The 'revolution' to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty

Hunger eradication and poverty reduction have been an important and consistent policy of the Party and State of Vietnam for many decades. As the first and only country in Asia to implement a multidimensional, inclusive and sustainable poverty reduction program, Vietnam's efforts have been recognized internationally as a "revolution" in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, creating widespread and even widespread changes in even the most remote rural areas.

Hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and gradual improvement of people's lives, especially those in remote areas, ethnic minority areas, and mountainous areas, have always been of concern to the Party, the State, and local authorities. In addition, with the people's sense of striving, up to now, hunger eradication and poverty reduction in many localities have had effective steps.

In the border district of Buon Don of Dak Lak, along with the whole country, the work of hunger eradication and poverty reduction for the people, especially the ethnic minorities here, has had encouraging changes with many expectations. Buon Don has 18 ethnic groups living together, of which ethnic minorities account for more than 47%. The people mainly do agriculture, but due to harsh natural conditions and barren land, life is still difficult, with a high percentage of poor households. In recent years, thanks to the effective implementation of programs and policy projects, the lives of the people, especially the ethnic minority areas, have had many positive changes.

The family of Ms. H'Khua HDơh and Mr. Y Chít Nie in Jang Lanh village, Krong Na commune (Buon Don, Dak Lak) received support for livestock farming and developed their family economy and escaped poverty.

Previously, Ms. H'Khua HDơh's family in Jang Lanh hamlet, Krong Na commune was a poor household with little land for production, mainly farming, doing whatever they were hired to do. Joy came in 2017, when her family received support from Krong Na commune with two goats worth 13 million VND, and invested in barns. By 2020, the herd of goats had grown to 10. Realizing that raising cows was more profitable, Ms. H'Khua decided to sell goats to raise cows. In 2023, her family escaped poverty.

Mr. Y Chit Nie's family in Jang Lanh hamlet was also supported by the People's Committee of Krong Na commune with two breeding cows to develop the economy in 2022. He also has additional income from growing 1 hectare of cassava to develop the economy. Each year, the total amount of money the family earns is about 100 million VND. Thanks to that, in 2023, his family escaped poverty.

The lotus shoot growing model brings good income and sustainable poverty reduction for farmers in Soc Trang province.

Soc Trang province has nearly 1.2 million people, of which ethnic minorities account for about 35% of the population, the largest proportion of Khmer people in the country (with more than 30.1% equivalent to about 362 thousand people). In recent times, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have effectively implemented many special mechanisms and policies of the Party and State for ethnic minorities, thereby helping many households escape poverty sustainably. Mr. Danh Chum (Khmer in Thuan Hung commune, My Tu district) said that his family used to be poor, had no land for production, lived only by working for hire, and had a very difficult life. In 2022, with support from the local government to build a house, breed cows, and capital to convert to small businesses, his family's life has gradually improved.

In Lai Chau, the implementation of the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction has brought a new look to rural areas, especially remote, isolated and extremely disadvantaged areas. In particular, people's lives have been improved; many households have access to and enjoyed basic social services; production has been developed, jobs have been created and incomes have been increased. According to Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Luong, the province has implemented poverty reduction policies and programs quite comprehensively and fully. From there, it has created livelihoods for people to escape poverty sustainably and have an increasingly prosperous and happy life, contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the province.

The implementation of the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction has brought a new look to rural areas, especially remote, isolated and particularly disadvantaged areas in Lai Chau.

Since the founding of the country until the period of national construction and innovation, the Party and State of Vietnam have always affirmed that comprehensive poverty reduction and improvement of people's lives are urgent requirements, a central and strategic task of the process of rapid and sustainable national development.

From the fact that human quality of life is related to many aspects other than income, in 2015, the Vietnamese Government issued a multidimensional poverty standard applicable for the period 2016 - 2020, marking an important step in Vietnam's transition from measuring poverty by income to multidimensional measurement. Accordingly, determining a new poverty standard with higher poverty reduction criteria according to indicators measuring the level of deprivation of basic social services including: Health, education, housing, clean water and sanitation, information, making Vietnam one of the leading countries in the Asia - Pacific region in applying multidimensional poverty measurement methods to reduce poverty in all aspects.

Vocational classes help people escape poverty and gradually stabilize their lives.

The use of national poverty lines is not only necessary for the development of poverty reduction policies, programs and poverty monitoring in Vietnam, but also helps Vietnam monitor progress in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since then (2016-2020 and 2021-2025), poverty reduction has become one of three national target programs, in which in the 2021-2025 period, the poverty rate according to the multidimensional poverty standard is expected to maintain a reduction of 1.0-1.5%/year; the poverty rate of ethnic minority households is expected to decrease by over 3.0%/year; 30% of poor districts and 30% of extremely disadvantaged communes in coastal and island areas will escape poverty and extreme poverty; the poverty rate in poor districts will decrease by 4-5%/year... In addition, specific poverty reduction policies with priority for vulnerable groups, ethnic minority areas, and extremely disadvantaged areas have also been issued, thereby creating conditions for support for each specific group.

