One of the fastest growing economies in Asia, Viet Nam began its transition to a socialist-oriented market economy in 1986, following political and economic reforms known as Doi Moi. Since then, Viet Nam has been transformed from one of the poorest countries in the world to a thriving lower middle-income country. GDP per capita steadily increased from US$423 in 1986 to US$2,715 in 2019, and remarkable progress in poverty reduction has been achieved (World Bank n.d.). In tandem with sustained economic growth and substantial declines in poverty, vast progress has been made towards improving the health of the Vietnamese population over the past few decades, with health outcomes advancing alongside rising living standards and improved access to health services (Teo et al. 2019). However, the country faces an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as challenges related to a rapidly aging population (Teo et al. 2019).

This country brief is part of the country briefs series: Social Protection in action: building social protection floors for all.