In 2010, the National Study on Domestic Violence against Women in Viet Nam was undertaken as part of the United Nations - Government of Viet Nam Joint Programme on Gender Equality as a joint endeavour between the General Statistics Office. This report presents a summary of the findings of the National Study on Domestic Violence against women in Viet Nam.

The report focuses on the prevalence and nature of domestic violence committed against women, primarily by their husbands; attitudes towards and perceptions of violence; the direct and indirect impact of violence on women and their children; and how women respond when they experience domestic violence.

With the release of the findings of this survey Viet Nam now has for the first time nationally representative data on domestic violence. As this report clearly shows, the home is not always a safe place for women in Viet Nam, as women are more at risk of experiencing violence from their husbands or family members than from anybody else. This violence also affects children, either directly or because they witness violence in their homes. Domestic violence affects many women and occurs throughout the country and across different social and ethnic groups. As the study also shows, the impact of domestic violence is deeper and lasts much longer than the immediate and obvious harm. Domestic violence has an enormous impact on women’s health both physically and psychologically, on the productivity of family members, and on the education and well-being of children. The whole community and the country bear significant costs as a result of domestic violence.