GENDER EQUALITY RESULTS IN ADB PROJECTS

       Viet Nam Country Report

       Kate Nethercott Tuyen Nguyen Juliet Hunt

       Asian Development Bank

      © 2010 Asian Development Bank

      All rights reserved. Published 2010.

      Printed in the Philippines.

      ISBN 978-92-9092-099-1

      Publication Stock No. RPT101458

      Cataloging-In-Publication Data

      Nethercott, Kate, et al.

      Gender equality results in ADB projects: Viet Nam country report.

      Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2010.

      1. Gender equality.2. Asian Development Bank.3. Viet Nam.I. Asian Development Bank.

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      Acknowledgments

      This report is one of a series of four country reports and one synthesis report presenting findings of rapid gender assessments of selected loan projects financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in four developing member countries: Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. This series follows the first round of rapid gender assessments carried out in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and Pakistan in 2004–2005. The authors prepared this report under the guidance of Shireen Lateef, director, Social Sectors, Southeast Asia Department, and chair, Gender Equity Community of Practice; Asian Development Bank (ADB); and Sonomi Tanaka, principal social development specialist (gender and development) at ADB. A national dissemination workshop was conducted in Ha Noi on 6 November 2009.

      The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by staff and consultants working on the projects in this assessment, including from the ministries and provincial departments of Construction, Health, and Education. ADB team leaders also provided much assistance, including Do Nhat Hoang, Eiko Izawa, Lisa Studdert, and Vincent De Wit. The authors also acknowledge the assistance provided by project gender advisers Nguyen Thanh Tam and Vu Manh Loi and by the Viet Nam Women’s Union in Dong Ha and Ha Tinh, in particular Bui Thi Cuc, chair of the Viet Nam Women’s Union. The authors also thank all ADB staff who provided valuable feedback and comments on the rapid gender assessment report during its development. Aldrin Roco assisted in production.

      The authors hope that the report will be useful to governments, nongovernment organizations, development practitioners, researchers, and other individuals working in the field of gender and development.

      Abbreviations

      Currency Equivalents

      (as of 24 February 2010)

      Currency Unit – dong (VND)

      D1.00 = $0. 0000536769

      $1.00 = D18,630.00

      Executive Summary

      Rapid Gender Assessments

      Rapid gender assessments (RGAs) of 12 loans in four countries (Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam) were undertaken as part of the ongoing commitment of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to aid effectiveness and to assess gender equality results. With three loans selected from various sectors in each country, the RGAs were not designed to meet the broad range of criteria for an evaluation. The aim was to assess the extent to which project-specific gender action plans (GAPs) or gender provisions in ADB loans contributed to gender equality results and overall project outcomes, and to share knowledge on the key features of GAPs and gender provisions that contributed to these results.

      The three loan projects assessed in Viet Nam were:

      This report is one of a series of four country reports that assess gender equality results in the following areas: participation in project activities; access to resources; practical benefits delivered to women; and changes in gender relations at individual, community, and institutional levels. A synthesis report compares results and summarizes lessons across all four countries, and provides recommendations to assist ADB to meet its commitments to gender