A Look at the Water and Sanitation Situation in Vietnam

 Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a developing county located on the Indochina Peninsula. The 13th most populated country in the world; it has made substantial strides toward Millennium Development Goal, or MDG, target 7c. A summary of statistical data on Vietnam can be seen in table 1.

 MDG target  7c aims at ensuring environmental sustainability, specifically halving the proportion of the population without improved drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Improved drinking water is defined by the type of technology and level of service more likely to provide safe drinking water. Sources include in domestic connections, public standpipes, protected wells and springs, and rainwater collection. Unimproved sources would include unprotected wells and springs as well as vendor and tanker truck provided water. To ensure sustainability the withdrawal should not exceed what is available which includes sound supply and management practices.

 Currently access to improved water sources and sanitation in Vietnam is fairly good and the MDG has already been reached. Currently 94% of the population has access to improved water sources and 75% has access to basic sanitation. Compared to 58% and 35% respectively in 1990, both sectors currently comply with the MDG. The largest improvements have been in in rural areas though this may be due to both urban migration and the large margin for improvement. This is not to overshadow urban progress as it has been substantial as well. These figures as well as others can be seen in table 2. The progress of improvement from 1990 to 2008 can also be seen in the drinking water ladder, figure 1.

Vietnam
Location	Southeast Asia
Bordering Nations	China, Laos, and Cambodia
Area	310,070 sq mi
Population
Population	90.55 million
Population Growth Rate	1.077
Urban Population	30.00%
Infant Mortality Rate	20.9 deaths / 1000 live births
Life Expectancy	72.2 yrs
Total Fertility Rate	1.91 children per woman
Literacy Rate	94.00%
Economy
GDP (PPP)	$276.6 billion
GDP Ranking	42
GDP by Sector
Agriculture	20.6%
Industry	41.1%
Services	38.3%
Labor Force by Sector
Agriculture	53.9%
Industry	20.3%
Services	25.8%
Unemployment Rate	4.4%
Population Below Poverty Line	10.60%
Table 1. Country Profile
Water and Sanitation
Renewable Water Resources	891.2 cu km
Freshwater Withdrawl	71.39 cu km
Freshwater Withdrawl per Capita	847 cu m
Freshwater Usage
Domestic	8.0%
Industry	24.0%
Agricultre	68.0%
Improved Drinking Water 2008
Urban	99.0%
Rural	92.0%
Total	94.0%
Improved Drinking Water 1990
Urban	88.00%
Rural	51.00%
Total	58.00%
Improved Sanitation 2008
Urban	94.0%
Rural	67.0%
Total	75.0%
Improved Sanitation 1990
Urban	61.0%
Rural	29.0%
Total	35.0%
Table 2. Water and Sanitation Data



Figure 1. Vietnam Water & Sanitation Ladder