The Experience of Working Families in Vietnam
	Vietnam is a country in transition. Since 1986, Vietnam has undergone rapid economic change, moving away from non-market socialism to a market economy with a socialist government. These reforms have generated strong economic growth—an average of 7.5% in the 1990s—and declining poverty rates. While the new economic opportunities are clear, there are new risks as well. Reductions in state services, such as the introduction of user fees for health care, and the elimination of some childcare programs, hit families the hardest. When adults are able to improve their economic situation through new jobs in the private or export sectors, these may require more travel and longer hours, reducing the amount of time parents can devote to their children. We conducted interviews in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city. To obtain a sample of working parents with a wide range of economic and living situations, we conducted and analyzed interviews from a range of sites, including a large hospital for children that serves both urban and rural residents, a government-owned general hospital serving a population of diverse economic backgrounds, and the largest public teaching obstetrics and gynecology hospital. We investigated the experiences of working families under conditions of rapid economic transformation. For more information, please see: Vo PH, Penrose K, and Heymann SJ. Working to exit poverty while caring for children’s health and development in Vietnam. Community, Work & Family. Forthcoming. Heymann SJ. Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Heymann SJ, Fischer A, and Engelman M. Labor Conditions and the Health of Children, Elderly and Disabled Family Members. In: Heymann SJ, ed. Global Inequalities at Work: Work’s Impact on the Health of Individuals, Families, and Societies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Back to In-Depth Interviews
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