UNICEF Viet Nam Key Results 2022
For every child, every opportunity
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Guided by our 2022-2026 Country Programme, UNICEF contributed to delivering life-saving and life-changing results for children in 2022, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable. These results were achieved with the support of key bilateral donors, the increasing engagement of the private sector, UNICEF’s Core Resources contribution, and the dedication of our partners and UNICEF’s staff in Viet Nam.
UNICEF Viet Nam worked with 12 national and six local partners to achieve significant results for children and families in 2022.
Last year required a balancing of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine roll-out in Viet Nam while navigating a pathway to recovery from the pandemic’s impacts and addressing the concerning disparities which remain a major challenge to ensure that no child is left behind.
UNICEF Viet Nam contributed to strengthening children’s rights and further reinforcing the systems and gender-sensitive approaches that children rely on – including health care, protection, mental health support, nutrition, water, sanitation, clean environment and education. By innovating and persevering, by focusing on ‘pilots to results at scale’, and by continuing to increase the reach of supportive communication to a wider audience, measurable results for children and their families were achieved.
The Situation of Children in 2022
Despite Viet Nam's tremendous progress for its children, many of them are still at risk of being left behind.
- While national numbers of those living in poverty continued to decline, pockets of chronically poor families and those suffering from multi-dimensional poverty remain a key concern in remote rural areas and some ethnic minority groups.
- Viet Nam was among the five countries in the world with the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccination. Unfortunately, the pandemic stalled progress in other health and nutrition areas, as evidenced by significant drops in routine immunization rates for children under one, from 80 per cent in recent years to 67 per cent in November 2022; or the more than 200,000 children suffering from severe wasting; or the one in five children under five that is stunted – a number that almost doubles for poor children in rural areas.
- Access to safely managed water and sanitation remains low in rural areas. An estimated 7.7 million children do not have adequate access to clean water and sanitation at school.
- Despite major strides in education, inequality remains a key issue. By age 19, only one in five from the poorest quintile remains in school, compared with four in five of those in the wealthiest quintile.
- The COVID-19 pandemic period raised awareness and saw the numbers of women and children suffering from gender-based and other forms of violence increase dramatically, highlighting the lack of an effective protection system for children and women, leaving them at greater risk of neglect, abuse, trafficking and other forms of violence, including the violent discipline of children (at 72.04 per cent) by caregivers.
- 21.7 per cent of adolescents reported they experienced a mental health problem over the past year. Anxiety (18.6 per cent) and depression (4.3 per cent) are the most prevalent among Vietnamese adolescents.
- Compounding and further threatening the gains made for children are the country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts, with storms, floods, typhoons, droughts and saltwater intrusion disproportionately affecting children and poor families.
UNICEF Viet Nam works day in, day out, to address these challenges, contributing to achieve tangible results for every child.
2022 results – Child Survival
- Since 2021, UNICEF has procured more than 85 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and supported efforts to raise awareness about the vaccines.
- UNICEF supported the Government in strengthening routine child immunization coverage.
- UNICEF supported awareness-raising and system-strengthening on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services.
- In UNICEF-supported provinces, roughly 45,000 pregnant women received antenatal care at least four times, over 73,600 mothers were supported by skilled birth attendants and around 67,500 newborns received early essential newborn care.
- UNICEF supported the health authorities to increase resources and focus on nutrition. This included a study on the impacts of a proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) on disease prevalence.
- UNICEF supported assessing the nutrition status of children and provided therapeutic products. We advocated that children’s lives matter, highlighting the need for increased attention and resources – this means including therapeutic products in health insurance for children.
“She has not been sick and could eat well! She doesn’t cry as much as before. Now I feel better going to work. I am very thankful to the health worker, UNICEF, and the government for providing us with this product and support.”
Mother of a 1-year-old girl from Dien Bien, who benefited from UNICEF-supported therapeutic food
- UNICEF supported the upgrading of WASH systems with innovative climate-resilient technology such as water-recycling zero net toilets, rainwater devices and solar power to provide clean water and safe sanitation for 20,000 people, including school children.
- Events like National WASH Week, World Handwashing and Toilet days contributed to raising awareness among communities and increasing investments in WASH. This involved WASH in schools, reaching more than 10,000 people including 7,223 students – of which 6,322 were from ethnic minority backgrounds and 64 with disabilities.
