A Case Study of the Social Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Youth in Four Districts in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

The purpose of the project was to ascertain youth perspectives on their vulnerabilities and obtain qualitative data on key questions relating to youth risks, vulnerabilities, development capacities, well-being and future opportunities. four young researchers from the University of Labour and Social Affairs (ULSA), Hanoi, Vietnam, conducted qualitative research to investigate how poor and vulnerable youth are impacted by the global economic crisis. The research was carried out in five areas: Ba Dinh, Bo De, Luong Son, Me Linh, Thuong Tin and Trung Hoa, although the results presented focus on Ba Dinh, Luong Son and Me Linh where findings more clearly reflected the situation of youth vulnerability. All field sites are located inside or near central Hanoi. The research was conducted from July 2010 to February 2011. The research included in-depth interviews (IDI), focus group discussions (FGD), life history (LH), and key informant interviews (KII) in order to create a more complete picture of the perspectives of young people. This report presents the key findings of the research. At first it explains the methodological aspects, followed by a presentation of the key findings structured by the themes of economic activities and employment; poverty, hunger and coping strategies; education; health; emotional and social well-being and gender differences in experiences of vulnerability. Chapter four gives a brief overview of government programmes that favour poor and vulnerable youth, discussing some of their shortcomings and challenges, as well as more positive effects. Trend analysis of quantitative economic data will be introduced briefly in chapter five. Lessons learned will be shown in chapter six, followed by conclusions in chapter seven