overnight, a much smaller team may remain responsible for the same number of residents.

Some residents may also require more assistance when awakened suddenly. An evacuation plan that depends on employees who are not present during the night may therefore be impossible to implement when needed.

The UK's National Fire Chiefs Council has emphasized the importance of reviewing care home emergency arrangements when staffing levels change, particularly where evacuation depends on trained workers moving residents between fire-protected compartments.

The Scottish Government's guidance for existing care homes similarly recognizes that the number and capabilities of available staff must be appropriate to the facility's evacuation strategy and the needs of its residents.

There is no single international staffing ratio that establishes evacuation readiness for every residential care facility. Staffing arrangements must reflect resident dependency, building design, evacuation strategy, available equipment, and applicable national requirements.

A facility accommodating predominantly independent residents will have different operational needs from one caring for people who cannot leave their beds without substantial assistance.

Management should therefore examine what its minimum staffing complement can realistically achieve, including during nights, weekends, and periods of unexpected absence.

That assessment should consider that employees may be working in different parts of the building, that some may need to raise the alarm or communicate with emergency services, and that not every worker may be competent to use specialized evacuation equipment.

When the intended arrangements cannot be carried out safely with the available staff, the mismatch requires management action. Depending on the circumstances, responses may involve staffing changes, additional training, suitable equipment, revised resident placement, or professionally assessed modifications to the building and evacuation strategy.

An emergency plan should not depend on employees making extraordinary efforts to compensate for foreseeable organizational deficiencies.

Coordination with professional firefighters and rescue personnel remains essential. However, their arrival should not be treated as a substitute for the facility's own required and feasible initial protective arrangements.

Selecting Evacuation Equipment and Preparing Staff to Use It

Residents who cannot evacuate independently may need suitable mobility aids or purpose-designed evacuation equipment. The appropriate choice depends on the person, the building, and the intended evacuation arrangements.

A device suitable for movement along a level corridor may not be appropriate for stairs. Equipment that can support one resident may be unsuitable for another because of body size, physical condition, positioning requirements, or other limitations.

Staff must also be able to use the equipment in the available space and under the conditions for which it is intended.

Selection should be based on competent assessment, the manufacturer's instructions, and relevant technical and legal requirements. Equipment should be compatible with the building and the tasks staff may be expected to perform.

Practical training is particularly important. Experience with routine transfers or everyday moving and handling does not automatically establish competence in emergency evacuation.

Workers assigned to use specialized equipment need appropriate instruction and opportunities to demonstrate that they understand its intended use and limitations.

Equipment must be accessible, appropriately maintained, and inspected according to applicable requirements and manufacturer instructions. A device stored in a location that staff cannot reach promptly may be of little value during an emergency.

Contingency planning should also consider what happens if equipment becomes unavailable, is damaged, or cannot be used because the intended route is affected.

Staff should not be expected to improvise hazardous lifting, carrying, or dragging techniques without appropriate preparation and a suitable emergency strategy.

The objective is to anticipate foreseeable needs before an emergency occurs, rather than leaving workers to make unfamiliar technical decisions while residents are already in danger.

Supporting Residents With Dementia and Communication Difficulties

Evacuation is not only a matter of physical movement. Residents must also recognize or be alerted to danger, understand what is happening, and respond to assistance.

For someone living with dementia, a fire alarm may be confusing or frightening. The person may not understand why staff are asking them to leave a familiar room. Unexpected physical contact, unfamiliar equipment, or hurried instructions can increase distress.

Other residents may have difficulty hearing an alarm, seeing signs, or communicating what assistance they need.

These differences should be considered when individual evacuation arrangements are developed.

Staff familiar with a resident may know which forms of communication are most effective. Calm, simple instructions, appropriate reassurance, and an understanding of the person's usual responses may help, although no plan can predict exactly how someone will behave during an emergency.

Facilities should also consider the relationship between resident supervision and safe emergency exits.

Security measures may be used to reduce the risk of residents leaving unsupervised. However, inappropriate locks, barriers, or access-control arrangements can create serious dangers if they prevent safe evacuation.

