Migrants in Red River, Mekong deltas encounter education, housing challenges: study

Outcomes of the study on internal migration were released at a conference co-organized by the university and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Vietnam in Hanoi on Tuesday. They shed light on the driving forces behind the movement, challenges facing the group in their daily lives, their access to public services and social welfare, and the opportunities to ensure their protection and integration rights are recognized.

The study was carried out across eight provinces and cities in the two regions, namely Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Can Tho, Long An, An Giang, and Soc Trang. Additionally, Binh Duong, a province in the southeastern region known for receiving many migrants from the Mekong Delta, was also included in the research. Against a backdrop of the 2020 residence law and the national population database, the study provides timely evidence to help shape policies that promote equal rights for migrants nationwide.

The study's results indicate that the majority of migrants in the sample have not accessed basic social benefits. Many of them, lacking professional skills, often engage in simple labor within companies or work freelance in seasonal jobs without access to health insurance, social insurance, or even voluntary social insurance, and are yet to benefit from social assistance policies at their destinations.

Most migrant workers live in substandard rental accommodations that are overcrowded, damp, lack basic amenities, and do not meet fire safety standards. The separation from their families affects their mental and emotional well-being, contributing to various social issues that require attention.

Many face difficulties enrolling their children in public schools and have to choose expensive private kindergartens. From a gender perspective, female migrants face more psychological, social, and community integration challenges than their male counterparts. Interviews with migrants in the two delta regions also reveals that they rarely participate in local governance or community, cultural, and sports activities in their temporary residences.

Based on these results, the research report proposes several solutions and policy recommendations to ensure that migrants' rights to recognition, protection, and community integration are upheld. It suggests authorities plan and allocate land for housing construction for low-income individuals, regardless of their permanent or temporary residence status, while diversifying the types and forms of housing available to workers.

In regions like the Mekong Delta, there is a need to create agricultural jobs in rural areas to retain the local workforce. Improving transportation connections within the region to allow daily commuting could also help reduce housing pressure in destination areas, the report says.