Vietnam Hanoi Aims to Reduce Poverty Rate to 5.4% This Year

The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi targets to cut the rate of poor households to 5.4% this year down from 6.09% in 2009, local authorities said at a meeting on Jan. 21. The city also expects to give soft loans to 60,000 families, provide vocational training for 2,300 poor laborers and offer free health insurance policies to 400,000 poor people as well as wipe out all dilapidated houses.  In 2009, Hanoi supported 105,900 poor families with soft loans to develop production, granted 468,900 health insurance policies for the poor and helped build 4,000 houses for poor households.