Summary: Non-signatory Vietnam has expressed support for the convention’s humanitarian objectives, but says concerns with key provisions of the convention must be overcome before it can accede. Vietnam has participated as an observer in the convention’s meetings, but abstained from a UN resolution on the convention in December 2015. Vietnam states that it has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions. The United States (US) used air-delivered cluster munitions extensively in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s.

Policy

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Vietnam supports the humanitarian objectives of the convention, but says it cannot join until it ensures that it is able to meet the requirements of the convention, particularly the requirements to clear cluster munition remnants and assist victims.[1] Officials regularly state that Vietnam is studying the convention and implications of acceding.[2]

On 7 December 2015, Vietnam abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which urges states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[3] A total of 140 states voted in favor of this non-binding resolution, including many non-signatories.

In its explanation of the vote, Vietnam told the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, “We advocate the humanitarian aim of the Convention on Cluster Munitions to end unacceptable harm to innocent civilians caused by cluster munitions.” It went on to state that:

A number of important obligations under the Convention remain of concern to us. The Convention still lists its proportional responsibility for victim assistance and remnant clearance first in affected countries, most of which are developing countries. Another difficulty is the ability to meet the clearance obligation under article 4 of the Convention.”[4]

Since 2008, Vietnam has expressed concern at its 10-year deadline to clear areas contaminated by cluster munition remnants, which it has estimated could take it “decades, even a hundred year[s] to fully complete.” Vietnam says the convention lacks a “mechanism” for ensuring international support and cooperation. It wants to see certain states join the convention, including “cluster munitions users, producers and exporters” that “must be responsible for assisting affected countries.”[5]

Vietnam participated in two of the international Oslo Process diplomatic conferences to develop the convention text, but attended the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008 and the Oslo Signing Conference in December 2008 only as an observer.[6] It attended a regional conference on cluster munitions in Bali, Indonesia in 2009 and an international conference in Santiago, Chile in 2010.

Vietnam participated as an observer in the convention’s First Review Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September 2015, but did not make any statements. Vietnam has participated as an observer in all of the convention’s Meetings of States Parties (except in 2014) as well as intersessional meetings in 2011–2014.

Vietnam is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Vietnam signed the Convention on Conventional Weapons in 1981, but has not ratified any of its protocols.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In September 2012, Vietnam informed States Parties, “We do not produce, store, use or encourage to [sic] use cluster munitions.”[7]

In the past, some officials have said that Vietnam does not stockpile cluster munitions, but others were less certain.[8] A May 2010 position paper states that “foreign reports” show that Vietnam has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.[9]

However, Jane’s Information Group cites the Vietnam Air Force as possessing KMGU submunition dispensers.[10]

The US used air-delivered cluster munitions extensively in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s. The 50th anniversary of the beginning of the US war in Vietnam in March 1965 has seen major media outlets cover the legacy of US cluster munition use in Vietnam.[11]

Contaminated by: cluster munition remnants (massive contamination, extent unknown), landmines (extent of contamination unknown), and other unexploded ordnance (UXO). 

Non-signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty 

Non-signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

The extent of cluster munition and mine contamination is unknown. Most clearance of cluster munition remnants is conducted by the Army Engineering Corps, which did not provide data for 2015. Survey and clearance of cluster munition remnants by international operators increased in 2015 with 13.27km² of hazardous area confirmed, 0.085km² of suspected hazardous area (SHA) canceled, and 9.83km² of hazardous area cleared, resulting in the destruction of 7,946 submunitions. BOMICEN-managed demining teams continued to operate in Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces in 2015 and cleared 1km², but gave no details of what items were destroyed.

Recommendations for action 

• The Socialist Republic of Vietnam should prepare a multi-year clearance plan, including prioritization criteria and the application of efficient survey methodology.
• Vietnam should accelerate development of a national database and make data available to operators on a timely basis.
• Vietnam should publish comprehensive annual reports on the results of survey and clearance by all operators, national and international.

