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.

Bilingual education in Viet Nam

Viet Nam has made overall progress in basic education. Net enrolment rates for primary and second level are 95.5 per cent and 86.2 per cent, respectively (2009 Census). Between 1992 and 2008, primary level completion rates rose from 45.0 per cent to 89.8 per cent.

Despite major achievements in the education sector in Viet Nam, however disparities still remain and education attainment is much lower among several groups, particularly among ethnic minority groups. For ethnic minority children, low enrolment and completion and high drop-out and repetition rates remain a challenge. According to the Government's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS, 2011), the primary school completion rate among ethnic minority children is significantly lower than that of Kinh and Hoa children: 79.8 per cent and 103.1 per cent, respectively. There is also inequality between different ethnic minority groups. Figure 1 shows that the primary school net attendance rate among the Mong is as low as 69.6 per cent, while the rate among the Tay is the highest of all, 93.5 per cent, followed by Kinh of 92.6 per cent (Census, 2009).

Find out more details at http://www.unicef.org/vietnam/resources_19823.html