Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Commend Viet Nam on Steps to Ensure Gender Equality in Employment, Raise Questions on Overcoming Negative Gender Stereotypes and Support for Victims of Trafficking and Prostitution
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the ninth periodic report of Viet Nam. Committee Experts commended the State party on steps taken to ensure gender equality in employment, while raising questions on how Viet Nam was working to overcome negative gender stereotypes and protect victims of trafficking and prostitution.
A Committee Expert commended the State party for strengthening its legal and policy framework for gender equality in employment. This included that the 2019 Labour Code had removed the list of prohibited occupations for women, expanded parental leave, clarified sexual harassment provisions, and aimed to reduce the retirement age gap to two years by 2035.
A Committee Expert said many programmes and policies had been adopted to overcome gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, which showed political will. However, negative gender stereotypes persisted within the State party, including those which perpetuated the role of women solely as the homemaker. What did the Government plan to do to combat this?
Another Expert said the Committee acknowledged the State party’s 2024 law on trafficking, which reflected Viet Nam’s commitment to strengthening its legislative framework in line with international standards. How was the law being implemented and what resources were allocated to it? How was it ensured that victim support services were adequately funded and equitably distributed nationwide? Did the State party plan to reduce or eliminate administrative penalties imposed on women in prostitution, and ensure their access to justice, support, and reintegration services?
Introducing the report, Thi Ha Nguyen, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs of Viet Nam and head of the delegation, said during the reporting period, Viet Nam had undertaken extensive legislation reform, harmonising domestic regulations with international standards on women’s rights. This included the Labour Code 2018, which introduced paternity benefits for male workers to encourage family responsibilities, and helped women pursue sustainable career development. A national strategy had been developed to narrow gender gaps and create equal opportunities for men and women. A series of programmes were being launched, including the national action plan on women, peace and security, the programme enhancing women in leadership, and a programme in response to gender-based violence, among others.
Responding to questions, the delegation said Viet Nam was undertaking many measures to implement the law on gender equality, focusing on all aspects of family life. Measures had been identified to eliminate gender-based stereotypes in all areas of social life. Codes of conduct had been issued regarding gender sensitive factors for all communication-based activities. Gender sensitive training programmes had also been conducted for journalists and reporters. Men with positive influence in society had been selected as gender equality ambassadors to promote positive masculinity within the community.
The delegation said nearly 23,000 sex workers had access to health support, and psychological and legal counselling. The human trafficking law was implemented throughout the country and the Ministry of Health handled victim recovery throughout the provinces. State budgets were allocated to anti-trafficking work, with priority for ethnic minorities and hard to reach localities. Victims were exempted from criminal prosecution; they were waived from criminal liability and not charged for illegal import and export if they were victims of trafficking.
In closing remarks, Ms. Nguyen said Viet Nam had approached the dialogue in a spirit of openness and would comprehensively report the outcomes of the dialogue to the Government. A national action plan would then be developed for the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.
In her closing remarks, Nahla Haidar, Committee Chair, said the Committee commended the State party for its achievements and continuous efforts and encouraged it to undertake all efforts to address the Committee’s recommendations.
The delegation of Viet Nam was comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs; the National Assembly of Viet Nam; the Ministry of Public Security; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Justice; and the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s ninety-second session is being held from 2 to 20 February 2026. All documents relating to the Committee’s work can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 4 February to begin its consideration of the eighth periodic report of Iraq (CEDAW/C/IRQ/8).
Report
The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Viet Nam (CEDAW/C/VNM/9).
Presentation of Report
THI HA NGUYEN, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs of Viet Nam and head of the delegation, said during the reporting period, Viet Nam had undertaken extensive legislation reform, harmonising domestic regulations with international standards on women’s rights. This included the Labour Code 2018, which introduced paternity benefits for male workers to encourage family responsibilities and helped women pursue sustainable career development.
Additionally, the law on social insurance 2024 expanded social security for women and broadened coverage to part time workers, narrowing the gender gap. The land law 2024 explicitly prohibited gender discrimination in land management and use, protecting women’s equal rights and access to land, and the law on domestic violence 2022 introduced practical support mechanisms, including the establishment of a national telephone hotline to provide support to victims. Other pieces of legislation positively impacting women included the State budget law, the legal aid law 2017, the law on support for medium sized enterprises 2017, and the population law 2025.
