On 6 July, a workshop was organized at the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) to launch a report on a 2010 rural household survey on 12 provinces of Vietnam. This is a collaboration effort between CIEM, Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, University of Copenhagen under the Danida-funded Business Sector Programme. The workshop completed with an impressive participation by Ministries, research and strategy institutes, universities, mass organizations, international researchers and public media.
The aim of the rural household survey is to provide a deeper understanding of critical issues impacting the rural economy and households in Vietnam based on evidence found from 12 provinces. Speaking at the workshop, Ambassador of Denmark John Nielsen said: ‘I hope that the survey will provide valuable inputs into policy debates in Vietnam and ultimately contribute to sharpening the policy tools used to achieve equitable and sustainable economic development in the rural sector”.
The origin of the survey dates back to 2002, when the first survey was carried out. Since then, the survey has been repeated in 2006 and 2008, and most recently in 2010 and plans are being finalized for 2012 survey. This has allowed establishment of a rich database on the same households over almost 10 years, which ensures the validity of the data material.
The report has among others revealed that large differences in rural living conditions across provinces and types of households, land fragmentation and transactions, off-farm rural enterprises, and agricultural insurance are the issues which deserve continued attention and effort by the Government in the future. However, it also indicates an impressive reduction of poverty for households in most of the provinces included. Following the report, there will be two in-depth studies which will be looking into households’ welfare dynamics and social capital and savings. The studies are expected to be published in November.
