Since 1975, unexploded ordnance from the war has claimed 42,000 lives and injured 62,000 people, with most victims being breadwinners, ethnic minorities, and children

Vietnam’s Party and State highly prioritise the rights of the disabled as seen in the implementation of a system of support policies to ensure favourable conditions for the group to equally exercise their rights.

Vietnam is one of the countries with a relatively high percentage of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

A conference to review the results of a project on expanding opportunities and improving the status for persons with disabilities for the 2021-2024 period was jointly organised by the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of central Thua Thien-Hue province and the Action to the Community Development Institute (ACDC) on August 14.

Persons with disabilities in the southern province of Dong Nai are expected to gain better access to social services and find it easier to integrate into society under a project launched on June 6.

A project on improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in areas heavily sprayed with Agent Orange was launched in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on June 5, with the support of the National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

The US Mission Embassy in Vietnam, through USAID, is providing assistance in various areas, including functional rehabilitation services, home care, social services, improving accessibility, promoting economic inclusion, and supporting the enforcement of the country’s policies on PWDs.

Over the past years, Vietnam has taken measures to assist persons with disabilities (PWDs) to access and use information technology, thus enabling them to integrate into the community to a greater extent.

The Vietnam Paralympic Committee is striving to attract 1.5 million out of more than 7 million persons with disabilities (PwDs) nationwide to participate in sports and physical activities by 2030.

Vietnam’s participation in and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty will be useful to promoting the disabled’s access to a richer diversity of publications, said Pham Thi Kim Oanh, Deputy Director of the Copyright Office of Vietnam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

An event was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 16 to mark the Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities (April 18).

The National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET) opened a seminar and photo exhibition in Hanoi on December 19 in support of Agent Orange (AO) victims.

A series of activities to promote equality, progress and integration of the blind in ASEAN was launched by the Vietnam Blind Association (VBA)’s Central Committee on December 9.

An array of programmes and policies have been devised to support people with disabilities across the country, said Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi.

There is a serious shortage of data on specific groups of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Vietnam, especially those who are most marginalised, including persons with hearing and learning difficulties.

A Vietnam representative affirmed the country's commitment to promote the rights of the persons with disabilities (PwDs) while attending a meeting held in New York on June 14 - 16.

The United Nations has recently launched a joint project, themed “Working together for an inclusive future. Implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) through effective collaboration.”

Comprehensive, Accurate, and Secured are the key words that can describe a digital platform, which now can also be accessed via smartphones, for registry and information management for persons with disabilities (PwD), launched on June 15 as part of the Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project (KV-MAP).

About 20,000 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Vietnam receive vocational training each year under the vocational training project for rural labourers.

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) convened the second week of its 46th regular session from March 1 to 5, with debates on promoting civil and political rights along with economic, cultural, and social rights, including the rights of the child and of persons with disabilities (PWDs).