A national strategy had been developed to narrow gender gaps and create equal opportunities for men and women. A series of programmes were being launched, including the national action plan on women, peace and security, the programme enhancing women in leadership, and a programme in response to gender-based violence, among others. To ensure the highest level of implementation of the Convention, Viet Nam had institutionalised a mandatory legislative process. Under the law on promulgation of legal normative documents, all draft laws and decrees were required to undergo rigorous gender impact assessment procedures before submission to the National Assembly, helping to prevent and eliminate risks of indirect discrimination at the policy design stage.
Viet Nam had broken traditional gender stereotypes, an invisible barrier preventing women from advancing to higher positions in political and managerial systems, through the strong presence of women in the highest leadership bodies. Women now accounted for over 30 per cent of members of the National Assembly and People’s Councils, and the proportion of women participating in the Party Central Committee had been increasing consecutively over three terms. In the 2016-2026 period, women were holding strategic political, economic, and administrative leadership positions, such as the first female President of the National Assembly, and the first female Deputy Prime Minister, among others
Women were becoming a key driver of Viet Nam’s growth, with a labour force participation rate of 63 per cent, with the proportion of women business owners reaching 28.2 per cent. Gender gaps in the national education system had largely been eliminated, while women’s status in scientific research had been enhanced, with women accounting for 39 per cent of PhD holders. In healthcare, Vietnamese women’s life expectancy had reached 76.5 years, and the maternal mortality ratio was projected to decline to 42 per 100,000 live births by 2025. Additionally, Viet Nam had built an inclusive social safety net with more than 6,000 grassroot models to support victims of gender-based violence.
While the State party had achieved many encouraging results, difficulties remained. Social awareness, attitudes and behaviours regarding gender equality remained limited, due to the male chauvinism mindset. Another issue was gender gaps in politics, the economy, education and training, and healthcare, as well as implementation of the Convention. The Government of Viet Nam fully recognised these challenges and was implementing a series of measures to overcome them. Viet Nam approached today’s dialogue with a spirit of openness, sincerity and responsibility, and valued all comments and questions from Committee members.
Questions by Committee Experts
MADINA JARBUSSYNOVA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee welcomed Viet Nam’s continued engagement with the reporting process and noted the State party’s constitutional and legislative guarantees of gender equality. The Committee also acknowledged progress in key areas, including the high participation of women in the labour force, the near-universal enrolment of girls in primary education, and a steady decline in maternal mortality over the past decade. The Committee looked forward to a constructive and candid exchange with the delegation.
A Committee Expert said Viet Nam had launched its first national action plan for women, peace and security in 2024. What financial commitments had been put in place? In a country which was exposed to national hazards, how were women climate defenders being engaged in the national action plan? The world’s first legally binding instrument to respond to cybercrime had opened for signature in Hanoi three months ago, with the Secretary-General hailing it as historic. The Cybercrime Convention was now known as the Hanoi Convention, which should be congratulated. Viet Nam had also released the draft cybersecurity law 2025, and the personal data protection law that was adopted in January this year.
Although the Constitution of Viet Nam enshrined anti-discrimination, there was a lack of an anti-discrimination definition. How were businesses accountable for anti-discrimination? Had progress been made in developing a definition of discrimination? What were the guiding resolutions and guiding cases on the Convention and gender inequality? How many gender cases had been designated as a precedent? What measures were in place to ensure access to justice and access to free legal aid for women in the criminal justice system? How were women human rights defenders and journalists protected under the Constitution.
Last year, Viet Nam had abolished the death penalty for crimes against the State, and seven other criminal offences in Vietnamese law, marking a significant development. Would the State party consider the total abolition of the death penalty for all crimes?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Convention was already domesticised, illustrated by the plan developed to this effect. A new provision had been added on policy consultation, and consultations were considered important within draft laws. In 2024, the Prime Minister issued a national action plan for women 2030. The Viet Nam Women’s Union played an important role in mobilising women’s participation in the community. Recently, activities had been conducted by the Government to encourage women to participate in peace keeping, which now stood at 16.6 per cent.
In the Mekong Delta region, the Government was recommending a shift in crop structure to help balance the ecosystem, limit soil degradation, and improve water resources, measures which were designed to suit the traditional ethnic groups. Women participated in these programmes and documents were provided in appropriate languages for the ethnic minority groups. In 2025, Viet Nam had identified fundamental principles to protect citizens’ rights on personal data. The draft law on cyber security prescribed responsibility to the State to protect children, including girls from ethnic minority groups. Viet Nam had established a legal framework to address the risk of trafficking in persons.
