Landell Mills and MDRI evaluation of development cooperation between the UK and Vietnam

Landell Mills, in partnership with MDRI, has carried out an evaluation of long term development cooperation between the UK and Vietnam.

The UK has allocated £580 million to Vietnam over the last 15 years, and will exit the country as bilateral donor this year. The evaluation examines the evidence of DFID's support for poverty reduction in Vietnam against the backdrop of broader development efforts. It also identifies lessons learned.

The findings point to four main characteristics of DFID support for development in Vietnam.

• Working with and through others promoting ownership and mutual accountability.
• Concentrating on income poverty elimination.
• Taking a long term approach.
• Focusing on few sectors and projects.

The evaluation finds that UK development assistance did respond to pressing development needs and it has, on balance, contributed to an enabling environment for sustainable poverty reduction.

Lessons learned point to the importance of strategic consistency, long term commitment and selective focus. The research also underscores the need for enhanced understanding of the challenges of targeted poverty reduction as, despite overall progress, poverty rates remain high in a number of provinces and among many ethnic minorities.

Joy Hutcheon (DFID Director General, Country Programmes) commended the research for the valuable lessons it holds â both for how DFID operates as a donor in other country contexts and for other donor organisations still operating in Vietnam. She also highlighted the need to consolidate this poverty success story by strengthening the capacity of the Vietnamese government and addressing the persistent gaps between ethnic groups.

Download the documents below to learn more about the research findings:

Policy Brief: DFID support for the MDGs in Vietnam

Development Co-operation between the United Kingdom and Vietnam: Historical Overview

Final Report: Evaluation of the Long-term Development Cooperation Between the UK and Vietnam