VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Vietnam’s Public Disclosure Authorized Household Registration System Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized HONG DUC PUBLISHING HOUSE VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Vietnam’s Household Registration System Hong Duc Publishing House Ha Noi, June 2016 II Acronyms EA Enumeration area GSO General Statistics Office HKQS Ho Khau Qualitative Study HRS Household Registration Survey IOS Vietnam Institute of Sociology MDRI Mekong Development Research Institute MOLISA Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs UPS Urban Poverty Surveys VASS Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences VHLSS Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys III Acknowledgements The report was written by a World Bank from the Mekong Development Research team in partnership with the Institute of Institute and Nguyen Duc Vinh, Nguyen Sociology of the Vietnam Academy of Thi Minh Phuong, Tran Nguyet Minh Social Sciences, with inputs from other Thu, Ho Ngoc Cham, Nghiem Thi Thuy researchers. The report is a product of and Nguyen Nhu Trang from the Insti- effective team collaboration and valuable tute of Sociology of the Vietnam Acad- contributions of international and local emy of Social Sciences. The report ben- consultants. efited from technical guidance provided The team benefitted from discussions by Philip O’Keefe (Lead Economist, So- with the Social Affairs Committee of the cial Protection and Labor Global Prac- National Assembly during the initial tice), Minh Van Nguyen (Senior Econ- stages of the development of the report. omist, Governance Global Practice) and The report also draws from the ideas Kristen Himelein (Senior Economist, presented at a consultation workshop Poverty and Equity Global Practice) and which was held in Ha Noi in August, comments from Michel Welmond (Pro- 2015. The workshop was organized by gram Leader), Kari Hurt (Senior Op- the Mekong Development Research In- erations Officer, Health, Nutrition and stitute and Institute of Sociology in co- Population Practice), Huong Lan Dao operation with the World Bank. (Operations Officer, Health, Nutrition The report was written by Gabriel De- and Population Practice) and Reena Ba- mombynes (Senior Economist, Poverty diani-Magnusson (Senior Economist, and Equity Global Practice) and Linh Poverty and Equity Global Practice). Hoang Vu (Economist, Poverty and Eq- Ngan Thuy Nguyen and Linh Anh uity Global Practice) drawing on contri- Thi Vu (both World Bank) provided ex- butions from Jorge Martinez-Vazquez cellent administrative support. Chi Kim (Georgia State University), Nguyen Khac Tran (Communications Associate) pro- Giang (Consultant), Giang Tam Nguyen vided excellent support to the dissemina- (Consultant), Dang Nguyen Anh (In- tion and launch of the final report. The stitute of Sociology), Dewen Wang (Se- report was translated into Vietnamese nior Social Protection Economist, Social by Truong Quoc Hung. Cover photo was Protection and Labor Global Practice) credited to Lai Hong Vy. and Phung Duc Tung (Mekong Deve- The project was overseen by Salman lopment Research Institute). The report Zaidi (Practice Manager, Poverty and also incorporated inputs from Nguyen Equity Global Practice), Victoria Kwak- Viet Cuong, Nguyen Thi Nhung, Nguyen wa (Country Director for Vietnam) and Mai Trang, Dam Thi Tra My, Tran Anh Sandeep Mahajan (Program Leader). Vu, Pham Hoang Anh, and Le Hai Chau V Contents Acronyms .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. II Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... III Tables ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... VI Boxes ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. VII Figures ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... VII Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... IX Chapter 1. History, legal regime, and data ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 History of ho khau .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Recent changes and the current legal ho khau regime ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Previous data on ho khau .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 New data: the Household registration survey and the Ho Khau qualitative study ...................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2. Basic characteristics of the population by registration status ................................................................................................................................. 10 Employment and wages ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Income and expenditure ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3. Ho khau and services access ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 School enrollment .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Access to health care .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Social participation ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Social protection ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................