The recent amendments to the Penal Code had reduced the number of offences which would result in a death sentence, from 18 to 10 offences. Many prisoners had their sentences converted from death to life sentences. Any prosecution of individuals followed the country’s laws with trials organised in a timely manner. There was no such thing as “prisoners of conscience”.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said Viet Nam had developed policies on women’s rights and adopted gender sensitive legislation during the last 20 years. The 2006 law on gender equality was constantly reviewed to achieve the goals laid out in it. The national strategy on gender equality (2011-2030) laid out more specific objectives and targets for enhancing gender equality in the Vietnamese society. The Viet Nam National Committee for the Advancement of Women, an inter-sectoral coordinating organization of the Government, had coordinated efforts to address cross-cutting issues related to the advancement of women nationwide.
However, the absence of a unified monitoring framework, gender responsive budgeting processes, and robust sex, ethnicity, and disability disaggregated data limited evidence-based policymaking.
What mechanisms ensured compliance by sectoral ministries and provincial authorities with gender equality obligations? What dedicated budgetary allocations were provided to the national machinery, and how was funding stability ensured? How did the Government regulate collecting gender disaggregated data? How did ministries provide Khmer-Krom women and H'mong Christian women accessibility to the State services on their own native languages? How did Viet Nam implement the 1325 United Nations Security Council Resolution? Were women actively participating in conflict resolution, for example concerning Cambodia and China border conflicts? How did the State party support activities of civil society? Was there a financial fund for sustainable independent activities?
MADINA JARBUSSYNOVA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said it was noted that Viet Nam had adopted important legal and policy frameworks promoting gender equality and women’s participation in public life. However, the concern remained that temporary special measures were not systematically used, particularly in areas where women continued to be underrepresented, including political decision-making, senior public administration, leadership positions and certain economic sectors.
How did the State party distinguish between general equality measures and temporary special measures under article 4? What specific temporary special measures, including quotas or targets, were currently in place to increase women’s representation in political and public decision-making? How did such measures benefit disadvantaged groups of women and were they monitored through clear indicators and timelines?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Ministry of Finance had the central role of allocating budgets for the programmes and policies on gender equality, ensuring budgets were allocated to the local authorities. There were several national programmes in place, including for the mountainous areas, which included support for ethnic minorities, including for pregnant adolescents. Projects had also been implemented to support women’s entrepreneurship and job creation. All programmes had been allocated substantial budgets. There were 180 women in Viet Nam’s steering Committee, and the proportion of female assembly deputies had risen significantly since 2016. During the reporting period, many women had held high profile positions within Viet Nam’s Government.
The law on gender equality regulated gender equality in politics, science and technology, and education and training, among other aeras. It needed to be ensured that there were at least 35 per cent of women in the National Assembly and other high-ranking positions. Viet Nam had more than 22 per cent of women leading businesses, which exceeded the 2025 targets of the national plan of gender equality. In the coming years, Viet Nam was committed to implementing further measures to achieve gender equality, particularly in politics.
The Viet Nam Women’s Union represented the rights and benefits of Vietnamese women at all levels. Through accountability mechanisms, every year the Government reported to the National Assembly on the national plan on gender equality.
Women played an important role in safeguarding the nation. From 1945 until now, Vietnamese women had had movements which stood out in history, including the long-haired movement. The Women’s Union had contributed to the preparation of legal documents on diplomacy, foreign affairs, and security and peace. Viet Nam had provinces which shared borders with three countries, and the women’s unions in these provinces worked closely with the unions of their neighbours in foreign countries, developing policies on the Sustainable Development Goals and foreign security. Women had actively worked with United Nations bodies on issues concerning peace and security.
More than 321 communes had centres for serving public administrative procedures to meet the population’s needs. The Government was working to complete databases to serve the people, including one for public services. Women were able to gain access to these services for their specific needs and demands. Measures had been implemented to support women in pregnancy, including through maternity leave. The national plan on economic development aimed to resolve issues with women and children in remote areas, including reproductive health programmes to reduce mother and child mortality.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said many programmes and policies had been adopted to overcome gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, which showed political will. However, negative gender stereotypes persisted within the State party, including those which perpetuated the role of women solely as the homemaker. What did the Government plan to do to combat this? When would the State party criminalise violence against women? When would the State party prevent violence in digital spaces, particularly against girls and women? Could data on economic, sexual and digital violence be provided? How was it ensured that shelters covered the diverse geographical regions of the country? What were the number of criminal cases of gender-based violence’?