Cluster Munition Contamination

Vietnam is massively contaminated by cluster munition remnants, but no credible estimate exists of the extent (to the nearest hundred square kilometer). The United States (US) dropped 413,130 tons of submunitions over Vietnam between 1965 and 1973, striking 55 provinces and cities, including Haiphong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Vinh. Vietnam’s Military Engineering Command has recorded finding 15 types of US-made submunitions.[1] Most submunition types used by the US were air-dropped, but artillery-delivered submunitions were also used in central Quang Binh and provinces to the south of it.[2]

The Military Engineering Command says it has encountered substantial amounts of cluster munitions abandoned by the US military, notably at or around old US air bases, including eight underground bunkers found in 2009, one of them reportedly covering an area of 4,000m2 and containing some 25 tons of munitions.[3]

Mine Contamination

Vietnam’s mine problem is small compared with its explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination, but the extent is unknown. Most mines were left by conflicts in the 1970s with neighboring Cambodia and China, and affect areas close to its borders with those countries.[4] Some mines have also been found around former US military installations.[5] 

Vietnam cleared an area up to 1km deep along its northern border under an agreement with China, but areas further inland from the border are still contaminated with mines emplaced by the military of both countries. Since 2004, military engineers have reportedly cleared around 95km² of contaminated land in the northern provinces of Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Lang Son, and Quang Ninh bordering China under a project known as “Programme 120,” destroying mainly Type 72, K58, and PPM-2 antipersonnel mines.[6]

Cambodian border areas were affected by randomly placed mines reflecting the more irregular nature of the fighting there,[7] but Engineering Command reported in 2013 that the problem had been eliminated.[8] Many ports and river deltas were mined extensively during the war and were not completely cleared when it ended and some sea mines have been found on the coast.[9]

Program Management

Vietnam’s mine action program has shifted from military management to civilian oversight but operations continue to depend largely on the armed forces. In 2013, Vietnam announced a Prime Minister’s decision to establish a national mine action center (VNMAC) to strengthen the direction of mine action and provide a focal point for mine action operations.[10] However, although VNMAC reports to the Prime Minister’s office, the decision assigned responsibility for managing and coordinating the national mine action program to the Ministry of Defense. VNMAC was given the responsibility to propose policy, draw up plans, serve as the focal point for international cooperation, lead fundraising, and “preside over” mine action information management. It is also responsible for organizing and implementing quality assurance.[11] The government appointed VNMAC’s director and two deputy directors in 2014 and the center became officially operational in February 2015.[12] Prior to this, a Prime Minister’s Decision in 2006 assigned the Ministry of National Defense to oversee mine action at the national level with clearance undertaken by the Army Engineering Corps of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN).[13] BOMICEN, part of the Ministry of National Defense, had acted as a central coordinating body for clearance and survey by national operators.[14] 

International operators conclude agreements to work in Vietnam with the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee but negotiate their program of operations separately with the authorities of each province.

Quang Tri province, which includes the former demilitarized zone that separated North and South Vietnam and is one of the most heavily contaminated regions, approved the creation of a Legacy of War Coordination Centre (LWCC) in February 2015. The LWCC, provided by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), is responsible for drawing up an annual workplan, coordinating operations of NPA and Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and operates a database integrating mine action data of all operators, including the results of NPA’s and MAG’s integrated survey and clearance operations.[15]

Strategic planning 

VNMAC reported that priorities for 2015−2016 included drafting and issuing a decree on mine action, fundraising for VNMAC’s headquarters, developing a national database, conducting mine action programs in Ha Tinh province using Japanese funding, and developing and implementing mine action in Vietnam’s most contaminated provinces.[16]

Operators 

Most clearance in Vietnam is conducted by the Army Engineering Corps, whose officials have previously reported operating some 250 mine and battle area clearance (BAC) teams, including those of around 50 military companies.[17] Four international humanitarian operators active in Vietnam in 2015 included, Danish Demining Group (DDG), MAG, NPA, and PeaceTrees Vietnam.

Land Release (Cluster Munition Remnants) 

No results for 2015 were available for operations by VNMAC and the Army Engineering Corps, which account for most clearance.

Survey and clearance of cluster munition contamination by international operators accelerated in 2015, with 13.27km² of hazardous area confirmed, 0.085km² of SHA canceled, and 9.83km² of hazardous area cleared.

Survey in 2015 (cluster munition remnants) 

In 2015, survey in Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, and Quang Binh provinces confirmed 13.27km² of cluster munition contamination across 410 areas (see table below).

