ANSWERS FOR
THE INTERVIEW OF RURAL TODAY NEWSPAPER
1. Viet Nam is facing massive rural to urban migration. What are the positive and
negative aspects of this trend?
Migration from rural areas to urban ones is a reality in Viet Nam and one that
must be accepted and addressed to ensure urbanization is the positive force it can be.
Cities often concentrate poverty, but they also represent poor people’s best hope of
escaping it. Viet Nam’s cities play a key role in the country’s development as engines of
economic, social and cultural development. This would not be possible without the
many migrants who contribute to this development through their work, often in
factories.
The reasons for Vietnamese migrating to urban areas are numerous. Most move
in search of employment or to improve their living conditions. In short, people move to
cities in hope of a better life – for themselves and also for their families. Wages are
higher in urban than in rural areas, there are more jobs in the cities, services are
generally better, as are educational opportunities. The positive impacts or rural to urban
migration are often obvious for the individuals who migrate and are able to access these
opportunities, and for their families who benefit from the money spent home to them.
Migrants often do difficult and dangerous jobs that are necessary for cities to run
smoothly – they collect rubbish, they sell fruit, they work at construction sites – and
their social and economic contributions are significant for the cities in which they reside
and for society as a whole.
It is true that there are also numerous challenges relating to urbanization in Viet
Nam and elsewhere. Rural to urban migrants are often poor. They tend to live in
overcrowded, polluted and dangerous conditions. The pressures of urban lifestyle can
cause stress, especially for women, who are largely responsible for food, water,
sanitation and household management. Many urban migrants, are young. They may be
sexually active – indeed some of them may be forced to undertake risky behaviour like
sex work – and they may lack accurate information or the means and services to protect
themselves. This puts them at risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted
infections like HIV.
The bottom line is that urbanization is reality in Viet Nam. It has to be accepted.
The fact that many new urban-dwellers are poor must also be accepted and addressed
when planning for this future growth. It is important to adopt pre-emptive policies that
address the challenges and embrace the opportunities of urban growth. It is also
important that a long term perspective be taken when planning for future urban
growth.
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2. In your opinion, what can Vietnamese policymakers do for better life of migrants?
What have been done and what can do more?
I think Vietnamese policymakers understand that urbanization and the
movement of people from the countryside to the cities is a complex issue that involves
both enormous benefits as well as huge challenges. The challenge for Viet Nam – and
for many other developing countries – is to adopt a long-term approach that will enable
sustainable economic and social development, that will ensure inclusive distribution of
the potential benefits of urbanization rather than widen the gaps between the rich and
the poor, and that will ensure the long term liveability of Vietnamese cities. Among
other things, this involves planning health and education services to cater for an
increasing number of people and looking at the sustainability of urban land use.
Viet Nam has recognized the link between economic growth and urbanization
but, as elsewhere in the world, it faces a challenge in addressing the fast rate of
urbanization that is currently underway. Ultimately, it is for the Vietnamese
Government to decide which policies are best for it, whether in dealing with issues of
household registration, deciding on the best way to provide quality services to its
people, or ensuring sustainable development – in cities and rural areas. The government
has, in the recent past, made several changes to the household registration system, and
I rest assured it will continue to review.
During 2005, the Parliamentary Committee for Social Affaires conducted
research on urban migration policy and I would like quote the conclusions and
recommendations:

It was noted there have not been any articles of law promulgated or ordinance
proclaimed to specifically regulate urban migration;

Migrants should be considered as a driving force in the social and economic
development process, in the economic and labour structure transition, in job
generation and in sustainable socio-economic development. The Central
Executive Committee of Communist Party should address and the Board of
Secretary on Central Executive Committee of Communist Party should direct,
these issues for local implementation;

Parliament should put migration issues into bills, such as the “Bill on residence”.
Also it consider preparation of a bill on migration;

When fanalising national budget, Parliament should give priority to provinces
receiving the most migrants, and use the budget to publicize urban migration
issues;

More investment should go to rural areas and the development of satellite cities
in order to prevent the growth of mega cities;

The Government needs to assign a ministry to be the focal agency for the state
management of urban migration issues; and
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
The Government should encourage local authorities to look after the living
condition of migrant to facilitate the integration of and to prevent migrants
being discriminated against;
3. With the current migration trend, what your imagination about the big cities of Viet
Nam in the next ten years?
In my opinion, if the migration trend from rural to urban continues, as it surely
will, the big cities of Viet Nam will become more and more densely populated, as a
result of which it will be very difficult to public and private share space, and housing for
residents, without strategic interventions to assist in planning urban growth. Increasing
densities, combined with rapidly rising land prices, gradual privatization of public
spaces, and commercial land, development have reduced the per capita availability of
and access by the poor, to these spaces. The combination of motorbikes, auto and
industrial pollution is imposing a serious threat to human health and quality of life. Our
cities are facing many environmental risks. These new risks, e.g. traffic accidents,
environmental pollution, respiratory disease due to industrial air and water pollution
will add to long-standing and well-known risks, e.g. waterborne disease due to poor
sanitary systems. The high density population also place greater demands, on the social
services, such as education and health which will challenge the capacity of those
services, and the infrastructure which supports them. The affluent segments of the
population are perceived to benefit from development. And, theoretically, with their
better resources, to have a greater capacity to protect themselves from both old and
new risks. The poor and the disadvantaged suffer from a perilous environment due to
their lack of resources. Quality of life issues of become critical policy challenges with
rapid expansion of and unstable urbanization in big cities.
International organizations, including UNFPA and UN-Habitat, can do at least
three things to help national and local governments, as well as civil society movements,
to promote a better future for cities and their residents in the developing world. First,
they can help to bring about necessary changes in policy outlook by influencing planners
and policymakers to adopt more proactive and creative approaches to urban migration.
These approaches should build on, rather than discourage, the efforts of poor
individuals and groups to gain more secure, healthy and gainful homes and livehoods in
urban centers. Second, international organization can help demonstrate better ways to
reduce rates of urban growth, thereby giving policymakers more leeway to tackling
urban problems. The major component of urban growth in today’s developing countries
– natural increase – can best be addressed through poverty reduction, promotion of
women’s rights and better reproductive health services. Third, international
organizations can help policymakers and the different segments of civil society make
better decisions regarding the urban future by encouraging them to generate and use
solid sociodemographic information.
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