Vietnamese migrants are leaving the country in high numbers, notably for work and study, and the potential gains for development have attracted the attention of policy makers and international organizations. The Government of Viet Nam promotes migration abroad and supports initiatives to link migration to development, including through Viet Nam’s first national Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Hanoi and its overseas employment policy targeting poor districts. However, despite the potential contribution of international migration to Viet Nam’s development, there are indicators that the gains are not fully harnessed for individual migrants or national socio-economic development. For instance, there is a persistently high rate of underemployment upon return, migration-related debt, and increasing irregular migration from and to Vietnam, among other signs.
This project aims to promote development-friendly migration policies through enhancing the evidence base for policy development, strengthening coordination and information-sharing within the government and encouraging evidence-based dialogue on emerging migration challenges and migration’s development benefits. This project is part of a broader programme on enhancing the linkage between migration management and development in Viet Nam, to be implemented under the national strategic development framework between the One UN and Government of Viet Nam, the One Plan 2012-2016.