Where access-control systems interact with fire alarms or emergency exits, the arrangements should be assessed by competent professionals and comply with applicable requirements.

Restrictive practices should not be introduced or intensified merely to simplify evacuation. Inappropriate restraint or sedation is not an acceptable substitute for an effective emergency strategy.

Individualized planning should protect residents while respecting their communication needs, dignity, and rights.

Fire Prevention Begins With Everyday Operations

Evacuation planning is essential, but preventing fires and limiting their consequences remain fundamental responsibilities.

Residential long-term care facilities contain many ordinary sources of fire risk. These may include cooking equipment, electrical appliances, laundry operations, heating devices, charging equipment, and stored combustible materials.

Care-related equipment can introduce additional considerations. Electric beds, powered wheelchairs, mobility devices, and medical equipment should be used and maintained according to their intended purposes and relevant instructions.

Supplemental oxygen requires particular attention. Oxygen itself is not flammable, but increased oxygen concentrations can support more rapid and intense combustion. Its use and storage therefore require appropriate clinical, equipment, and fire safety precautions.

Smoking, where permitted, also needs suitable controls. A resident's mobility limitations, cognitive impairment, medication effects, or oxygen use may influence the risks associated with smoking and other potential ignition sources.

Good housekeeping contributes to fire safety. Escape routes should remain usable, fire doors should function properly, and combustible materials should not be stored in ways that compromise required protective measures.

Electrical installations and relevant fire protection systems require appropriate inspection and maintenance.

Building modifications must also be considered carefully. Changes to room arrangements, doors, equipment, storage, or the intended use of spaces can affect fire protection features and evacuation arrangements.

An organization should not assume that a building remains suitable simply because it met applicable requirements when first opened.

As residents' needs and the facility's operations change, fire safety arrangements may need to change as well.

Coordinating the Initial Response and Emergency Services

When a fire is suspected or detected, staff need to know how to activate the facility's emergency procedures, raise the alarm, contact emergency services, and take the protective actions assigned to them.

In Viet Nam, 114 is the emergency telephone number for fire and rescue services.

The facility's response should follow its established firefighting and rescue arrangements, relevant training, the circumstances of the incident, and the directions of competent emergency responders.

Clear responsibilities help reduce confusion. The emergency plan should identify who coordinates the initial response, who contacts emergency services, who assists residents in different areas, and who maintains information about people who may still need assistance.

It should also establish how these responsibilities are covered when the usual manager or designated coordinator is absent.

Communication between staff is especially important in multi-story or larger facilities. Employees working in one area may not know that smoke has affected another corridor or that an intended route is no longer usable.

The plan should provide workable arrangements for sharing essential information and responding to changes. Visitors, contractors, and others who may be present must also be considered.

Responsibilities should be realistic. A plan that assigns several simultaneous and incompatible duties to one employee may fail even when that person has received appropriate training.

Staff safety remains essential. Employees should not be expected to enter dangerous conditions or undertake specialized firefighting and rescue activities beyond their competence, equipment, and assigned responsibilities.

Professional firefighters and rescue personnel may arrive with limited knowledge of the facility. Accurate information about the premises and the people inside can support their assessment and response.

Facility staff may need to provide information about building access, relevant fire protection features, affected areas, potential hazards, and the locations of residents requiring assistance.

An up-to-date method of identifying residents, employees, visitors, and contractors can help determine who may remain inside and whether anyone is unaccounted for.

This information must be reliable. A resident list prepared months earlier may not reflect changes in admission, room allocation, or mobility.

Facilities should establish how essential information can be accessed if electronic systems or normal communications become unavailable.

Residents' personal information should be handled in accordance with applicable Vietnamese data protection requirements. Emergency arrangements should support the lawful sharing of information needed to protect life and coordinate assistance while avoiding unnecessary disclosure.

Where appropriate, providers may also engage with local fire and rescue authorities before an emergency to discuss access arrangements, foreseeable hazards, and relevant coordination needs.

Such engagement can support preparedness, but it does not replace the provider's own legal and operational responsibilities.

