Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences

About: Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences is a education organization based out in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Vietnamese & Poverty. The organization has 228 authors who have published 222 publications receiving 1690 citations. The organization is also known as: VASS.

The role of rice in poverty dynamics in rural Vietnam: 2002–2008

Abstract: Using the Vietnamese Household Living Standards Surveys of 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008, this paper investigates the role of rice in poverty dynamics in the recent context of Vietnam We find that sizeable changes in rice prices in the 2000s, which were driven largely by the country's integration into the world markets, have not helped rural households escape poverty, even for households with large-scale rice production Our results also document that changes in rice output and productivity did not help mitigate poverty either The paper provides evidence to explain why a substantial exogenous increase in the rice prices between 2006 and 2008 did not help rural households to move out of poverty, while similar changes did help in the 1990s

Illicit Cigarette Consumption and Government Revenue Loss in Vietnam: Evidence from a Primary Data Approach.

Abstract: This article provides the first comprehensive picture and independent estimates of both illicit cigarette consumption and the resulting government tax revenue loss in Vietnam using data from a representative survey of cigarette smokers in 12 Vietnamese provinces. The survey consisted of face-to-face interviews and on-site cigarette pack examinations. We find that more than 720 million illicit cigarette packs, or 20.7% of total cigarette consumption, circulated in Vietnam in 2012. Consequently, government tax revenue loss due to illicit trade ranged from US $223 to 295 million. Our estimates also indicate that (1) the most popular illicit brands were Jet and Hero, both were sold at higher prices than the average legal brand; (2) the average price of illicit cigarettes was 51% higher than the average price of legal cigarettes; and (3) majority of illicit cigarettes were sold at convenience stores, which were registered and licensed businesses. Our findings suggest that prices are not a driver of illicit cigarette consumption in Vietnam, and this illicit trade is at least partially a consequence of weak market control enforcement.

FDI Spill-Overs, Absorptive Capacity and Domestic Firms' Technical Efficiency in Vietnamese Wearing Apparel Industry

Abstract: This study empirically examines relationship between FDI spill-overs and technical efficiency of domestic firms and role of the absorptive capacity of domestic firms. Data on Vietnamese Annual Enterprises Survey are exploited to build a firm-level panel data on the Vietnamese wearing apparel industry from 2009 to 2013. By applying stochastic production frontier model, this paper shows that there are positive vertical spill-over effects but no horizontal effects. Moreover, this study finds the negative impact of the absorptive capacity of domestic firms on benefits reaped from FDI externalities.

Childhood in late Neolithic Vietnam: bio-mortuary insights into an ambiguous life stage

Abstract: This paper looks at a late Neolithic cemetery site dated to approximately 3500 years BP in northern Vietnam. The purpose is to: (1) use the techniques of mortuary archaeology to shed light on the role of children and adult attitudes towards children at this site; and (2) assess the level of health and well being of the children. Mortuary methods included an examination of a range of traits including burial position and orientation as well as the number and manner of grave furniture in respect to age-at-death and sex where possible. In terms of health, measures or signatures of cribra orbitalia, enamel hypoplasia and oral health were investigated. It was found that many of the non-surviving children at Man Bac suffered from physiological insult and severe dental caries. Fertility was elevated in comparison to other prehistoric Southeast Asian skeletal assemblages and the number of living children at Man Bac, at any given name, was likely elevated. Despite high infant mortality, all individuals, regardless of age, received some form of mortuary treatment. The nature and type of mortuary treatment at Man Bac suggests children were recognised as members of the community, with economic and social value. There is some indication that different developmental and/or social stages were recoginised through mortuary treatment and that childhood may have finished rather early, in terms of chronological age, at Man Bac.