Another Expert said the Committee acknowledged the State party’s 2024 law on trafficking, which reflected Viet Nam’s commitment to strengthening its legislative framework in line with international standards. How was the law being implemented and what resources were allocated to it? What steps were being implemented to ensure inspections translated into prosecutions, victim identification and support measures? What steps was the State party taking to streamline and standardise the victim identification process across ministries and provinces? How was it ensured that victim support services were adequately funded and equitably distributed nationwide?
What oversight mechanisms were in place to regulate labour export companies and recruitment agencies to prevent exploitation and trafficking of migrants and returnees? What specific mechanisms existed to guarantee transparency and impartial investigation when allegations of official complicity in trafficking cases were raised? Trafficking to other countries was on the rise, occurring primarily though the borders between Viet Nam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia and China, with trafficking to China accounting for 75 per cent of cases. What measures were being taken to prevent this and raise awareness? What steps had been taken to cooperate with police from neighbouring countries? Did the State party plan to reduce or eliminate administrative penalties imposed on women in prostitution, and ensure their access to justice, support, and reintegration services?
Another Expert said 20 years ago, the gender equality law in Viet Nam had enshrined equal opportunities for addressing stereotypes, which should be noted for future strategies. Was there a provision within the cyber law which prevented the sharing of deep fake intimate images?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Viet Nam was undertaking many measures to implement the law on gender equality, focusing on all aspects of family life. Measures had been identified to eliminate gender-based stereotypes in all areas of social life. Codes of conduct had been issued regarding gender sensitive factors for all communication-based activities. Gender sensitive training programmes had also been conducted for journalists and reporters. Response activities on gender-based violence had increased compared to the previous year. Men with positive influence in society had been selected as gender equality ambassadors to promote positive masculinity within the community. Changing perceptions and actions on gender equality was a long-term process which the State was committed to.
Viet Nam’s data collection was conducted through the national law on statistics. There were two surveys on violence against women and girls, with the most recent being conducted in 2019. The State was implementing the one-stop service for supporting girls and women who were victims of violence, “the Sunlight house”. There had been nine different models across provinces and cities which had been effective and had also been used to support trafficking victims. These temporary shelters had met the needs of women and girls who were victims of gender-based violence.
Solutions were being implemented, including reducing discrimination, to allow for the rehabilitation of women in prostitution. Staff officials were directed to provide support to victims of exploitation. Prostitution prevention was integrated into the education system. Nearly 23,000 sex workers had access to health support, and psychological and legal counselling. The human trafficking law was implemented throughout the country and the Ministry of Health handled victim recovery throughout the provinces. State budgets were allocated to anti-trafficking work, with priority for ethnic minorities and hard to reach localities.
A plan had been issued to combat human trafficking and support victims. Around 558 cases of trafficking had been identified, with many victims found to be under the age of 16. Viet Nam had also established a mechanism to ensure the early identification of women and girls who were victims of trafficking and violence, including migrant women, based on a victim-sensitive approach. The national hotline provided free counselling 24/7 and played an important role in triggering the protection chain and referrals. Viet Nam provided victims, especially ethnic minority women and girls, with essential services such as safe accommodation, health care, legal aid and community reintegration, implemented in a gender and culturally sensitive manner.
The principle of non-prosecution of victims of trafficking had been established. Victims were exempted from criminal prosecution; they were waived from criminal liability and not charged for illegal import and export if they were victims of trafficking. Viet Nam promoted bilateral and multilateral cooperation and combatted cross border crimes. Measures had been taken to increase the capacities for Viet Nam’s border guards, and work had been done with agencies such as the International Agency on Migration to enhance capacities in land and sea border areas. The law on prevention and combat on human trafficking clearly outlined responsibilities for cases of trafficking.
The Government was aware of the dual work for women, which was high on the national agenda. Viet Nam had gradually implemented many measures to eliminate stereotypes and inequality in unpaid care and housework. A framework had been implemented to promote the sharing of housework between male and female family members. Businesses with large numbers of women workers provided support for women who had given birth. Campaigns had been launched to make men the “pioneers” of housework.