“Since we have clean water at school, I don’t get sick often anymore. Before, when there was no water at school, it was hard. I had to go home to use the bathroom and wash my hands.”
A 9-year-old girl from Dien Bien enjoys clean water at her school with support from UNICEF.
2022 results – Education
“In my childhood, there was no television, let alone tablets. When teachers told us different scientific theories, we could only imagine how they worked in real life.”
A teacher from Lao Cai is excited about the wonderful changes sparked by digital transformation in education.
- 21 million children benefitted from improved education policies including 700,000 children with disabilities and almost three million from ethnic communities.
- UNICEF worked with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in reopening schools, and recovering lost learning, with an emphasis on building back better through more resilient and crisis-informed planning.
“It is not only us teaching him, but he is also teaching us how to love our children.”
Father of a 6-year-old boy from Ninh Thuan, who joins the journey with his son to overcome challenges of mental disabilities.
- UNICEF contributed to providing inclusive learning opportunities for children with disabilities, children of ethnic minorities and LGBTI children.
- UNICEF partnered with Education authorities and the Global Digital Library to promote early childhood development and inclusive education by providing access to free early-grade reading resources in Vietnamese, ethnic and sign languages. 1,440 digital resources were made available in nine languages.
- UNICEF and partners collaborated to adapt virtual reality game modules to improve the concentration skills of children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
- UNICEF developed a study on school-related mental health risk factors as part of its support to MOET to embed positive mental health promotion, prevention and programming in schools.
- UNICEF conducted a market study analysing the benefits and challenges of installing rooftop solar power systems in public schools.
2022 results – Child Protection
- UNICEF network supported UN Joint Programme to reach more than 20 million people through awareness and behaviour change campaigns to end violence against women and children.
- UNICEF focuses on supporting the Government to strengthen the child protection regulatory framework, making the justice system more child-sensitive and enhancing the capacity of the workforce in the social welfare, health, education and justice sectors to provide strengthened child protection services and access to child justice.
- UNICEF helped ensure the availability of quality services for prevention, early identification and intervention in cases of child abuse, violence, trafficking, labour and commercial sexual exploitation, with referrals of thousands of survivors to rehabilitative and specialized services.
- UNICEF contributed to the development of an alternative care system for children in need of special protection, especially orphans and children affected by COVID-19. It enhanced case management skills for 700 frontline officers and supported 100 COVID-19 orphans from 600 assessed children.
- UNICEF leveraged partnerships with the Government, law enforcement, schools, businesses, and other stakeholders in safe internet usage to better protect children in the digital age.
“I often help my mom collect scraps and bottles on the street, I want my mother to have a better life. I want her to no longer be sick.”
A boy just started 2nd grade when he turns 13 in Ho Chi Minh City. He has had to work to support his mom since he was very small and never completed a school year due to his family constantly moving.
2022 results – Social Protection
- UNICEF conducted wide consultations with Government and NGO partners, sharing information and agreeing follow-up steps to the significant recommendations across all child rights areas made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
- UNICEF provided data and research to support the Government to develop more effective, equitable and climate-friendly social policies and programmes for children.
- UNICEF advocated to ensure public investments in children are adequate and reflected in the 2021-2030 National Financial Development Strategy.
- Parenting support reaching more than 10,000 parents in factories across Viet Nam by 2022
- UNICEF continued to collaborate with the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to promote Children’s Rights and Business Principles and responsible businesses across corporate practices, standards and public policies.
“Since receiving cash assistance, my daughter Duong has been able to improve significantly in school. She had to repeat her first grade, but was able to pass 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades smoothly.”
An ill mother in Da Nang City gets support from the social assistance programme, overcoming many challenges in keeping her kids, one of them has a mental disability, safe and healthy during COVID-19.
#UNICEFThanks
UNICEF results in Viet Nam were made possible by the generous support of all individuals, corporate donors, foundations, multilateral organizations and governments contributing to UNICEF Core Resources globally, as well as softly earmarked thematic funding received from various partners.
UNICEF Viet Nam would like to express its sincere appreciation for these contributions, which are delivering results for children in Viet Nam.
