Results around the world – Vietnam
Vietnam has successfully brought millions of people out of extreme poverty over the last two decades. Nevertheless, pockets of poverty remain, particularly in the country’s remote highlands and in the Mekong Delta region.
The inequality gap in Vietnam is closing. However, ethnic minorities comprise over 70% of Vietnam’s poor but make up only 17% of the population. Opportunities for inclusive development are limited, and unemployment rates among young women are significantly higher than among young men.
Limited access to capital and business development services constrains small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those owned by women. Poor farmers lack the business network and high-yield agro-environmental skills needed to transition to more productive crops and escape poverty.
Around the world, Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Vietnam’s large coastal populations are susceptible to rising sea-levels and extreme weather events, a situation that threatens the country’s development gains.
Canada and Vietnam are longstanding partners in international assistance. The mutual priorities framed by a comprehensive partnership announced in November 2017 are the roots of this development cooperation.
Canadian assistance in Vietnam is generally provided through technical assistance in areas where Canada has a comparative advantage, including:
- empowering women and girls, with a focus on women’s economic participation
- supporting growth that works for everyone through a more highly skilled and innovative business sector and through support to smallholder farmers, including those from vulnerable groups
- advancing climate actions, with a focus on the impacts of climate change on women and ethnic minorities
- supporting inclusive governance, including the role of civil society in informing policy
Key results
In 2017-18:
Canada’s support to the Green Climate Fund helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam by promoting the efficient use of electricity. Our funding also helped improve the resiliency of small-holder farmers to climate-change-related impacts through the planting and rehabilitation of mangrove forests and the establishment of systematized climate risk assessments for the public and private sectors.
Over 4,700 entrepreneurs, farmers and smallholders received financial and/or business development support to help grow their businesses. A pilot incubation centre in the Mekong Delta, established in Soc Trang Province with support from Canadian experts, provided support to SMEs and start-ups with high growth potential.
Furthermore:
- Over 1,500 households received support to integrate gender equality considerations into how they manage their family businesses.
- Over 1,100 students graduated from technical and vocational programs informed by Canadian models.
- Over 550 citizens enhanced their capacity to contribute to social and economic policy development.