In recent years, Viet Nam had witnessed cases of fraudulent recruitment for trafficking to Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Cambodia, despite these kinds of operations being prohibited under the law. In some instances, trials had been conducted with the perpetrators punished.
Programmes had been developed to enhance safety for women and girls online. The State was aiming to improve international cooperation in this regard. Inspection officers had been appointed to safeguard girls who were victims of human trafficking and harassment, and a network had been established to protect girls in cyber space.
In 2024, Viet Nam had recorded 20,000 cases of domestic violence, with 2,040 people being criminalised. Around 63 people had been tried and prosecuted in 2025.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert noted Viet Nam’s efforts to enhance women’s participation in public and political life, including progress in women’s representation at national and local levels. Women in parliament represented 31.57 per cent, with the target being 35 per cent, which was a positive effort. However, despite women comprising approximately 33 per cent of Communist Party members, only around 11 per cent held leadership positions. While gender quotas existed within the Vietnamese Communist Party, these were not legally binding. Notably, no gender quotas existed for the judiciary and security sectors.
What concrete measures had been adopted to reverse the regression in women’s representation in senior provincial, political and executive leadership? How did the decline in women’s representation affect opportunities for appointment to international representation and decision-making roles? Were gender quotas within the Communist Party legally binding and systematically applied? Why did military career pathways remain inaccessible or limited for women? How did the State party ensure women’s participation in State defence decision-making processes, given the significant obstacles to women’s recruitment, promotion and leadership within defence and security institutions? What was the percentage of female judges?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the proportion of women in leadership was high. For the first time in many years, there was a female deputy Prime Minister. The proportion of female officials in the military had increased to over three per cent, as of 2025. More than 10 per cent of women in the military held positions of power, including one as the rank of lieutenant general. The proportion of female national assembly deputies had reached more than 30 per cent at the national level and 29 per cent at the local level.
In recent years, Viet Nam’s military leadership had paid more attention to female leadership and was prioritising the number of female leaders to reach 15 per cent. It was important to increase women’s participation in politics at the national and local levels. There were many programmes to promote the participation of women in politics, including through the early identification of capable women, and the subsequent implementation of measures to support them. It was hoped the measures would raise women’s confidence and encourage them to participate in public life. Viet Nam ensured the first-time candidates for politics prioritised women, allowing them to use their knowledge and mobilise support for their candidacy. Support services had also been developed for these women, including house and child support, to further enable their participation.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said the Committee had received information with regard to Christian women belonging to ethnic minorities, such as the H'mong, Montagnard, and Khmer-Krom communities. In some cases, birth certificates were denied to children, to coerce the mothers to denounce their religious faith. This meant that women and children sometimes lived for years in a situation of de facto statelessness, without identity documents, therefore without access to health and education, formal employment and freedom of movement. Additionally, internally displaced or undocumented migrant H'mong women who were not registered in the "household registration system" were unable to register marriages or obtain birth certificates for their children.
What concrete measures were being taken to address the de facto statelessness affecting indigenous women, as well as internally displaced women and their children, by ensuring the immediate issuance of identity documents? Since 2024, the legislation allowed an identity certificate to be granted to people of Vietnamese origin with unknown citizenship after six months of residence. How did this measure benefit women from ethnic and religious minorities who lacked civil documentation, and their children? How did the State party ensure that women who had returned after divorce abroad and their children were able to regularise their nationality and residence status? Did the State plan to ratify the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the law on nationality was seeking solutions for the nationality assumption for people who had resided in Viet Nam for 20 years and above. From July 2009 to December 2012, 4,500 stateless persons were granted Vietnamese nationality. Conditions had been relaxed for reacquiring Vietnamese nationality. In January, 16 stateless persons had been naturalised and seven persons had been regranted Vietnamese nationality. Reports of the annulment of birth registration due to religious issues were unsubstantial. All children born on Vietnamese territory were entitled to a birth certificate and birth registration. Mobile clinics for birth registration had been established, contributing to a rise in registration rates. From 2017 to 2024, over 500 children of migrants were registered and granted Vietnamese nationality.
Stateless persons and children accompanying them were entitled to free legal aid.
