Vietnam Reports 641,400 Hungry Families in Jan-Nov

Provinces and cities across Vietnam reported 641,400 families with more than 2.8 million people suffering from hunger in the first eleven months of this year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said. The number of hungry households dropped 31% compared with the same period last year, the Communist Party of Vietnam said on its website Dec. 11, citing the office. In November, the number of hungry families and people in Vietnam increased four folds from a month earlier due to typhoons Ketsana and Mirinae. Those suffering from hunger were mainly found in provinces in the midland and northern mountainous region, in the northern central and coastal central region, and in the central highlands region. The government has granted 40,000 tons of food and over VND40 billion ($2.2 million) to those suffering since the beginning of this year.