Training and Drills Should Reflect Real Conditions

Fire safety training can become an administrative exercise if its effectiveness is measured only by attendance records.

Knowing where an extinguisher is located or remembering the nearest exit does not necessarily mean a worker can assist residents during an emergency.

Training should help employees understand the facility's actual evacuation strategy, their assigned responsibilities, relevant communication procedures, and what to do when planned arrangements cannot be followed.

Those expected to use specialized evacuation equipment require appropriate practical preparation and assessment of competence.

Exercises should reflect the conditions in which an emergency could occur.

A daytime drill involving a full workforce may provide useful information, but it cannot establish that a smaller night-shift team can carry out the same arrangements.

Scenario-based exercises can examine the implications of reduced staffing, an unavailable route, equipment failure, or residents with different levels of assistance needs.

However, the safety and well-being of residents must be considered when exercises are designed.

Physically moving frail, seriously ill, or highly distressed residents during an unnecessary simulation may expose them to avoidable harm.

Organizations can use a combination of appropriately designed drills, practical equipment exercises, simulations, and tabletop discussions to examine different aspects of preparedness.

The selection, frequency, content, and conduct of exercises must remain consistent with applicable Vietnamese requirements and competent professional guidance. Simulation should not be treated as a substitute for a legally required exercise unless the applicable provisions permit that approach.

The purpose is to determine whether staff understand their responsibilities and whether the arrangements are workable.

An exercise should not be considered successful solely because it was completed quickly. The organization also needs to understand whether staff communicated effectively, followed the intended strategy, recognized difficulties, and identified actions that could improve safety.

Findings should lead to practical changes rather than simply another completed training record.

Planning for Residents' Needs After Evacuation

Moving residents away from immediate danger is the priority during a fire. Their care needs do not necessarily end once they reach a safer location.

Some older people may require continued medical attention, medication, mobility assistance, oxygen, supervision, or other essential support. Others may become frightened, disoriented, cold, or physically exhausted during the evacuation.

If residents cannot return to the facility, temporary accommodation or transfer to another appropriate care setting may be necessary.

These arrangements should consider whether the receiving environment and available staff can meet each person's needs.

Relevant identification and care information may need to accompany the resident, including important medical conditions, medication requirements, and immediate support needs.

Facilities should have contingency arrangements for accessing essential information if normal electronic systems are unavailable.

Coordination may involve emergency responders, healthcare providers, receiving organizations, families, and competent authorities.

Families should receive appropriate and timely communication, but unverified information about injuries, missing persons, or the cause of an incident should not be circulated.

Clear handover arrangements are particularly important for residents who cannot communicate their needs or advocate effectively for themselves.

The objective is to ensure that the transition from emergency evacuation to temporary care does not create avoidable additional risks.

Understanding Viet Nam's Fire Safety and Rescue Framework

Fire and evacuation safety in residential long-term care must be considered within Viet Nam's applicable legal and technical framework.

The Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue No. 55/2024/QH15 was enacted on November 29, 2024, and took effect on July 1, 2025. The law has subsequently been amended, and the relevant consolidated legislative text is Document No. 58/VBHN-VPQH, issued on March 23, 2026.

The law establishes the overarching framework for fire prevention, firefighting, rescue, emergency planning, organizational responsibilities, and the roles of competent authorities.

Article 10 addresses the development and practice of firefighting and rescue plans, including responsibilities of establishment heads and relevant authorities within the circumstances specified by law.

Government Decree No. 105/2025/ND-CP, effective July 1, 2025, provides detailed provisions and measures for implementing the law.

Decree No. 347/2026/ND-CP, issued on September 8, 2026, and effective September 15, 2026, amended provisions of Decree No. 105/2025/ND-CP and other related decrees.

Organizations must therefore consider the amended framework rather than relying exclusively on the original version of the 2025 decree.

Ministry of Public Security Circular No. 36/2025/TT-BCA, effective July 1, 2025, provides further detailed provisions within the fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue framework.

Building-related technical requirements must also be considered.