There was no discrimination on religious basis when it came to granting nationality. Currently there were no cases of ethnic minority women who were denied citizenship or nationality. For women who had returned from overseas and were divorced after marrying Vietnamese nationals, they were provided with a visa exemption for five years. This ensured their reintegration to Viet Nam and allowed foreigners to obtain a temporary resident card.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert welcomed the significant progress made in education, including that Viet Nam had established a solid political basis for gender equality in education through the Constitution and multiple pieces of legislation on education. Several strategies, as well as technical and vocational training further strengthened those commitments. The Committee also welcomed the progress made to ensure compulsory primary and secondary education, and the steps to ensure gender sensitive education.
Not all universities and schools were accessible, however, and the percentage of girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields was low. What steps were being taken to ensure reasonable accommodation for girls with disabilities? What measures were being taken to introduce women and girls to science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The Committee welcomed literacy hubs which had been established to improve the literacy rates of girls from rural communities. What tangible measures were being taken to prevent school dropout, particularly those from ethnic minorities and rural communities? What measures were being taken to promote education for indigenous women and girls, including the H'mong women, who had high dropout rates due to teenage pregnancy. What was being done to enable teenage mothers to resume their education without stigma?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Viet Nam had developed a legal corridor to ensure inclusive education. Gender equality across all fields was enshrined within the Constitution. Free education was provided for children under five years old and those in primary school, to reduce the financial burden on families and enable children to have better opportunities for higher education. More than 99 per cent of children went on to high school from primary school. There was no discrimination in education for children, especially girls. Steps were being taken to enable girls who were pregnant to continue their education, including through flexible arrangements such as online learning.
In Viet Nam, the proportion of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies was lower than male students, which was natural in terms of Vietnamese culture. Most persons working in these fields were male, but there was no discrimination. Universities had been encouraged to provide scholarships to enhance accessibility for female students into these fields. Around 72 secondary and high schools were currently being constructed in border commune areas.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert commended that the State party had strengthened its legal and policy framework for gender equality in employment. This included that the 2019 Labour Code removed the list of prohibited occupations for women, expanded parental leave, clarified sexual harassment provisions, and aimed to reduce the retirement age gap to two years by 2035. Could the State party provide current data on the gender wage gap and explain how the equal pay provisions of the Labour Code were monitored and enforced? What measures were in place to increase women’s participation in higher paid decision-making positions? What steps had the State party taken to ensure women in the informal economy had access to labour, maternity and social protection in line with the Convention? How did labour inspections and complaints mechanisms function in practice?
An alternate report indicated that significant gender gaps persisted in social protection. Only 16 per cent of women aged 65 plus received pensions, and by age 80 plus the gap widened sharply: just 6.9 per cent of women received pensions compared with 25.9 per cent of men. Could data be provided on differences in pension coverage? What measures were being taken to close the gender pension gap? How did the pension and social insurance system take account of women’s unpaid care work and career interruptions to ensure their long-term economic security? What was the timeline for fully harmonising retirement ages for women and men?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the income levels between male and female workers was relatively close. Viet Nam had taken steps to reduce the gap between male and female workers, including the implementation of an equal wage strategy. Adjustments had been made to the time on pensions, from 25 to 15 years, to ensure a narrow gap between male and female workers. Social insurance was being introduced to allow those in the informal sector to benefit from maternity leave and other social security aspects. Programmes had been put in place to encourage women to transition from labour intensive areas such as garment making and assembling of electronic parts to entrepreneurship.
As a developing country with an agricultural focused economy, the workers in the informal sectors were a challenge for the Government. Legal frameworks and digital policies had been introduced to safeguard the rights of these workers. Policies had been introduced to ensure health insurance for those from poor houses and rural areas. The State party was working on a project to waive medical treatment and expenses for groups like these. There was a database for labour inspections. In recent years, there had been no cases relating to gender-based discrimination and employment.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert welcomed the decrease in the maternal mortality rate. However, in the 2025 World Economic Forum’s global gender gap report, the State party ranked 146 for health and survival, attributed to worsening sex imbalances at birth. What was being done to address this? What special measures were being taken to ensure indigenous women and girls had information in a language they understood? Autonomy was lower among women who belonged to ethnic minorities, who had limited education, and who were adolescents. How did the Government intend to address these access discrepancies and barriers between the population?
