Vietnamese and Cuban scientists shared ideas to develop rural areas in the two countries during talks held in Hanoi on December 11.

The seminar entitled “Several issues on rural social development in Vietnam and Cuba” was jointly held by the Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences and the Cuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment.

The scientists and experts focused their discussions on issues local authorities encounter, including the situation of healthcare systems, how to develop those systems, achievements in education and urgent matters on poverty reduction.

Some Cuban experts said strategies of rural and agricultural development that have been introduced in Cuba have proved their efficiency in a number of fields.

Dr. Vu Tuan Anh from the Vietnam Economics Institute recommended that the strategies of economic development should focus more on social targets such as job creation and skills training. According to him, poverty reduction programs have to pay more attention to human resource development and improve welfare systems.

The economist added that the government should take measures to reduce risks common among low-income earners.

Reducing poverty in Vietnam’s rural areas faces a list of challenges: archaic farming techniques, low-yielding technologies, unsupervised pollution control, and a shortage of skillful workers.