Youth employment, the family and community development in Viet Nam since reform

Vu Tuan Huy, Institute of Sociology

Vietnam’s economic transformation from central plan into market economy and greater global integration has far-reaching implications for the society. Much is being written on the impact of structural change for economic growth, but there is a lack of information on the social implications of these changes on the lives of young people. We use data from colaborative study on the “Youth and Family in Vietnam” in 2003 by the Institute of Sociology in Vietnam and Population Council. This Study was conducted in three rounds in four rural communes in the North and South of Vietnam for understanding how the growth of livehood opportunities has consequences for young people. The results reveal that proportion of youth without jobs was rather high, one four of youth working in “Industry and services”, and nearly 90% prefer to work in the factories. The Youth’s attitude still strongly oriented towards working in the state sector.