Vietnam Biggest City Spends $5.62M on Poverty Reduction in 2012

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, the most populous city of Vietnam, spent VND118 billion ($5.62 million) on poverty reduction activities last year, said the city’s Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF). The VFF released the figure at a ceremony on April 2 to launch a campaign “For the Poor 2013”, encouraging more people to join hands in caring for the poor. Last year, the municipal Fund for the Poor helped build and repair nearly 2,000 gratitude houses, provide over 20,000 scholarships and 130 means of transport and offered soft loans to the poor. In addition, member organizations of the VFF raised nearly $20 million to carry out social welfare programs during the year. The rate of poor households in the city fell to 2.12% by end-2012 from 3.78% in 2011. (Tin Tuc – News April 3 p8)