>> Government to embrace new poverty reduction strategy
Over three million Vietnamese families are living under the poverty line, accounting for 14.2% of the country’s households, said the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs (MoLISA).
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| 14.2% of Vietnamese live below the poverty line |
According to the ministry, 7.49% of Vietnamese families are on the verge of poverty.
The ministry announced the statistics after auditing the efficiency of a national poverty reduction programme in the first six months of this year.
Under the country’s new poverty standard for the 2011-2015 period, the poverty line in urban areas stands at VND500,000 (USD24) per person per month and in rural areas, VND400,000 (USD19.1) per person per month.
Rural residents with a monthly income of VND401,000-VND520,000 (USD19.2-USD25) are on the verge of living under the poverty line. The threshold for urban areas are VND501,000-VND650,000 (USD24-USD31.1) per person per month, the ministry said.
The Government of Vietnam has mapped out a new poverty reduction plan, under which the country will pay more attention to multi-dimensional poverty reduction based on practical and sustainable support policies.
According to last year’s general survey of poor households, the majority of the country’s poor are located in the north-west.
The survey also indicated that Dien Bien Province, in the north-west, topped the index, with a household poverty rate of 50% last year. It was followed by Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Ha Giang Provinces with rates of over 40%.