QCVN 06:2022/BXD, the National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety of Buildings and Constructions, together with Amendment 1:2023, provides an important technical framework within its applicable scope.

The Ministry of Construction issued Consolidated Document No. 92/2026/VBHN-TT-BXD on September 28, 2026, combining the Circular promulgating QCVN 06:2022/BXD with the subsequent amendment.

This consolidation should not be mistaken for a new technical regulation replacing the existing code.

The application of these legal and technical instruments depends on the particular facility.

Relevant considerations may include the building's legal status, approved purpose, size, occupancy classification, construction history, modifications, and applicable design and operational requirements.

A residential social assistance establishment, a licensed medical facility, and another form of accommodation providing support to older people should not automatically be assumed to operate under identical requirements.

It is also important to distinguish requirements concerning construction, design appraisal, fire safety acceptance, ongoing operations, inspections, training, and emergency planning.

A building converted for residential care may raise different compliance questions from a purpose-designed facility.

These matters require assessment by appropriately qualified fire safety and building professionals and, where necessary, clarification with competent authorities.

The regulatory framework for social assistance facilities is also changing.

Decree No. 395/2026/ND-CP on the operation and management of social assistance facilities was issued on October 23, 2026, and is scheduled to take effect on December 7, 2026.

As of November 2, 2026, organizations within its scope should prepare for applicable requirements under the new decree while continuing to comply with the legal framework currently in force.

The decree does not replace the specialized legal and technical requirements governing fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue.

Where emergency information includes residents' personal data, providers should also consider the Law on Personal Data Protection No. 91/2025/QH15, effective January 1, 2026, together with applicable implementing requirements.

For residential care providers, legal compliance is an essential foundation. Additional evidence-informed practices may improve preparedness, but they must remain consistent with Vietnamese law and the actual characteristics of the service.

Learning From International Guidance Without Misapplying It

International experience offers useful lessons for organizations seeking to improve fire and evacuation safety in residential care.

The UK Home Office's Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Residential Care Premises provides a practical framework for considering buildings where residents depend on staff for assistance during emergencies.

The Scottish Government's Fire Safety — Existing Care Homes: Practical Guidance, published in February 2022, addresses fire risk assessment, resident dependency, staffing, evacuation arrangements, and ongoing fire safety management. It replaced the earlier 2014 guidance.

The UK's National Fire Chiefs Council has emphasized the need to review care home evacuation arrangements when staffing levels change, particularly where a strategy depends on trained workers moving residents between fire-protected areas.

Hong Kong's Social Welfare Department also addresses emergency preparedness and evacuation arrangements in its Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Nursing Homes) for the Elderly. The June 2024 revised edition has subsequent amendments recorded through June 2026.

These resources demonstrate the importance of connecting building safety with resident needs and organizational capabilities.

The concept of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, commonly abbreviated as PEEP, provides another useful reference for considering the needs of people who may require assistance.

England's guidance on means of escape for disabled people discusses individualized evacuation planning and the importance of understanding a person's abilities, preferences, and circumstances.

However, the terminology and legal requirements require careful interpretation.

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, which came into force on April 6, 2026, introduced Residential PEEP arrangements for specified categories of multi-residential buildings in England.

These regulations should not be interpreted as automatically applying to all residential care homes or as creating legal obligations for facilities in Viet Nam.

For Vietnamese providers, the transferable principle is the need to understand individual evacuation requirements and connect them to an appropriate building-level emergency strategy.

ISO 25557:2026, Ageing Societies — Care Quality for Older Persons at Home and in Care Facilities, offers a broader international reference.

The standard sets out requirements and recommendations for quality care, including consideration of individual needs, participation, dignity, safety, and organizational responsibilities.

Its relevance to fire preparedness lies in supporting person-centered care and responsible service governance. It does not establish fire engineering requirements or replace national construction regulations.

International guidance can support learning, organizational assessment, training, and quality improvement. However, technical recommendations and legal requirements from other jurisdictions must be interpreted within their intended scope.