It was positive that Viet Nam had reduced the abortion ratio between 2011 to 2019, from 25 to 13.8 per 100 live births. Could an update be provided on safe and post-abortion services? Was the State party aware of the potential underreporting of teenage pregnancies? The Committee commended Viet Nam’s health developments and national legislative reforms, extending protections to 2030 with an intent to strive for better health outcomes towards 2045.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there was no discrimination in healthcare services. Services had been maintained for mothers at grassroot levels. Healthcare for mothers and children were outlined by the Ministry of Health, ensuring access to health services in remote areas. Health officers were required to provide choices on contraception. Statistics had shown clear progress in health for women, including the reduction in infant and child mortality. Around 85 per cent of women had received medical checkups in their pregnancy, and the mortality rate had been reduced to 42 out of 1,000 births. In 2025, a million women at risk had access to screenings for breast and uterus cancer.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said Viet Nam had taken positive steps to promote women’s economic empowerment and should be congratulated on its excellent record. However, only 17 per cent of large enterprises were headed by women and women continued to face structural barriers to economic empowerment. What measures had the State party adopted to further promote the growth of women-owned enterprises? How was it ensured that women could have equal access to land, property and credit? What measures were being taken to improve women’s economic security, including for rural and indigenous women? How were unpaid care and domestic work being regulated? What was being done to improve the proportion of women in senior management and on corporate boards?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said under law, the names of both husbands and wives were registered on property in Viet Nam. Small and medium enterprises could receive loans depending on whether certain conditions were met. A national digital programme had been launched to encourage women to transition from traditional to digital economies. Viet Nam was currently undertaking many measures to expand the quality of kindergarten education and preschool care, with priority to rural areas or near industries with a high number of female workers. Gender equality was mainstreamed into social policies, such as maternity leave. Men were also being called on to share household work, to avoid the assumption that this burden belonged to women. Voluntary benefits had been added for those in the informal sector, previously only available to the formal sector.
The national target programme on ethnic minorities focused on gender equality issues for this group. Thousands of trusted ambassadors had been established within the communities to change gender stereotypes and negative stigmas against unpaid household work. Technical support was being provided to female-led enterprises with the goal of achieving 30 per cent of female leaders by 2030.
Questions by a Committee Expert
Another Committee Expert said it would be useful to have written data which outlined the measures adopted to ensure equal access for rural women to land and livelihood. Was there information available on the budget to close gaps in ethnic minority communities? There were high levels of child marriage in H’mong communities; what was being done to combat this and ensure access to sexual reproductive and health services? How was the full exercise of the rights of girls and women with disabilities ensured, as well as access to sexual and reproductive healthcare? What measures had the State party adopted to guarantee effective legal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons? What independent complaint mechanisms existed in detention? How were women deprived of their liberty protected from violence? What was the impact of climate change on disadvantaged women?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Viet Nam was currently implementing many policies to ensure equal rights before the law. National target programmes aimed to lower the gaps between rural and urban areas. Project “H” addressed gender equality for those from ethnic minorities and those from mountainous area groups. Over 10 years, the rate of child marriage in ethnic minority groups had decreased, with many localities witnessing a reduction of up to three per cent.
Favourable conditions had been created for those from ethnic minority groups to learn their own language. Viet Nam had positive measures for avoiding discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, including women. Viet Nam had removed the prohibition on same sex marriage and same sex couples were entitled to adopt children. The children’s law stipulated ensuring the best interests of children at all times, including intersex children.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said discriminatory gender norms were deeply rooted in Vietnamese society. It was important to counter these stereotypes which were based in the Confucius beliefs of males domination over females. What concrete steps were being taken to tackle patriarchal social norms to prevent and eliminate child and forced marriage? What State bodies were responsible? How did the State party ensure women’s equal rights to marital property? What bodies were responsible for designing policies for countering gender stereotypes in the family?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said both husbands and wives had the responsibility to raise their children. Spouses were able to enter into pre-marriage agreements regarding the division of property in assets in the case of divorce.
Closing Remarks
THI HA NGUYEN, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs of Viet Nam and head of the delegation, said Viet Nam had approached the dialogue in a spirit of openness and would comprehensively report the outcomes of the dialogue to the Government. A national action plan would then be developed for the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations. Viet Nam was committed to improving its legal system based on the Committee’s inputs and remained steadfast in the goal of building a prosperous nation.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue which had provided the Committee with more information about the situation in the country. The Committee commended the State party for its achievements and continuous efforts and encouraged it to undertake all efforts to address the Committee’s recommendations.
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not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.
CEDAW26.003E