Background: Metabolic syndrome (Mets) is a common disorder in the elderly, however, data on the characteristics of Mets in people living in mountainous areas of Vietnam are still limited. Objective: To find out the characteristics of Metsin people consulting at Kon Tum General Hospital (2018 - 2019). Methods: Cross - sectional description of 226 patients with Mets were diagnosed according to Joint Interim Statement of the IDF, NHLBI, WHF, IAS
and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Results: The frequency of habits relating to Mets was high with more than 50% of the participants eating salty food, a lot of fat, less fibre, being a smoker, drinker or physical inactivity. Men had a higher smoking rate than women (91.67% compared to 22.34% in women). Raised waist circumference was the most prominent Mets component (94.69%), followed by increased triglyceride (92.48%), hyperglycemia (87,17%), hypertension (78,32%) and reduced high - density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (51,33%). The mean age of male patients (53.29 ± 16.20) was lower than that of female patients (58.56 ± 13.91). Conclusions: Mets patients was common in Kon Tum city (28.3%), rare in Ia HDrai district (1.3%). Men had higher rates of elevated triglycerides, hypertension but a lower rate of decreased HDL-C than women. Mean values of systolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, and triglyceride levels in men higher than women. The difference in mean values of diastolic blood pressure, HDL-C and blood glucose between man and women were not statistically significant.