Viet Nam has a population of approximately 86 million people. Since the beginning of the “doi moi” reforms in 1986 Viet Nam has made remarkable progress in terms of economic and social development. Productivity has increased tremendously and the structural changes towards a market-based economy are considerable and have been supported by Viet Nam’s membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which it joined in 2007.
The ILO Office in Viet Nam opened in 2003. A national cooperation Framework on Promoting Decent Work (2006-2010) was signed by ILO and its constituents on 12 July 2006. Currently, the ILO’s work in the country covers a wide range of areas including social insurance, employment and enterprise development, occupational safety and health, industrial relations and the ratification of ILO Conventions, and the formulations of labour laws. A Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) is expected to be finalized soon.
Since 2006 Viet Nam has been a One UN pilot country. The ILO has integrated all its activities into the One UN Plan clustered around three strategic priority areas. These include employment and sustainable enterprise development, social protection, and labour market governance. In addition, the core ILO concerns of social dialogue, international labour standards and gender are integrated into each of these priority areas of work.