Vietnam is aiming to increase the average height of children under 5 by 1.5 cm – 2 cm by 2020 and the average height of adolescents by 1-1.5 cm, as compared to 2010.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien addressing the ceremony (Photo: baohaiquan.vn)

The country is also aiming to reduce the rates of stunted children to below 21.5% and increase exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the child’s life by 35%.

These targets were announced at a ceremony held in Hanoi on January 31 to launch the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement in Vietnam and the implementation of the Prime Minister’s directive on the enhancement of nutrition.

The movement, launched by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and UNICEF, aims to reaffirm Vietnam’s commitment to protecting and improving people’s health and nutritional status.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien noted with pleasure that over the past few years, Vietnam has been appraised by the international community as a bright spot in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in decreasing the ratio of malnutrition among children under five to 13.8% in 2016 from 31.9% in 2001.

However, she acknowledged the fact that in 2016, 24.03% of all children under-five were stunted in Vietnam, particularly in mountainous northern region (30%) and the Central Highlands region (34.2).

She also outlined a number of challenges facing the country in addressing micronutrient deficiency, the obese rate, and metabolic disorders.

Therefore, she called on joint efforts from the ministries, sectors, organisations, and those working in nutrition services, in order to address the challenges and fulfil the set targets./.

( VNF/NDO )