They should never be presented as automatically mandatory in Viet Nam or used to justify an evacuation strategy without appropriate professional assessment.

Measuring Preparedness and Strengthening Accountability

A residential care organization may have completed its required documentation while still facing important weaknesses in its ability to protect residents.

Quality oversight should therefore examine whether fire safety arrangements can be implemented as intended.

Useful questions include whether residents' evacuation needs have been assessed, whether changes in dependency are reflected in current plans, and whether the minimum staffing complement can realistically support the evacuation strategy.

Organizations should also review the condition and availability of fire protection systems and evacuation equipment, the competence of staff assigned to emergency tasks, and the outcomes of training exercises.

Everyday observations may provide early warning of problems. A blocked escape route, damaged equipment, a malfunctioning alarm, or an unexpected change in a resident's mobility may indicate that previously established arrangements are no longer adequate.

The results of drills can be equally revealing. If staff are uncertain about responsibilities, the plan may need clarification. If equipment cannot be accessed promptly, storage arrangements may require modification. If night-shift workers cannot implement the planned response, the issue should be escalated for management review.

No single indicator establishes that a facility is safe.

Completing a specified number of drills does not prove that every resident could be protected during a real fire. Similarly, the absence of reported incidents does not demonstrate that the building and workforce are adequately prepared.

The purpose of monitoring is to identify risks, assign responsibility, implement corrective actions, and verify that improvements are effective.

Fire and evacuation safety also require appropriate governance.

Facility leaders need to ensure that relevant legal obligations are addressed and that fire safety arrangements remain consistent with the building's intended use and residents' needs.

Where particular responsibilities belong to building owners, operators, managers, or other legally accountable parties, these should be clearly understood.

Contractors, equipment providers, and professional advisers may contribute expertise, but their involvement does not automatically remove the legal responsibilities of the organizations and individuals concerned.

Management decisions about admissions, room allocation, staffing, building modifications, and service expansion should take account of the facility's fire safety capabilities.

If the building or evacuation strategy cannot safely accommodate residents with certain levels of dependency, admitting additional residents without addressing that limitation may create unacceptable risks.

Problems identified through inspections, incidents, exercises, or staff concerns should receive appropriate management attention.

An action should not be considered complete merely because a document has been updated or a training session has been scheduled. The organization needs reasonable assurance that the underlying safety issue has been addressed.

This is where fire safety becomes part of quality governance rather than remaining a separate technical or regulatory activity.

From an Evacuation Plan to the Ability to Protect Residents

Fire safety is often assessed through visible features: alarms, extinguishers, signs, emergency lighting, and clearly marked exits.

These are essential, but residential long-term care presents an additional responsibility.

The organization must understand how residents who cannot recognize an alarm, walk independently, or move without assistance will be protected.

That requires a realistic connection between the building's fire protection features, individual evacuation needs, staff capabilities, appropriate equipment, and coordination with emergency responders.

It also requires recognizing when existing arrangements are no longer suitable for the people living in the facility.

For older residents, preparedness means that their needs have been considered and that those responsible for their care have workable arrangements to protect them.

For care workers, it means clear responsibilities, suitable training and equipment, and an emergency plan that reflects the conditions under which they actually work.

For residential long-term care organizations in Viet Nam, the challenge is to move beyond treating fire safety as a periodic compliance exercise.

A written evacuation plan is necessary where required, but its existence does not demonstrate that the facility can implement it.

Meaningful preparedness comes from understanding who needs assistance, determining how that assistance fits within the building's assessed strategy, providing the necessary resources, and learning from exercises and safety observations.

Ultimately, protecting older residents from fire depends not only on how a building was designed, but also on whether the organization remains capable of protecting the people who live inside it.

Key References and Regulatory Context

National Assembly of Viet Nam. (2024). Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue No. 55/2024/QH15. Enacted November 29, 2024; effective July 1, 2025, as amended.

Office of the National Assembly of Viet Nam. (2026). Consolidated Document No. 58/VBHN-VPQH — Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue. Issued March 23, 2026.

