Viet Nam and other four Southeast Asian countries have been singled out as leading examples of progress in development, according to a new report released recently by the UK-based Overseas Development Institute.
The report highlights progress in Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos across four different areas of development, namely material wealth, health, education and political voice.
The situations may not be perfect, says the ODI, but certain aspects of life are improving, some at impressive rates.
Viet Nam has gained impressive improvements in economic growth and poverty reduction. In the 1970s, the country was emerging from decades of war, which had decimated the country and its infrastructure and left many people dead and millions injured or displaced. Now, Viet Nam is set to join the ranks of middle-income countries by 2011./.