Vietnam: Poverty, Unemployment and Illiteracy Low

On the 40th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the country is still suffering from the conflict that took the lives of 3 million people. In that war, the United States dropped 683, 000 tons of bombs on the country, three times more than in World War II. The war destroyed half the nation’s houses, all infra structure, and the majority of hospitals and schools. Experts say it will take hundreds of years and billions of dollars of investment to locate and clear all the unexploded bombs. Even so, four decades later, Vietnam has recovered economically and boasts a GDP close to US$ 2 billion. Poverty levels have dropped to 11%. Unemployment is negligible. The illiteracy rate is 6%. In Hanoi it is difficult to find a building in ruins, and Vietnam is becoming a regional power. Vincent Montagud reports from Hanoi for teleSUR.