Government of Viet Nam. (2025). Decree No. 105/2025/ND-CP Detailing Certain Articles and Measures for Implementation of the Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue. Effective July 1, 2025, as amended.

Government of Viet Nam. (2026). Decree No. 347/2026/ND-CP Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of Decrees No. 169/2025/ND-CP, 105/2025/ND-CP, 106/2025/ND-CP and 282/2025/ND-CP. Issued September 8, 2026; effective September 15, 2026.

Ministry of Public Security, Viet Nam. (2025). Circular No. 36/2025/TT-BCA Detailing Certain Provisions of the Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue and Decree No. 105/2025/ND-CP. Effective July 1, 2025.

Ministry of Construction, Viet Nam. (2022). QCVN 06:2022/BXD — National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety of Buildings and Constructions, promulgated under Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BXD.

Ministry of Construction, Viet Nam. (2023). Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD, promulgated under Circular No. 09/2023/TT-BXD.

Ministry of Construction, Viet Nam. (2026). Consolidated Document No. 92/2026/VBHN-TT-BXD Concerning the Circular Promulgating QCVN 06:2022/BXD and Its Amendment. Issued September 28, 2026.

Government of Viet Nam. (2026). Decree No. 395/2026/ND-CP on the Operation and Management of Social Assistance Facilities. Issued October 23, 2026; scheduled to take effect December 7, 2026.

National Assembly of Viet Nam. (2025). Law on Personal Data Protection No. 91/2025/QH15. Effective January 1, 2026.

UK Home Office. (2006; webpage updated 2023). Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Residential Care Premises.

UK Home Office. (2007; webpage updated 2023). Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Means of Escape for Disabled People.

Scottish Government. (2022). Fire Safety — Existing Care Homes: Practical Guidance. Published February 28, 2022.

UK National Fire Chiefs Council. Making Sure Your Care Home/Nursing Home Is Safe from Fire.

UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. (2026). Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans: Guidance for Responsible Persons. Updated April 6, 2026, concerning the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025.

Hong Kong Social Welfare Department. (2024). Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Nursing Homes) for the Elderly. June 2024 Revised Edition, with subsequent amendments recorded through June 2026.

International Organization for Standardization. (2026). ISO 25557:2026 — Ageing Societies — Care Quality for Older Persons at Home and in Care Facilities.

About Healthy Longevity Vietnam

Healthy Longevity Vietnam (HLVN) is an independent initiative focused on advancing quality, safety, and implementation in age-friendly, integrated, and long-term care for older people in Viet Nam. Through evidence-informed approaches, quality improvement, measurement, and collaboration, HLVN supports healthcare and care organizations in developing safer, more coordinated, and person-centered care across settings.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for general educational, quality improvement, and organizational development purposes. It does not constitute professional fire safety engineering advice, a building compliance assessment, operational firefighting or rescue instructions, individualized clinical advice, legal advice, an official regulatory interpretation, or a mandatory national standard for residential long-term care in Viet Nam.

Fire and evacuation arrangements must comply with applicable Vietnamese laws, technical regulations, competent authority requirements, and the actual characteristics of each building and service.

Evacuation strategies, resident-specific assistance, specialized equipment, staffing arrangements, and emergency procedures should be developed and reviewed with appropriately qualified fire safety, building, occupational safety, healthcare, and care professionals as relevant.

Strategies such as progressive horizontal evacuation, temporary refuge, and the use of specialized evacuation equipment are not suitable for every building or resident. They must not be adopted without appropriate assessment of the building's fire protection features, evacuation arrangements, equipment, and workforce capabilities.

In an actual emergency, staff and organizations must follow applicable emergency procedures, relevant training, and the directions of competent emergency responders. This article must not be used as a stand-alone evacuation plan or practical rescue manual.

Legal requirements vary according to the building's characteristics, legal classification, approved use, applicable construction and operational requirements, and the nature of the organization providing care.

International guidance and standards discussed in this article are provided as reference points. They do not replace Vietnamese legal requirements or automatically establish mandatory duties for residential long-term care providers in Viet Nam.

Information and regulatory context reviewed as of November 2, 2026.