Overview 

Vietnam’s economic growth has not benefited everyone equally. The multidimensional poverty rate remains at 5.71% in 2023 and inequality has increased over the years. Poverty is concentrated among ethnic minorities, those living in remote or disaster-prone areas, and migrants. Market systems largely exclude women from opportunities, resources, and markets. Discriminatory gender norms exacerbate women’s time poverty and constrain their economic participation. As Vietnam is among the top five countries most vulnerable to climate change, the climate crisis has been creating disproportionate impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable groups, especially women.

We seek a future where every woman has the economic power to earn, save, and invest in themselves, their businesses, families and communities. We focus our efforts on supporting women to unlock their potential and drive inclusive economic growth as well as intergenerational change.

Taking market-based approaches, we design women-centered market solutions to address barriers women face in access to productive resources, capital, technologies, upskilling opportunities, and decision-making processes. We influence financial service providers, businesses, brands, national and sub-national governments, and other ecosystem actors to build women’s needs and interests into products, services, policies, and practices.

In Vietnam, CARE has over 30 years of experience in women’s economic justice programming. Our team possesses wide-ranging experience, including but not limited to community-based interventions, supply chain approaches, private sector engagement, and policy advocacy. Our approaches and tools are grounded in our understanding of local contexts and are constantly evolving to respond to the changing environments in which we operate.

Program priorities