Food Insecurity and Vulnerability in Viet Nam: Profiles of Four Vulnerable Groups

This report documents the main findings of the vulnerable profiling work carried out in Viet Nam, in cooperation with national partners and under the framework of a UNDP “Policy and Strategy for Sustainable Food Security in Viet Nam” project, as a means to support the planning of appropriate interventions at the national level. Similar studies were undertaken in Guatemala and Nepal, and related work was carried out in Afghanistan and diverse mountainous areas in connection with the International Year of Mountains (2002). The report describes the livelihood strategies of four vulnerable groups (small farmers in the Red River and Mekong Deltas, small farmers in the Northern Region, artisanal fisherfolk in Central Coastal Region, and urban workers without stable employment), investigates the characteristics and causes of their vulnerability and how they cope, and recommends specific options to reduce their vulnerability. Given the scope and focus of this study, it could be particularly useful in supporting implementation of the national Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS), which seeks inter alia to enhance food security and reduce vulnerability, as well as other national programmes like the 1 715 Poor Communes Programme (Programme 135, 1998-2005).