Hanoi is striving to reduce the number of poor households by 16,500 this year, particularly in remote and mountainous areas.

In addition, municipal agencies and departments will step up the implementation of programmes to build new rural areas and develop infrastructure in ethnic minority regions.

The capital will improve poor households and students’ access to preferential credit from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies this year, along with implementing vocational training projects, creating jobs for poor people, boosting industry and agriculture, providing health care, financial support and funding for home repairs.

According to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, as of January this year, 3.6 percent of households in the city (60,000 homes) were classified as poor.

Thanh Xuan district has the lowest number of poor households (0.28 percent), and Ba Vi district the highest (9.79 percent). Phu La and Quang An precincts in Ha Dong and Tay Ho districts, respectively, and Soc Son township in Soc Son district have no poor households.-VNA