After a pilot project in 2014, Quang Tri provincial authorities approved a project under which NPA concentrated on conducting its cluster munition remnants survey (CMRS) while MAG cleared the confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) generated by NPA’s survey. The project aims to complete clearance of all the province’s main contaminated areas by 2020. Both operators expanded capacity supported by multi-year funding from the US. NPA, partnering Project Renew, had a total operations staff of 152, which included 21 CMRS teams, five explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams, and one 10-strong team of “BAC searchers.”[18]

MAG also operated in the neighboring province of Quang Binh conducting non-technical and technical survey as well as clearance, working from evidence points established during spot EOD tasks.[19]

Cluster munitions survey in 2015[20]

Clearance in 2015 (cluster munition remnants) 

Vietnam’s Army Engineering Corps and military-affiliated commercial companies have previously reported clearance of several hundred square kilometers a year, but no information was received for operations in 2015.[21] International operators reported clearance of 9.8km² for the year (see table below).

Land released through clearance by international operators rose sharply in 2015 as a result of a nearly fivefold increase in clearance by MAG compared with the previous year. MAG added 14 mine action teams and seven brush-cutting teams in 2015, bringing the total number of staff to 377.[22] MAG’s increased focus on clearance in Quang Tri also led to a downturn in spot EOD tasks in 2015.

Clearance of cluster munition-contaminated areas in 2015

Note: APM = antipersonnel mines; AVM = antivehicle mines.

PeaceTrees Vietnam, operating in Quang Tri province, said it employed 29 technicians who cleared 101,868m2 and destroyed a total of 3,031 items of UXO, but did not specify clearance of cluster munition remnants or provide any other details.[23]

DDG, which established a presence in Vietnam in 2013 initially conducting risk education in Quang Nam province, started deploying EOD teams on spot tasks in June 2015, and in December started BAC focused on cluster munition remnants. By the end of March 2016, it had completed 105 BAC tasks releasing 43,414m².[24]

Spot/roving clearance and EOD in 2015

Land Release (Mines)

VNMAC reported that BOMICEN-managed demining teams continued to operate in Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces in 2015 and cleared 1km² but gave no details of what items were destroyed. The Ministry of Defense announced a two-year VND74 billion (US$3.5 million)[25] project to clear a 6.6km² area of mines and ERW in Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, starting in November 2013. VNMAC said mine clearance operations in the provinces would continue in 2016.[26]

No other systematic survey or clearance of mined areas was reported in 2015. International operators focused on tackling cluster munition remnants and other types of ERW and as part of those operations reported clearance of a total of 20 landmines in 2015.[27]

The Monitor gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review supported and published by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), which conducted mine action research in 2016 and shared it with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is heavily contaminated by explosive remnants of war (ERW), mainly unexploded ordnance (UXO) dating back to the war with the United States (US) in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s. Vietnam contains some of the most widespread and extensive contamination from cluster munition remnants in the world.[1]

In 2015, as in previous years, Vietnam did not report national contributions to mine action, but it was reported in the media that Vietnam was spending $30 million per year on mine clearance work.[2] The lack of transparency and legislative oversight makes tracking government expenditures for mine action difficult. In April 2010, Vietnam released its 2010–2025 National Mine Action Plan. Although the plan did not include projected costs, a media article at the time of the plan’s release reported Vietnam “annually invests hundreds of billions of dong on disposing UXO and supporting victims.”[3]

In 2015, seven donors contributed US$7.1 million for clearance, victim assistance, and risk education; this is similar to international funding received in 2014.[4] As in 2014, the US and the United Kingdom (UK) provided the largest contributions with a combined total of $5.6 million, which represents 78% of total international assistance provided in 2015.

International contributions: 2015[5]

International contributions to mine action in Vietnam have been relatively consistent since 2011, with some $40 million provided representing an average of $8 million per year.

Summary of contributions: 2011–2015[6]

Summary action points based on findings

• Adequate data collection mechanisms for the identification of victims and assessment of their needs are needed. Lack of a comprehensive and nationwide data collection system impairs accessibility and delivery of services.
• Increased support to the rehabilitation sector is needed; it was estimated that less than 10% of mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors were able to access rehabilitation programs.
• More opportunities are needed for survivors and other persons with disabilities to participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of coordination and planning.
• Greater efforts are needed to provide psychological support to victims.

