(Photo: VNA)

In 1998, the National Assembly Standing Committee adopted an ordinance observing April 18 as Day to Protect and Care for Persons with Disabilities.  

Since the Vietnam Law on the Persons with Disabilities came into force, April 18 has been legalized as Day for Persons with Disabilities to encourage the public care for these individuals.

Vietnam now has 6.2 million disabled people, accounting for 7% of the total population. The Vietnamese Party, State, and public have paid special attention to people with disabilities. The Program to Support Disabled People in the 2012-2020 period has fostered changes to the administration and public awareness about the issues of disabilities and the people with disabilities. 

Vietnam has set up a network of centers to support education development in 20 cities and provinces and a network of teachers teaching children with disabilities in 63 cities and provinces.

With more than 1,900 vocational training establishments for disabled people and more than 3,300 teachers, 20,000 people with disabilities receive vocational training every year under the program on vocational training for rural workers.

This program has helped disabled people improve their lives and has brought attention to the care and responsibility for the disabled. Many barriers have been removed to increase the disabled people’s access to fundamental social services, develop their potential and ability and stay more self-reliant, and to help them to integrate into the community. 

Today, nearly 1.1 million persons with serious disabilities and 100,000 care givers in the community receive monthly allowances.

The Prime Minister has adopted a program to care for the disabled until 2030 focusing on supporting disabled women, the Association of the Disabled, and on helping the disabled to live independently.