Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005 ... - Measure DHS

The most common household size is 4 to 5 persons (47 percent of all households). The proportion
of households with 6 or more persons has declined from 22 percent in VNDHS 2002 to 19 percent in the
VPAIS 2005. This may be the result of both smaller family size as well as improved socio-economic
conditions allowing more young couples to move out of their parental home and to live on their own.
In Vietnam, about 4 percent of households include an orphaned child; 3 percent of households
include a double orphan (both parents have died) and 1 percent a single orphan (one parent has died).
2.8 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF HOUSEHOLD POPULATION
Educational attainment is commonly associated with other socio-economic factors such as
income and housing conditions, as well as with behaviors influencing health.
Formal education in Vietnam is based on a three-tier system, known as the 5-4-3 system. It
consists of 5 years of primary, 4 years of lower secondary, and 3 years of upper secondary education.
Graduates of higher secondary school may then further their education by enrolling at any of the various
national universities, colleges, or technical schools throughout the country to acquire more specific skills.
Data in Table 2.7 indicate there are significant differences in level of education between males
and females by background characteristics. Generally speaking, males are slightly better educated than
females: 4 percent of men and 9 percent of women age six and above have not received any formal
education. While the male-female gap exists at all levels of education, this gap has narrowed in recent
years, which is especially evident in the age group 6-24. Above age 45 the gap widens substantially.
As expected, the urban population is more educated than the rural population. The urban/rural
differential is greatest at the highest levels of education. The proportion of the population with more than
secondary education is nearly four times higher in the urban population as it is in the rural population,
among both men and women. Eighteen percent of urban men have pursued more than secondary
education, while only 5 percent of rural men have done so. Likewise among women, 16 percent of urban
women have pursued more than secondary education, while only 4 percent of rural women have done so.
Regional variation in educational attainment continues to exist. While the proportion of the
population that has not attended school is fairly similar across the three regions, the proportions attaining
secondary and higher education are greater in the North than in the Central and South regions. The
proportion of the population attaining secondary and higher education is greatest in the North (men: 72
percent; women: 62 percent) and lowest in the South (men: 59 percent; women 50 percent). This
differential can be explained by acknowledging the educational programs which existed in the North
during the war and the continuation of these programs even after reunification.
Among the targeted provinces it is not surprising that Hanoi has the largest proportion of its
population having achieved more than secondary education. As the political, economic, scientific and
cultural center of Vietnam, Hanoi offers an environment that can attract educated people. Nearly one-third
(29 percent) of men and one-quarter (24 percent) of women who live in Hanoi have achieved more than
secondary education. Ho Chi Minh City has the second highest proportion of men with more than
secondary education, where nearly one in five men have achieved more than secondary education (19
percent). Among the four targeted provinces, Hai Phong has the smallest proportion of its population that
has achieved more than secondary education (10 percent of men and 8 percent of women).
16 | Household Population and Housing Characteristics