Victim assistance commitments

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is responsible for landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other ERW.

Casualties

Casualties Overview

Details and trends

On the basis of incomplete data,[1] at least 24 new mine/ERW casualties were identified in Vietnam in 2014, including four from cluster submunitions. All casualties were civilians and three were female. All but one of the casualties were adults.[2] While the 2014 total represented a significant decrease from the 50 casualties in 2013 and the 73 casualties reported in 2012, with no nationwide data collection mechanism, it is impossible to say whether casualties actually decreased.

At least 105,035 mine/ERW casualties (38,958 killed; 66,077 injured) have been reported in Vietnam. It was reported that from 1975 to the end of 2007, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) recorded 104,701 mine/ERW casualties (38,849 killed; 65,852 injured).[3] A 2014 report by MoLISA indicated that there were 5,094 survivors of mines/ERW in Quang Tri province.[4] The total number of casualties is not known due to a lack of adequate data and the absence of a nationwide casualty data collection mechanism.[5] The semi-governmental organization Project RENEW recorded 8,516 mine/ERW casualties (including 3,422 people killed) between 1975 and 2015 in Quang Tri province alone.[6]

Cluster munition casualties

At least 2,123 casualties from incidents involving cluster munition remnants were reported as of the end of 2014. However, one estimate put the likely total of such casualties as high as 34,000.[7] In many cases, the type of explosive remnants causing casualties could not be determined and all these were recorded as ERW casualties, although there were likely many among them caused by unexploded submunitions.[8] In addition, numerous casualties during cluster munition strikes have been reported.[9] A 2012 study of data for the period 1975–2009 found that 1% of the population of Quang Tri province had been involved in mine/ERW incidents and that unexploded submunitions were the main cause.[10]

Victim Assistance

The total number of mine/ERW survivors is unknown but has been estimated to be between 66,000 and 100,000.[11]

Summary of victim assistance efforts since 1999[12]

Vietnam does not have a national casualty data collection system. However, a major study of survivor needs was undertaken in 2006 and updated in 2010. Clear Path International (CPI) in Vietnam transitioned to national management. CPI continued the geographic expansion of passive casualty surveillance, while providing services to new survivors. Coordination among governmental bodies responsible for the provision of victim assistance and the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities improved considerably since 2010.[13] The number of survivors that received services by both government agencies and civil society organizations or NGOs gradually increased. The NGO and local government collaboration, Project RENEW, steadily increased its services to survivors and to the capacity-building of local medical institutions. Landmine Survivors Network Vietnam (LSNV) became the first organization to include survivors in the design and provision of services and the only international NGO to successfully transition from an international to a national NGO, becoming the Association for Empowerment for Persons with Disability (AEPD) in 2010.

By 2010, survivors had more opportunities to access free healthcare programs and inclusive education programs provided by the government and relevant organizations. Physical rehabilitation also improved in both quality and in the number of services available from existing service providers. Since 1995, the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD) has assisted the Vietnamese rehabilitation sector to both increase the quality of its services and expand their geographical coverage to virtually the entire country, while serving the country’s most vulnerable populations.

The results of an ICRC-commissioned impact assessment of its work in Vietnam were published in March 2013 by the independent Norwegian research organization, SINTEF. Among the findings were that only 10% of those receiving services would seek prostheses if required to pay for them because of the cost compared to the quality of prosthetics available from other sources, as well as travel and time restrictions. The report also highlighted that around two-thirds of the beneficiaries link income improvement directly to access to prosthetic services.[14] The assessment further found that there was relative gender parity regarding accessibility of services.[15] The greatest improvements seen by organizations representing mine/ERW survivors and persons with disabilities since the Monitor began reporting on Vietnam in 1999 have been in the development of laws designed to protect their rights and provide access to services. Gradual improvements were made in economic reintegration by creating more employment opportunities and increasing accessibility to available services. Improvements were also noted in social inclusion activities. Poor survivors in rural areas were especially vulnerable. Reaching survivors in remote and rural areas remained difficult for service providers and generally these populations did not receive adequate assistance.[16]

Victim assistance in 2014

In 2014, services for mine/ERW survivors continued to improve in quality, quantity, and accessibility in Vietnam. However, outside major population centers, accessibility to services and activities was lacking, particularly in remote areas. A decrease in funding forced one NGO to halt operations and has had an impact on remaining service providers. A national organization, the Vietnam Association for Supporting Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)/Mine Action (VNASMA), with a mandate to support victim assistance as well as other activities was founded.

