Vietnam has tried very hard to reduce its poverty rate and support the poor and the Vietnam Fatherland Front has held the ‘Day for the Poor’ for ten years. The movement has made very encouraging achievements through active response from various groups of Vietnamese people, organizations and businesses inside and outside the country. The movement has mobilized many resources worth trillions of Vietnam dong to assist the poor with production materials and food between crops. The Fund for the Poor has helped to build almost one million houses for more than four million poor people.
Tens of millions of poor people have received money to buy bicycles and pay for education. They were also given regular and emergency medical treatment. Millions of poor households were granted preferential credit while tens of thousands of poor people received free vocational training. They have also been provided with free health insurance cards and legal assistance. The State has continually written and issued comprehensive policies to cover the basic demands of the poor and has many different channels for assistance. However, more is still needed to maintain the results of poverty reduction as many people who have escaped from poverty are in danger of relapsing, especially after natural disasters, epidemics or economic shocks. Under the new criteria for poverty from now until 2015, Vietnam will have 3.3 million poor households or about 15 million poor people. One measure that has been effective in addressing this issue is using mass media to raise public awareness and encourage poor people to rise out of poverty. (vovnews.vn Oct 17)
