Low poverty line

The poverty line currently applied in Vietnam is falling in households with everage income of less than 200.000 VND per capita per month in rural, mountainous area and less than 260.000 VND per capita per month in urban area. In the other ways, not to mention to momentous area, anyone who has income lining less than 9.000 VND per day (equivalant to 0,46 $) is considered poor. Based on this national poverty line, the population below poverty line occupies 12% with more than 10 billions poeple.

It is estimated that in period of 2011-2015, the new poverty line for people in rural area would be raised  to 400.000 VND per capita per month and 500.000 VND in urban area Meanwhile, the recent poverty line applied to many countries is calculated on average income of less than 60 $, equivalent to 2$ per day.

For United States, a family with yearly income less than 22.000 USD is ranged into poor. It means that average income per capita of American less than 5.500 USD per year, less than 458 USD per month and less than 15 USD per day is considered poor. So the poverty line of United States is as high 7.5 as worldwide’s average poverty line.

Up tills now, Vietnam has gone out of list of least developed countries, and also participated in prestige organizations in region and national wide. For me, there is no reason for us to set out such a low poverty line, which corresponded to 1/3 comparing to world wide line. This poverty line aimed at reducing the number of poor population to reality, is not legitimate, even more harm than good.

So that, we need to raise Vietnam poverty line in period of 2011-2015 as high 1.5 as the estimated level to 800.000 VND per capita per month in rural area and 1.000.000 VND in urban. Even this level is still low in comparing to worldwide it could be accepted depending on the major living standard of Vietnamese households

By The Saigontimes.vn

Translated by Phuong Cuc