VIETNAM

Viet Nam has a population of 93,448,000 people (UNESCAP 2015), and UNESCAP report 2015 indicated that a total of 7.8%, there are an estimated minimum of 6,074,543 people with disabilities living in Viet Nam.

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In Viet Nam, more than six million persons age 5 or older, or approximately 7.8% of the population, have a disability according to the 2009 Census. However, recent statistics based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) framework, known as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), showed that disabled persons accounted for 15.3%  of the country’s population.

A vast majority of people with disabilities in Viet Nam, or 75%, live in rural areas and attend school at rates far below those of non-disabled persons. Literacy rates are much lower for adult persons with disabilities (76.3%) than those without disabilities (95.2%).

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In the world of work, few people with disabilities have stable jobs and regular incomes. Many remain outside of formal employment systems. As a group, they have lower labour participation rates and higher unemployment rates in both rural and urban areas than people without disabilities. In urban areas, disabled persons are three times more likely to be unemployment than persons without disabilities (4.3% compared with 14%). With low levels of education and training, most people with disabilities cannot cover their daily expenses.  As a result, they and their families face numerous difficulties. Approximately 80% of disabled persons in urban areas and 70% in rural areas depend on their families, relatives and social allowances.