Support Children in Vietnam with UNICEF

Why UNICEF works in Vietnam

Vietnam was once one of the world’s poorest countries, but since the 1990s, the country has made great strides through rapid economic success and development.

Despite this progress, millions of children still experience at least two deprivations in education, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation or social inclusion. Factors like ethnicity, gender, place of origin and disability widen the disparity of experiences for children in Vietnam. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these issues.

Due to its location on the eastern edge of Southeast Asia, Vietnam is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which, alongside natural disasters, pandemics and environmental pollution, threaten children's rights.

Challenges facing children in Vietnam

Children in Vietnam face many challenges, including:

• climate change and natural disasters
• malnutrition and stunting
• inequitable access to health care and education
• exposure to violence, child labor and other forms of exploitation

Keep reading to learn more about UNICEF’s work to alleviate these challenges for all children in Vietnam.

How UNICEF is making a difference in Vietnam

UNICEF has been active in Vietnam since 1975, working to improve the lives of children and their families. UNICEF works with the government and other partners to reduce disparities and bring about an inclusive, non-discriminatory and caring society that protects the rights of Vietnam’s children, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable.

In emergencies, UNICEF is there. When Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Vietnam in decades, made landfall in September of 2024, UNICEF delivered essential supplies, education materials, health care support and more.

Health and nutrition programs

Today in Vietnam, more infants live to celebrate their fifth birthday than ever before, while fewer women lose their lives during pregnancy and childbirth. Unfortunately, these gains don’t apply to all children and women in the country. Tens of thousands of children under age 5 in Vietnam are lost to avoidable and treatable diseases and malnutrition each year. Giving birth remains unsafe for some women and their babies, with thousands of maternal and neonatal deaths annually.

While the primary health care system should provide a safety net for children and mothers from every community, many remain vulnerable without access to quality and affordable services, especially those from ethnic groups and hard-to-reach areas.

Along with the Vietnamese government and partners, UNICEF promotes a holistic, rights-based approach to maternal and child health, with support focused on reducing inequities in care and strengthening local health systems. UNICEF works to ensure that essential newborn, child and maternal care services are afforded to everyone, especially those in ethnic populations, remote areas and low-income areas. Some of this work includes training village-based midwives to realize impacts where they are needed most.

When it comes to lifesaving vaccines, UNICEF is working to expand the national program on immunization, helping partners tackle misinformation and optimize vaccine and cold chain management.

Hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam suffer from severe wasting each year. Nutrition threats are forecast to intensify, with millions of people predicted to be impacted by climate change-driven natural disasters in Vietnam yearly.

UNICEF Vietnam works with partners to tackle all nutrition concerns, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity to ensure all children get the nourishment they need to survive and thrive.

Especially in hard-to-reach areas, UNICEF strives to prevent all forms of wasting by improving children’s and women’s access to nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diets. Where prevention falls short, UNICEF supports health care providers to detect acute wasting and respond with healthy feeding practices and treatment.

Improving access to education

In Vietnam, just under half of the children living in rural areas and one-third of those from the poorest households complete upper secondary education. For children with disabilities, the disparities are even larger, with only about 10 percent attending secondary school at all. Only about 1 in 5 ethnic minority students in Vietnam reach upper secondary school or higher.

UNICEF is working in Vietnam to ensure that a child’s gender, ethnicity, disability, household income or location do not determine their learning opportunities, from early childhood through to completion of upper secondary education through their transition from school to work. Programs are rooted in UNICEF's core mission: to ensure that every child has equal access to quality education and opportunities to realize their potential and become productive members of society.

Alongside partners, UNICEF works to enroll more ethnic minority children in preschool by breaking down language barriers, providing bilingual education in Vietnamese and the children’s mother tongue. UNICEF-supported inclusive education resource centers provide children with disabilities with much-needed specialized learning opportunities.

In order to thrive, children need safe learning environments without bullying or marginalization. This is critical as mental health challenges affect 1 in 5 Vietnamese adolescents.

UNICEF-supported programs seek to:

• advance child-centered education approaches
• tackle gender-based violence, bullying, discrimination and corporal punishment
• empower children to influence social norms that harm vulnerable peers, such as those who are LGBTIQ+, ethnic minorities and those with disabilities

UNICEF also works with teachers and school administrators to ensure trained psychosocial support networks are available to children and adolescents who need them.

Protecting vulnerable children

While Vietnam’s rapid socio-economic development, urbanization and growing social inequality benefit some, for many children the risks are only mounting.

Nearly three-quarters of children experience violent discipline at home, an estimated 1 million are engaged in child labor and 1 in 5 are victims of cyberbullying.

UNICEF works with partners to share knowledge and international best practices, compile research to inform decision making, provide technical advice to strengthen legislation and policies and raise awareness of children’s rights.

To bring sustainable change for children in Vietnam, a key focus of UNICEF’s work is creating a network of social workers as a first line of defense to prevent violence and exploitation, identify children’s needs and provide protection services.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts

Millions of children in Vietnam continue to lack adequate water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and support, especially in ethnic minorities and remote areas.

Millions of students lack access to clean water and sanitation at schools and almost half the population cannot tap into safely managed drinking water. Many people still practice open defecation, which contaminates water sources, while tens of millions are without hygienic latrines. More than 85 percent of people do not wash their hands with soap at key moments.

Lack of access to clean water, along with poor sanitation and hygiene, contribute to high rates of diarrhea, pneumonia and parasitic infections and negatively impact children’s health and development. These threats are set to intensify with tens of millions of people living in areas hit by water shortages as a result of climate-driven natural disasters.

UNICEF works with partners to deliver WASH services and support where they’re needed most: in children’s homes, schools, health facilities and communities. UNICEF also advocates for climate-resilient, sustainable and inclusive delivery of WASH services by promoting the use of low-cost net-zero toilets, rainwater capture and solar power, especially for underserved populations affected by natural disasters.

How to help

UNICEF will continue to work in Vietnam, across Asia and around the world to protect and empower all children. Supporters can help by:

• donating monthly
• fundraising for UNICEF
• advocating or volunteering

Help UNICEF reach more children in need. Please Donate

Frequently Asked Questions

How does UNICEF help children in Vietnam?

UNICEF helps children in Vietnam by delivering lifesaving aid and supporting long-term programs in health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation and child protection. It also provides emergency relief in the aftermath of floods, typhoons and other natural disasters.

What are the main challenges facing children in Vietnam?

Many children in Vietnam face challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, limited access to quality education and health care and vulnerability to natural disasters. Ethnic minority groups and children in rural areas are especially at risk.

Is UNICEF working with local partners in Vietnam?

Yes. UNICEF works closely with the government of Vietnam, local organizations and community leaders to deliver effective and culturally appropriate services that reach the most disadvantaged children and families.