The research that has been conducted to date on Vietnamese adolescents has focused on unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity and its health consequences, specifically abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. The question we pose in this article is whether this concern is warranted. Is the population community justified in limiting research on this population to early sexual activity and HIV risk? Even if the sexual behavior of young people can be considered problematic, are there perhaps other aspects of young peoples' lives to which more attention should be devoted? The literature on adolescent sexual behavior in Vietnam is reviewed and data on premarital sex and reproductive behavior are analyzed from a 1999 survey conducted in six provinces among nearly 1,500 adolescent boys and girls aged 15-22. Descriptive data on schooling and work are included in order to put the information on sexual activity in perspective. The data analysis reveals that, at least currently, the sexual behavior of unmarried adolescents in Vietnam is not what jeopardizes their health and well-being.

CONTEXT: Accessibility of contraceptives is an important factor in use of family planning. Because contraceptive access in Vietnam varies sizably by region and because one method (the IUD) predominates in Vietnam's contraceptive method mix, a better understanding of the accessibility of family planning services in the country could help program planners increase use. METHODS: Data from the 1997 Vietnam Demographic and Health Survey on 5,310 currently married women of reproductive age were used to examine factors related to the accessibility of family planning services. The effects of individual-level and community-level factors were analyzed jointly.RESULTS: Nearly 84% of currently married Vietnamese women-100% of those in urban areas and 80% of those in rural areas-lived within one kilometer of least one source of family planning services in 1997. Commune health clinics and drugstores were the major providers, with 55% and 47%, respectively, of women located within one kilometer of such sources; these were followed by community health and family planning workers (40% and 27%). A multiple regression analysis showed that ready access to any source of family planning significantly reduced nonuse of modern methods (odds ratio, 0.6) and current use of traditional methods (0.6). Likewise, access to a greater number of sources of family planning reduced nonuse of modern methods (0.9) and current use of traditional methods (0.9). CONCLUSION: Increased availability of contraceptive methods and information could increase use of family planning in Vietnam. International Family Planning Perspectives,

To the extent that research on Vietnamese adolescents has been conducted, it has been concerned with unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity and its health consequences, namely abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. The question we pose is whether this concern is warranted. Is the population community justified in focusing its attention on early sexual activity and HIV risk? Even if the sexual behavior of young people can be considered problematic, are there perhaps other aspects of young people's lives that should give us greater pause? The paper reviews the literature on adolescent sexual behavior in Vietnam and analyzes data on premarital sex and reproductive behavior from a 1999 survey conducted in six provinces among nearly 1,500 adolescent boys and girls aged 15-22. Data on other aspects of young people's lives are summarized, in particular schooling and work, in order to put the sexual activity data in perspective. We conclude that the lack of adequate employment opportunities may be more of a threat to adolescent reproductive health than risky sexual behaviors per se-a situation that effective economic policies can remedy.Beginning in the 1970s, research on adolescents in the United States expanded greatly because of a concern with rising rates of premarital sex and childbearing. Recently, for similar reasons, research on adolescents in Africa, Asia, and Latin America has increased as well. The exporting of the US adolescent problem statement to the developing world has had consequences both for the nature of the data collected on young people and for the topics investigated. This medicalization of the adolescent research agenda has narrowed our lens of vision, limiting the scope of inquiry to sexual and reproductive behavior (Mensch et al. 1998;Bruce and Mensch 1999). Research on adolescents in Vietnam has followed this pattern. To the extent that studies on Vietnamese adolescents have been conducted, they have been concerned primarily with unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity or the health consequences of that activitynamely abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. This research focus also reflects the view of government officials in Vietnam, whose frequent references to "social evils" 1 in discussions of adolescents suggest that they are troubled about the behavior of the younger generation.The Vietnam portrayed in the international press is a country where young people have no memory of the American war and are not interested in hearing their elders' tales of hardship and dedication (Schiffrin 1999). Rather, journalists suggest that they are concerned with finding jobs that pay well-possibly at one of the new Vietnameseforeign joint ventures-and in using the money such jobs bring to live an internationalstyle "high life." This sort of life was denied to their parents under prereform Communism, but it is said to attract young people increasingly as foreign products, advertising, movies, and television flood the country. A special issue of TIME magazi...

This article considers the nature and patterns of labor migration in Vietnam since the introduction of market reforms or Doi Moi in 1986. Using data from the 1989 census, the article examines provincial or area characteristics and human capital resources in determining migration. Migration was found to play a role in providing human resources to labor-scarce areas and it has also become a means for people to improve their life chances. Among others, the findings indicate the selective impacts of market reforms on the migration propensities of men and women. Possible explanations for the findings and their policy implications of the results are discussed.

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