Assessing victim assistance needs

An ongoing nationwide impact survey conducted by the National Steering Committee for Mine Action (NSCMA) included information regarding casualties. The Vietnam Bomb/Mine Action Center (VBMAC), which is the secretariat for the NSCMA, also hosts the national database on casualties, which became operational in September 2011.[17] Despite these efforts, a lack of nation-wide reliable data on victims, affected communities, and their needs remained a barrier for effective victim assistance in Vietnam in 2014.[18]

MoLISA is responsible for the collection and management of information regarding persons with disabilities overall, including mine/ERW survivors.[19] A disability information system, which includes information on demographics, employment, healthcare, and education, was adopted by the Ministry of Health after a pilot project.[20]

In 2014, there were ongoing NGO activities to assess the needs of the survivors through regular implementation of projects and services.[21] During the year, Project RENEW worked with local institutions, including Health Service, Farmer’s Union, Women’s Union, Catholic Relief Services, and the Vietnamese Red Cross Society, to identify mine/ERW victims and families in need of support and what their needs were.[22]

Victim assistance coordination in 2014[23]

Victim assistance is coordinated under the “National Mine Action Program for Vietnam Period 2010–2025,” as well as the “Victim Assistance Project for the Period 2012–2015” managed and implemented by MoLISA in cooperation with relevant local authorities. MoLISA’s Department of Social Protection is directly responsible for coordination.[24]

 The Victim Assistance Project for the Period 2012–2015 framework details key actions to be taken, responsible or cooperating agencies, and annual budgets. The project framework does not specify timeframes for the actions or the method of coordination. On 4 December 2013, MoLISA chaired the first national workshop on victim assistance in Hanoi, which gathered representatives of different ministries and governmental bodies, local authorities, foreign countries, national and international organizations, as well as three mine/ERW survivors. This event led to improved coordination and cooperation among different stakeholders in the project.[25]

The first official national coordination body of disabled persons’ organizations, the Vietnam Federation on Disability (VFD), was established in March 2011.[26] In late 2014, the VNASMA was established. The VNASMA was mandated to increase awareness of risks posed by UXO and to support victims of mines/ERW.[27] The VNASMA carried out some victim assistance activities in 2015 and laid the groundwork for expansion at the provincial level.[28]

The National Coordinating Council for Disabilities (NCCD) is responsible for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It also liaised with national and foreign organizations to provide protection, support, physical access, education, and employment to persons with disabilities, however the VFD began to take on some of its work.[29]

Non-governmental service providers also sometimes discussed the implementation of victim assistance at meetings of the Landmine Working Group.[30]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

The inclusion of mine/ERW survivors and persons with disabilities or their representative organizations in the planning and provision of victim assistance increased in 2014. They were consulted in the planning or monitoring of programs and activities. They also attended meetings, seminars, or workshops to contribute recommendations and share lessons learned in regards to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.[31]

Despite this increase, survivors and other persons with disabilities did not have many opportunities to participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of plans. MoLISA officially consults ministries and departments, however, in some cases the opinions and comments of survivors and other persons with disabilities or their representative organizations were taken into account.[32] Persons with disabilities and their representative organizations were consulted in the development or review of national programs, such as the national poverty reduction program, vocational laws, and various educational policies.[33]

Many NGOs have consulted survivors and other persons with disabilities on issues related to their needs and adjusted their services in accordance with survivors’ recommendations.[34]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[35]

Emergency and continuing medical care

In Vietnam’s central provinces, due to funding difficulties CPI stopped covering emergency medical care, surgery, rehabilitation, and prosthetics, as directed by the survivor’s physicians for survivors immediately following mine/ERW incidents and providing transportation and per diems during the patients’ treatment period. Although these services were extended to northern and southern provinces on a case-by-case basis in 2013; all services by CPI stopped in 2014.[36]

