With a population of 80 million, Vietnam has made important progress in several areas. In the past ten years, Vietnam’s economy has experienced an average annual growth of seven percent. The poverty rate has dropped from 60 percent in 1990 to 30 percent. Data on life-expectancy, infant death rates, and vaccination rates among children places Vietnam’s healthcare system at the top of the region.

Not all Vietnamese profit equally from the progress. An alarming number of the country’s disabled continue to live without adequate medical care. Most disabilities are either a result of war, diseases such as polio, or a sharp rise in traffic accidents.