Why children in Vietnam need your help

Despite having one of South East Asia's fastest growing economies, almost 50 per cent of people living in the rural areas of Vietnam continue to live in poverty.

In particular, children from ethnic minority groups living in the more remote areas of the country face significant hardships, and largely have not benefited from the social developments Vietnam has experienced over the past decade.

In rural areas, many families have no access to safe drinking water or proper sanitation facilities, which results in children contracting water-borne disease, as well as skin infections. Natural disasters, including recent floods and typhoons, mean that farming communities are at the mercy of the elements in terms of generating an income, with no alternative income available when disaster strikes.
Malaria and tuberculosis also continue to act as a real threat to the health of Vietnamese children. Continuing gender discrimination is also undermining the wellbeing of women and children.

Country facts

Vietnam, officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, became a unified country in 1976 after three decades of independence wars; first against the colonial power of France, and then again US-backed south Vietnam.
The country was then drawn into fighting with Cambodian Khmer Rouge forces along its borders, with China joining in as Cambodia's ally. Eventually in 1989, with the assistance of the United Nations, Vietnam was at peace for the first time since WWII.
The country is heavily populated - ranking within the top 15 most populous countries - and it has only been since the late 1980s that economic conditions have improved, largely as a result of free market conditions introduced by the Communist Party.
The topography of Vietnam is extremely mountainous, with only 20 per cent of the country on level lands. The climate ranges from warm and tropical in the south, to more temperate conditions, with some snowfall during the winter, in the north of the country.

• Population: 86.1 million
• Capital: Hanoi
• Major languages: Viet, French, Russian, ethnic languages
• Major religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism
• Life expectancy: 71 years