Vietnam's Children - 2 Unfortunately, the children of Vietnam
are also subject to a serious and growing crisis in the
country's health sector. Long-standing problems of poverty and
underdevelopment have been aggravated by economic reforms, as
the country struggles to become a market economy. Vietnam
remains one of the poorest countries in the world, which means
it hasn't got a lot of money to put into children's health care.
In Mai Châu, major health problems include high rates of
preventable illness in children under the age of 5, including
diarrhoea, neonatal tetanus, acute respiratory infections, and
malnutrition. Because Mai Châu is based in the impoverished
mountainous district of the Häa B¿nh province, in Northern
Vietnam, it has very little access to health care. Linguistic
barriers, poverty, social discrimination, and lack of clean
water and sanitation also contribute to the ill-health of the
children in this region. Many villages in Northern Vietnam are
over a 4 hour walk to the nearest medical or he