The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) of Britain recently released a report on five Southeast Asian examples in development, including Vietnam.
Dr. Liesbet Steer, a co-author of the report, said the report evaluated living conditions, healthcare, education, public voices in political life and several other criteria.
ODI said, to some extent, living standards in Vietnam and the other four exemplary nations of Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos have improved very impressively.
The institute described Vietnam’s achievements as “respectable”, especially in poverty alleviation.
Vietnam has reportedly managed to cut the poverty rate by 44 percent in just almost 20 years, from 58 percent in early the 1990s down to 14 percent in 2008.
ODI highlighted the economy’s drastic growth and its progress in human development with a sharp drop in child mortality.
The institute also recognised major progress made by Laos in rural hygiene, thanks to its success in renovating the water supply and distribution system.
Dr Steer emphasised Cambodia’s reforms in primary and secondary education at the same time as a major achievement, equipping youth with good knowledge on entering the labour market.
The achievement had brought about a difference for the nation when most other nations were only able to invest in primary and secondary education turn by turn, she explained.
The author, however, encouraged Cambodia to pay more attention to improving its educational quality in the future.
The ODI attributed success in Asia, Africa and South America to national leaders, who, it said, were far-sighted and capable of encouraging public involvement in leadership at all levels, as well as being able to generate favourable conditions for initiatives and reforms to be implemented smoothly.
(VNA/VOVNews)
