Vietnam

Vietnam has experienced many wars, and a division of the country in the 1950's. The American involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960's ended in the withdrawal of the US in 1973. A trade embargo on Vietnam declared by the US was soon joined by other Western countries. Finland, instead, chose not to boycott but to help Vietnam, recognizing the country in 1972.

Vietnam was united in 1975, but the trade embargo stayed in place until 1994, and since then the country has been developing swiftly. Despite this, 21.5% of the Vietnamese still survive under the poverty line. A large majority of the poor are minority peoples living in the North-Western mountains of Vietnam.

The FELM partners in Vietnam are AFESIP-Vietnam and Church World Service.

AFESIP offers a safe haven for the young women rescued from the hands of human trafickers. While in the safe house, the women are given occupational training.
Church World Service supports the development of villages, the education of children, and the health care particularly among the minorities in the scarcely populated regions.

Information on Vietnam

• Population 88.5 million
• Buddhists 9.3%, Catholics 6.7%, Protestants 0.5%, Non-religious 80.8%
• Gross national income per capita 790 dollars (2007)
• Share of the population living with less than US$1/day 21.5%
• Adult literary rate 90.3%
• Life expectancy 74 years
• Proportion of the HIV infected from the 15-49-year-olds 0.5%