Young Lives Preliminary Country Report: Vietnam.

Abstract

This report presents a brief literature review of childhood poverty in Vietnam, reviews national policies affecting childhood poverty, identifies key audiences for the Young Lives study, describes research results and draws provisional conclusions from the first round of data collection from Young Lives in Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the few countries to have seen a significant drop in poverty over the past decade. According to the World Bank, the total poverty rate fell from 57 per cent in 1992-93 to 37 per cent in 1997-98. Despite this achievement, there is growing concern about inequality and the vulnerability of poor children. There are no official data on the numbers of children working, but various NGO reports have shown that many work in very hazardous and difficult conditions. Laws to protect children and prevent exploitation of their labour are poorly enforced. Vietnam has high rates of school enrolment, but disparities exist for children in poorer, rural regions. Other problems include low completion rates, low quality of teaching, and fewer years of schooling compared with regional competitors. While 95 per cent of children have been immunised, fewer children in poorer quintiles have been fully immunised. Infant mortality rates are improving, but the gap between poor and non-poor households has widened and is more severe in poorer provinces. Malnutrition has declined considerably, but is still very prevalent, with rates varying from 28 per cent in relatively prosperous south-eastern Vietnam to 58 per cent in the central highlands. Over the past two decades policymakers in Vietnam have focused on economic growth, poverty reduction, and industrialisation. Social sector reforms have been undertaken, and programmes such as the Hunger Eradication and Poverty Reduction Programme have targeted the most disadvantaged groups. Young Lives data contributes to the formulation of policy and programmes that are more favourable to poor children in Vietnam. From the preliminary findings detailed in this report, the authors make a number of provisional conclusions and outline their implications for policy relating to questions of rural poverty, health, child nutrition, gender inequality, education, income diversification, and access to basic services.

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