Vietnam is an acknowledged leader in the region in promoting gender equality but more work left to be done to bring about gender equality between Vietnamese men and women.

The remark was made by John Hendra, UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam , at a press briefing in Hanoi on March 9 to announce the 2010 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report.

Hendra confirmed that the Vietnamese government had increasingly made more commitments in gender equality and the advancement of women.

In Vietnam, one in four National Assembly members is a woman – the highest participation rate among ASEAN countries - and the number of women doing business in Vietnam is also high, accounting for 46.6% of the country’s labour force, said the report.

However, the report indicated that Vietnamese women are not well-represented in senior decision-making in the Party or the administration. Only one minister and five out of 82 vice-ministers are women, the report went on to say.

And most Vietnamese women are taking unstable jobs in the informal sector with uncertain income and without social protection, the report added.

The report warned that if the sex ratio continues going up in Vietnam, the country will have a surplus male population starting in 2025. The sex ratio at birth in 2008 was 112 to 100, up from 110 to 100 in 2006, said the report.

“In order for women in Vietnam to have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives, equal access to and control over economic resources, and equal access to legal rights and protection, we need to ensure that all Vietnamese families value their girls equally with boys and invest in their capabilities and well-being”, Hendra concluded. (VNA)