Vietnam Enacts First Disability Law

Recently the National Assembly of Vietnam enacted the first comprehensive national law guaranteeing the rights of people with disabilities. The new law mandates equal participation in society for people with disabilities through accommodation and access to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, vocational training, cultural services, sports and entertainment, transportation, public places, and information technology. This law is expected to have a direct impact on the growth of Viet Nam's economy, as inclusive policies expand opportunities for Vietnamese with disabilities to be productive and achieve economic independence.

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The National Disability Law is the culmination of an intensive effort of more than a decade to develop a legal framework for an inclusive society where people with disabilities have access to the programs and supports necessary for their full participation. This effort began with the passage of the national Ordinance on People with Disabilities in 1998, and led to a series of initiatives to advance the rights and interests of people with disabilities, including:

• Disability inclusion provisions in the Vocational Training Law.
• Implementation of a 5-year National Action Plan on disability.
• Enactment of barrier-free access standards and regulations for public transport.
• Enactment of the barrier-free access code and standards for public construction.
• Establishment of the inter-agency National Coordinating Council on Disability (NCCD).

These achievements in policy reform and implementation have brought direct benefits to more than seven million Vietnamese with disabilities, and indirectly benefited several million more. The Vietnamese government is set to begin work this summer to develop a regulatory framework and implementation guidance for the new law.

Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH) has provided significant support to the Vietnamese government in bringing about these pivotal reforms through a series of grant initiatives funded by the United States Agency for International Development and targeted program funds from the Nippon Foundation.

VNAH and its international technical partners have been at the forefront of the disability law effort, providing technical assistance to the legal drafting team, promoting the alignment of Viet Nam's disability law with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the U.S. ADA, supporting grassroots review and input to the law's development, as well as exposing Vietnam's policy-makers and legislators to international good practices on disability rights through international exchange.

VNAH will continue to work in partnership with the government of Viet Nam to successfully implement the National Disability Law.

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.