Vietnam has a population of 84 million. After two decades of economic growth, Vietnam is well on the way to becoming a middle-income country. The number of poor people who live on USD 1 per day fell from about 58 per cent in 1993 to 16 per cent in 2006.
Between 2000 and 2005, growth was 7 per cent per year, which made Vietnam the world’s second-fastest growing economy.
Despite that, about 14 million people in Vietnam were still living below the poverty line in 2007 and many are living close to it. Most of these live in mountain districts and belong to minority groups.
Relatively equal
More than 90 per cent of adults can read and statistics show that men and women are relatively equal in terms of education, life expectancy and participating in the working environment.
However, women in the rural areas often have less access to education and jobs.
A number of new laws to improve women’s rights have been adopted by the national assembly, such as a gender equality law and a law concerning violence in the home.
It is now important that knowledge of these laws is spread and that they are applied.
Problems of overexploitation
Vietnam faces many problems regarding sustainable development, such as the overexploitation of natural resources, a lack of energy and environmental degradation.
It is also vulnerable to natural disasters, such as storms and floods along its long coastline. Climate change is increasing this risk.
The cooperation between Swedish and Vietnamese players within the areas of environment and climate is therefore expected to increase in the coming years.
Ruling Communist Party
All of Vietnam’s political organizations are controlled by Vietnam’s Communist Party. There is no division of power; the Communist Party is responsible for all legislative, legal and executive power.
Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are very restricted and spreading information that is critical of the government is punishable.
The government is engaged in fighting widespread corruption, but much remains to be done to achieve a society that has transparency and effective government.
Sida’s focus areas in Vietnam:
• The environment
• Human rights
• Democratic development.
