Habitat for Humanity in Vietnam
Habitat for Humanity began working in Vietnam in January 2001 with its first project in Danang City in the central coastal region. As of June 2014, Habitat has enabled more than 13,300 low income Vietnamese families to improve their living conditions through decent homes, clean water and safe sanitation. HFH Vietnam has also provided training in areas such as disaster preparedness, financial education, and hygiene practices to more than 56,000 individuals.
The housing need in Vietnam
Vietnam has lifted more than 35 million people out of poverty since the early 1990s due to rapid economic growth and reforms. However, nearly 11 percent of Vietnam’s 90-million population is still living below the national poverty line of 400,000 Vietnamese dong (about US$20) per month in rural areas. Low-income families living in poorly built housing are trapped in annual cycles of repairs. More than half of rural dwellers lack adequate sanitation while more than one third do not have access to clean water. Every seven in 10 persons also face the risk of typhoons, torrential storms and flooding which hit Vietnam annually.
How Habitat addresses the need in Vietnam
HFH Vietnam partners with low-income families to build, repair or upgrade their homes with families contributing “sweat equity” or their own labor, and typically repaying the costs through microfinance loans. International volunteers provide a hand-up by building alongside the families. Habitat also enables families to build facilities for clean water and safe sanitation according to their needs. The partner organizations that Habitat works with include the local government and communities. The training that Habitat offers to its partners include appropriate construction technology, financial management, awareness and practice of proper hygiene, community-based disaster risk management.
VIETNAMCountry profile COUNTRY FACTS*
HABITAT FACTS
R e dB l a c k
G u l fo f
T o n k i n
L A O S
C H I N A
H A I N A N D A O
( C H I N A )
T H A I L A N D
C A M B O D I A
V I E T N A MC H I N A
Ho Chi Minh CityBa Ria-Vung Tau
Quang Nam
Tien Giang
Long An
H a n o iThai Binh
Thai NguyenPhu Tho
CapitalProjects National office
Hoa Binh
Hoang Sa
Truong Sa
Capital
Population
Urbanization Life expectancy
Unemployment rate
Population living below poverty line
Access to improved water sources
Access to improved sanitation facilities
When Habitat started in Vietnam 2001
Families served*More than 13,300
Volunteers hosted**More than 3,500
Housing solutions• Improving resilience of disaster-hit communities• Strengthening vulnerable households• Disaster response• Microfinance
Hanoi
93.4 million (July 2014 est.)
31 percent lives in cities (2011)
73 years
1.3 percent (2013 est.)
11.3 percent (2012)
95 percent (2012 est.)
75 percent (2012 est.)
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*Sources: World Factbook
* Cumulative figure since 2001 * * International and local volunteers hosted since 2001
International volunteers contribute their time and labor to build alongside the local community in Vietnam.
In Hoa Binh province, northern Vietnam, Habitat is providing safe shelter along with water and sanitation facilities to improve health and productivity of more than 80 low-income ethnic minority households. Living in a disaster-prone area, the families will also receive training to protect their lives and property from calamities.
Quang Nam province, located in the central coastal region of Vietnam, is among the poorest regions and often affected by disasters. HFH Vietnam aims to build resilience to natural disasters and climate change through housing solutions and community-based disaster mitigation training. Habitat also helps families to improve their health through clean water and safe sanitation
For seven years, Tran Thi Kieu Mai and her grand-daughter Nguyen Hoang Bao Vy had to endure extreme temperatures while living in an old and dilapidated house in Cho Gao district, Tien Giang province. During the dry season, they would feel stuffy in the house. When heavy rains poured, water would come into the house and made the mud floor soggy.
Mai and Vy moved into their Habitat house in September 2013. With a safe and decent house, she does not have to worry about annual repairs. She can now spend more time on earning a living as a seasonal laborer. According to Mai, her health has improved now that she has a clean living environment and a proper toilet. “I hope that the new home will bring us a new life,” said Mai.
In southern Vietnam, access to microfinance loans through HFH Vietnam’s implementing partner will enable 155 low-income households to improve their livelihood. The Nine Dragons project also trains families in community-based disaster risk management, and raising hygiene standards through the provision of adequate water-sanitation facilities.
HFH Vietnam helped 212 families in badly affected Quang Nam province to recover from Typhoon Nari which struck in October 2013. Shelter repair kits were provided along with training and assistance to help families repair their homes.
Strengthening vulnerable households
Improving resilience of disaster-hit communities Housing finance
Disaster response
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Meet a Habitat family
DONATE, VOLUNTEER or TITHE to help families break the poverty cycle through decent homes. To learn more about Habitat projects in Vietnam, please contact us.
Habitat for Humanity in Vietnam53/10 Tran Khanh Du Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh CityTel: +84 8 3526 5005Fax: +84 8 3526 5323Email: [email protected]
Social media: habitatvietnam.org twitter.com/HabitatVietnam
What you can do
Mai and her granddaughter Vy had to bear with the heat and dampness in their old house (left). Now that they have a Habitat home (right), they look forward to a new life.