This would involve improving the lives of about 700,000 people, particularly those in poor mountainous provinces. At present, 50 percent of the people in these districts are poor.

The new poverty goal was announced at a two-day workshop on policies to support poor districts organized by MoLISA and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on August 14-15.

The workshop aims to discuss investment in essential infrastructure projects to help the poor, particularly ethnic minorities in mountainous regions.

In 2006, 19 percent of Vietnamese households were classified as poor. By late last year, the figure dropped by 4 percent.

Almost two thirds of people’s incomes in 797 disadvantaged communes of 61 districts in 20 mountainous provinces come from backward agricultural practices. The average annual income of individuals is between VND2.1 million and VND4.3 million (US$130 – 260).

The number of the poor in the 61 districts stood at 60 percent in 2006 and fell to 55 percent in 2007. However, if the new yardstick for judging is applied – VND300,000 per head a month in rural areas and VND390,000 per head in urban areas – the percentage of the poor households will increase to more than 70 percent.

Participants in the workshop agreed that they will ask the Government to invest more capital in infrastructure projects to help the poor improve their living conditions and get better access to public utilities, particularly health care and education.

They also emphasised the importance of strengthening the capacity of local leaders in monitoring and evaluating projects in their areas as well as improving vocational training for local people of working age, including those of ethnic minorities.