Vietnam needs reform to narrow gap in social service access for migrants

The report also suggests reducing differences in service and employment access between those with permanent and temporary registration status.

By drawing on data from the 2015 Household Registration Survey and qualitative research, the reports points out at least 5.6 million people in the five surveyed provinces in Vietnam lack permanent residency, including 18% in Hanoi and 36% in Ho Chi Minh city. The majority of them work in the private sector, especially in manufacturing and for foreign firms. They have limited access to public schools, buying health insurance or even registering motorcycles.

“This study shows that permanent residency system has created inequality of opportunity for Vietnamese citizens. Further reforms could ensure that migrants have the same access to schools, health care, and employment in the public sector as everyone else. That will encourage people to move to cities and support Vietnam’s economic growth and structural transformation,” said Mr Achim Fock, the World Bank’s Acting Country Director for Vietnam.

The permanent residency system began 50 years ago as an instrument of public security, economic planning, and control of migration. Citizens have mixed views of the existing permanent residency system, and a large majority says the system should be relaxed, because it limits the rights of migrants and induces corruption.

According to Mr Dang Nguyen Anh, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the permanent residency registration is no longer relevant for managing and controlling the Vietnamese society, which has been undergoing drastic changes toward Doi Moi and international integration.

“The system should be replaced by a more scientific and modern tool to make people's lives easier and inclusive”, he said./.