Education, Employment, and Income: An Overview of Rural-Urban Gaps in Vietnam

Abstract

Since the time of Doi Moi, the Vietnamese government has implemented a variety of policies to foster more balanced economic growth and development between rural and urban sectors. Several government policies that have been enacted were in the fields of agricultural reform and rural development. However, uneven development between urban and rural areas still exists. Based on secondary data, this study shows the urban-rural gaps in terms of education, employment, and income. The paper points out that the higher the level of education a person attains, the more considerable the disparities between urban and rural inhabitants can be observed. This fact strongly influences the occupations and incomes of urban as well as rural workers. The recommended policies to reduce the gaps between urban and rural areas include enhancing credit access for rural people, particularly to the poor; improving access to education and job training opportunities for formal sector employment; and entrepreneurial support to start household businesses, which all serve to increase income opportunities for low-income groups in the rural sector.

The poverty evolution of typical countries along the Belt and Road and implications from China’s poverty reduction experiences

“…Rural-urban disparity (Le, 2020) Unsustainable poverty reduction policies and results (Chung et al, 2015;Tri, 2020) High unemployment rate Uzbekistan 2.27 6.79…”

Prevalence and associated factors of frailty in patients attending rural and urban geriatric clinics

“…This, together with the population distribution (62% rural; 38% urban), may create an additional burden on rural health services. 5 In 2019, the monthly average income of rural inhabitants was lower than that of urban inhabitants (US$148 vs. US$260). The urban-rural income gap presumably results from the different occupational structures of the two areas.…”

“…While more low-skill jobs can be found in rural areas, high-skilled jobs with higher pay are more concentrated in the cities. 5 Vietnam has been experiencing an epidemiological shift from infectious diseases to a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases. 6 Of note, the rate of cardiovascular disease is increasing more in urban populations than in rural populations (18% and 13%, respectively).…”

“…For example, urban populations attain higher levels of education and have higher rates of health insurance coverage. This, together with the population distribution (62% rural; 38% urban), may create an additional burden on rural health services 5 . In 2019, the monthly average income of rural inhabitants was lower than that of urban inhabitants (US$148 vs. US$260).…”

“…The urban‐rural income gap presumably results from the different occupational structures of the two areas. While more low‐skill jobs can be found in rural areas, high‐skilled jobs with higher pay are more concentrated in the cities 5 …”