Tackling malnutrition and stunting in Viet Nam

Song A Chia was born in Viet Nam's northwest mountainous province of Dien Bien. Like nearly a third of the children in this very poor province, Chia was severely malnourished, weighing less than 5kg by the time he was eight months old.

"When Chia was born, his cleft palate meant he had trouble latching on to the breast. His mother didn't have enough breast milk, explained his father, Son A Phinh." A community health care worker came to check on him and told us he was not gaining enough weight."

Son A Phinh is holding his son Song A Chia, eight months old baby, born cleft palate, malnourished and weighing less than 5kg. They are queuing for their turn during a regular health check in the Commun Health Centre of Viet Nam's northwest mountainous province of Dien Bien. Photo: UNICEF Viet Nam\2014\Truong Viet Hung

Choose handwashing, choose health!

The practice of handwashing with soap tops the international hygiene agenda on October 15, with the celebration of Global Handwashing Day (GHWD). Since its inception in 2008 – which was designated as the International Year of Sanitation by the UN General Assembly – Global Handwashing Day has been echoing and reinforcing the call for improved hygiene practices worldwide.

Good hygiene practices must become a habit, which requires choosing to perform them on a regular basis. People should choose handwashing not only on Global Handwashing Day, but every day. Photo: UNICEF Viet Nam\2014\Truong Viet Hung

UNICEF joint mission reaches out to Dien Bien’s ethnic minority children

Dien Bien is the second poorest province in the country with child poverty rates at 64 percent, twice as high as the national average. Since 2012, UNICEF has focused its activities in Dien Bien to address high rates of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition and stunting and poor access to education, water and sanitation. With support from the Embassy of Luxembourg for 2012-2016, UNICEF is implementing core health, education, sanitation and protection services that reach out to vulnerable ethnic minority children to improve their overall welfare. This week, UNICEF Representative Mr Youssouf Abdel Jelil, Vice Minister of Health Dr Nguyen Viet Tien and Ms Aurelie Klein from the Luxembourg Embassy in Viet Nam visited remote communes in Dien Bien province to monitor progress of UNICEF-led activities.

New UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam

Ha Noi, 27 August 2014 – The new UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam, Mr Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, today, presented his credentials to Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ha Kim Ngoc.

“UNICEF is known in every Vietnamese family as a champion of children’s rights,” stated Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ha Kim Ngoc.  “Protecting and promoting the rights of the child is a top priority for Viet Nam. While much progress has been made over the years, more needs to be done to close the gap between the ratio of poor children and to ensure they have better access to health care, education and clean water,” he noted. 

Mr Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, newly appointed representative of UNICEF in Viet Nam, presented his credentials to Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ha Kim Ngoc

Insights and perspectives on the sanitation crisis in Viet Nam

The Unilever Foundation Ambassador Challenge, launched in 2012, is a company-wide initiative designed to build employees’ awareness and engagement with the Unilever Foundation and its five global partners. The selected employees are given the opportunity to see the positive social impact that support from the Foundation is having on people’s lives and share their insights and perspectives.

Viet Nam responds to UNICEF’s global call with a national campaign to end violence against children

In Viet Nam, the first day of summer, 1st June, traditionally marks the national Children’s Day and the start of the national Month of Action for Children.

This year, together with the start of the Month of Action for Children, the Government of Viet Nam launched a national campaign to end violence against children in response to UNICEF’s global call for action to #ENDviolence against children.

Measles Control in Viet Nam

Ha Noi, 25 April 2014 - Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy watches over her two year old son as he takes quick, short breaths in a quarantined intensive care unit (ICU) at Hanoi's National Paediatric Hospital. Like the 40 other children in the unit, Thuy's son has a severe measles infection.

Since the beginning of 2014, Viet Nam has reported more than 3,500 confirmed measles infections. More than 86% of those infected have not been immunized or their vaccination status is unknown.
In Hanoi, the National Paediatric Hospital has treated more than 1,280 measles patients and over 100 children have died from measles related complications. Among those who died, half of the children were less than nine months old.

Many children who come for treatment at the National Paediatric Hospital have underlying health conditions such as congenital heart disease, metabolic disorder and congenital anomalies.
Photo: UN Viet Nam\2014\Truong Viet Hung

Visit of Mr. Philip Clement, Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMO) of AON Corporation to UNICEF supported programme in Viet Nam.

Ho Chi Minh City, 19 April 2014 - It was a typically busy day in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Viet Nam’s economic engine, with the city pulsing with its usual streams of cars and motorcycles. Amidst the traffic, a UNICEF team was travelling with a special guest to visit the much respected School of Hospitality for youth and children in difficult circumstances.

Aon Corporation CMO, Mr. Phillip Clement had taken time out from a private trip to the country to visit UNICEF-supported projects in the city, some of which are supported by Aon’s partner – the Manchester United. '

Mr. Clement taking photos with students of the School of Hospitality in HCMC

Lao Cai bids touching farewell to UNICEF Representative

LAO CAI, Vietnam, 21 February 2014: This week, in the midst of celebrations to mark International Mother Language Day, ethnic minority teachers, parents and children from Lao Cai Province in Northern Viet Nam bid a touching farewell to the outgoing UNICEF Representative, Lotta Sylwander.

“Words are not enough to express our sentiments, and to explain the value of this mother-tongue based education programme” said Mr Nguyen Dac Hoang, Vice Head of Education and Training Board in Sa Pa district, as he praised the UNICEF Representative’s strong support for the programme.

Semi-boarding schools in the remote Vietnamese province of Dien Bien are at the heart of a UNICEF-supported primary education policy for ethnic minority children.

A healthy start in Viet Nam

Ten-year-old Xi, a member of the Vietnamese Mong ethnic minority, wants to be a police officer when she grows up. “I’d like to protect the ethnic minorities, and to be able to spot the drug dealers and stop them,” she says.

Such confidence and social responsibility in someone so young is startling, especially bearing in mind that her home is in one of the most disadvantaged and remote parts of Viet Nam, where making ends meet is the main priority. Her mature attitude also represents an encouraging victory for UNICEF’s new country programme geared towards supporting ethnic minority children as well as disabled and other disadvantaged young people.

Students at Dien Bien’s semiboarding schools take health and hygiene lessons back to their homes.