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Vietnam Fact Sheet
The Mekong delta, covering about 40,000 square kilometers, is a low-level plain not more than three meters above sea level at any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers.2 So much sediment is carried by the Mekong's various branches and tributaries that the delta advances sixty to eighty meters into the sea every year3 Vietnam�s population is a staggering 84,402,966 million, making it one of the most populous countries in the world.4 About 1 in 3 people in Vietnam are under the age of 15, meaning about 30% of the population are young children.5 A 1998 Survey found that approximately 37 per cent of Vietnamese � some 28.4 million people � were living in poverty. While this rate is unacceptably high, is a large improvement from the 75% rate of 1993.6 In 1975 over 2,000 infants and children were airlifted from Vietnam and adopted by families around the world in an operation called, �Operation Babylift�.7 According to estimates by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the number of street children in Vietnam is estimated to be around 23,000, including 1,500 in Ha Noi and nearly 9,000 in Ho Chi Minh City.8 Low and unstable income of many rural families and general lack of employment are threatening to result in a further increasing of street children.9 |
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