Based on a 2007 survey that found that 89.4% of trauma victims in Quang Tri province did not receive first-aid care, Project RENEW with Tromsø Mine Victim Resource Centre (TMC) and Quang Tri Department of Health undertook a project to improve trauma care. From 2007 until 2013, Project RENEW, TMC, and the Trauma Care Foundation from Cambodia ran annual trainings on “basic and advance life-support practices.” Although the project did not continue into 2014, more than 2,300 health workers in Quang Tri with 180 health workers from other provinces were certified and 1,200 village health volunteers were trained in first aid.[37]

Physical rehabilitation including prosthetics

The Ministry of Health has estimated that less than 10% of mine/ERW survivors were able to access rehabilitation programs in Vietnam.[38] In 2014, the ICRC SFD supported 1,180 persons with disabilities (60-70% of whom were mine/ERW survivors) to receive services including subsidized prostheses and mobility aids. About 20% of ICRC beneficiaries were new to the program in 2014. In 2014, the ICRC provided support to four rehabilitation centers. As part of the systematic quality monitoring system, the ICRC also conducted missions for technical support and quality assessment of services provided in the supported rehabilitation centers. Random assessments of patients receiving direct subsidies from the ICRC SFD were made and quality issues addressed with the partners concerned.[39] In March 2013, MoLISA issued a decision officially endorsing ICRC and partners’ recommendations regarding prosthetic and orthotic operational standards, which had been drawn up in December 2012.[40] In 2014, MoLISA and the Ministry of Health agreed to launch a national survey on mobility aids.[41]

MOLISA launched a project to improve rehabilitation services at commune health stations or clinics in 28 of the 58 provinces in Vietnam. In the pilot phase of this project, clinics in 10 provinces were upgraded to provide physical rehabilitation services, including for survivors. The project included trainings in psychological support and rehabilitation skills for health workers at the clinics.[42]

In 2014, Project RENEW provided support to persons with disabilities in four districts and also provided assistive devices.[43]

Economic and social inclusion and psychological support

Only 30% of persons with disabilities in Vietnam have stable employment or sufficient income to lead independent lives and support their families. A lack of decent work inhibits persons with disabilities from realizing their rights and often means they are living in poverty, at much higher rates than the general population.[44]

Those who require prostheses face even greater challenges if they are not able to acquire them.[45] In 2013, the VFD launched a project to be carried out in Hanoi and the three central provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Nam, and Binh Dinh over a three-year period to improve access to socioeconomic services for persons with disabilities.[46]

In 2014, CPI ended its micro-credit programs.[47] During the year, Project RENEW organized vocational training for mine/ERW survivors with visual impairments. Project RENEW maintained their micro-credit project, with 200 households participating in mushroom-growing for a sustainable income.[48] AEPD’s Supporting Livelihoods for Persons with Disabilities project ended in 2014; while a microcredit for livestock project to support persons with disabilities started during 2014.[49]

Psychological support was not widely available[50] and, although it was integrated in rehabilitation processes, did not receive separate government resources. Project RENEW organized a CBR training for 240 persons with disabilities and local health staff to improve peer support in communities.[51] Social inclusion services for survivors and other persons with disabilities were provided through both government and NGO programs.[52]

The ICRC SFD with the Spanish Red Cross and the Vietnamese Red Cross Society continued work on a social inclusion project in 2014.[53]

Laws and Policies

The first comprehensive national law providing for the rights of persons with disabilities came into effect in January 2011. The law prohibits discrimination against or maltreatment of persons with disabilities and requires equality in healthcare, rehabilitation, accommodation, education, vocational training, employment, and local transportation.[54]

In 2013 and 2014, James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery worked with Vietnamese organizations to promote the rights of persons with disabilities and the need to enforce the National Law on Persons with Disabilities. In 2014, 10 workshops were held regarding disability rights with participants including persons with and without disabilities as well as provincial government officials. AEPD also carried out a public awareness campaign on the rights of persons with disabilities.[55] AEPD integrated the needs of persons with disabilities into provincial disaster planning.[56]

Legislation requires that the construction or major renovation of new government buildings and large public buildings must include access for persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Construction units enforced accessibility regulations, primarily in major cities and pilot locations, as well as provided training on construction codes for inspectors and architectural companies in more than 22 provinces during the year.[57]

Vietnam ratified the CRPD on 5 February 2015. The (impending) ratification of the CRPD reportedly had already resulted in more coordination among stakeholders, review of the current legal situation of persons with disabilities, and discussions of best practices in implementation in 2014.[58]