Diversify livelihoods, help people escape poverty sustainably.

To implement the above programs, the Government has issued an Action Program, established a Central Steering Committee for the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction; issued a legal framework system to implement sustainable poverty reduction work on criteria for identifying poor households, near-poor households, poor districts, communes and villages with special difficulties; criteria for households escaping poverty, districts, communes and villages escaping from special difficulties... Localities have stepped up propaganda and mobilization work to implement sustainable poverty reduction work; reviewed poor households, near-poor households, poor villages and poor communes through stages; issued mechanisms and policies to support sustainable poverty reduction specific to the locality; implemented poverty reduction programs, projects and policies; built and replicated effective poverty reduction models, combined with effective solutions to poverty reduction and social security policies...

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees at all levels and mass organizations have developed plans to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to monitor and implement poverty reduction work. The Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has coordinated with the Steering Committee for National Target Programs to organize a live television and radio program "The whole country joins hands for the poor - No one is left behind" to mobilize resources to support the poor during the Peak Month for the Poor (October 17 - November 18) and the Day for the Poor (October 17).

Vietnam is one of the first 30 countries in the world and the first country in Asia to apply a multidimensional poverty standard, ensuring a minimum standard of living and lack of access to basic social services, aiming at the goal of comprehensive and inclusive support for the poor and people living in poor areas, helping them improve their material and spiritual quality of life, meet their needs for safe living conditions, access and effective use of basic social services; improve capacity and adapt to climate change.

Officers and soldiers of the Bac Giang Provincial Military Command supported the construction of a house for Ms. Vu Thi Quyen, a poor household in Ngoc Son village, Quang Thinh commune, Lang Giang district.

The poverty reduction program for the 2021-2025 period has fundamentally changed its goals, requirements and demands, which are higher than in previous periods. Accordingly, new poverty reduction measures increasingly focus on the goal of not only helping poor households have enough food and clothing, but also ensuring that people have equal and full access to basic social services, meeting their minimum living needs for health, education, housing, clean water, sanitation and information. The support mechanism has been completely shifted from "free" to conditional support. Meanwhile, the areas and subjects implementing the Program are focused on the core poor areas, the most difficult areas in the country.

Every year, Vietnam allocates a large amount of resources to invest in support, ensure social security, and improve the material and spiritual life of the people, mobilized from central capital, socialized capital to support social security of localities, and support capital from the "For the Poor" Fund of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at all levels. People's lives have been significantly improved. In 1993, the average income per capita was only 185 USD, but now this figure is about 4,650 USD. In 2023, the multidimensional poverty rate continued to decrease by 1.1% compared to 2022, to 2.93%. In 2023, up to 10 extremely disadvantaged communes in coastal and island areas have successfully escaped poverty. In many provinces and cities, the lives of poor households, near-poor households, and core poor areas have significantly improved. In particular, hundreds of poor households proactively wrote applications to escape poverty and gave up their support to other households and rose up to escape poverty themselves.

Along with that, the rural economic and social infrastructure has undergone remarkable changes, changing the face of the countryside and basically completing essential works, meeting the requirements of production development and people's lives, such as: electricity, roads, schools, stations, markets, cultural houses, etc. The "change of skin, change of flesh" of many localities has vividly reflected the joint efforts and consensus of the Party, State and people for the poor with the goal of "leaving no one behind".

Thus, once among the poorest countries in the world, over the past few decades, Vietnam has risen to become one of the fastest growing economies. From 1989 to 2023, Vietnam's GDP per capita increased 40 times. If in 1993, the poverty rate in Vietnam was over 58%, by 2021, this figure was 2.23%. Thus, within two decades, more than 40 million people have escaped poverty. Vietnam has completed the United Nations' millennium goals on hunger eradication and poverty reduction early, and is considered by the international community as a bright spot in poverty reduction in the world.

Join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households across the country.

According to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) on July 15, 2023, Vietnam is one of 25 countries that have reduced their MPI index by half within 15 years. Previously, in April 2022, in the report "From the last mile to the next mile - Assessing the current situation of poverty and equality in Vietnam in 2022", the World Bank (WB) stated that "The progress that Vietnam has achieved in less than half a century since the end of the war in 1975 to date is almost unprecedented".

The achievements in hunger eradication and poverty reduction in Vietnam in recent times have been recognized by the people of the whole country, and the international community has evaluated Vietnam's hunger eradication and poverty reduction as "a revolution", changing the face of society and the lives of people from the most remote areas. This is one of the most outstanding successes, demonstrating Vietnam's humane meaning in the country's sustainable development goals and implementing the country's construction in the period of innovation and international integration.