The fifth national population and housing census in Vietnam will be conducted in April 2019, according to a decision issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. 

The census, to be launched on April 1, 2019, aims to collect information to serve the research and analysis of the population and housing development process nationwide. 

It also aims to assess the implementation of socio-economic development policies and plans in 2011-2020, and serve as reference for the building of socio-economic development policies and plans for 2021-2030.  

The census will also aid the supervision of the implementation of the Resolution of the 12th Party Central Committee on population work in the new situation, UN Sustainable Development Goals committed by the Vietnamese Government and provide information for the building of a population database.

The census will focus on information related to population; migration, disability and marital status; education and technical qualification; fertility, mortality and population growth; birth registration; labour-employment; status of housing; basic living conditions of households.

The findings of the census will be publicised in the second quarter of 2020, while analysis reports will be released in the fourth quarter of the year.

Under the decision, steering committees for national population and housing census will be established at central, province, district and commune level. 

The General Statistics Office (GSO), under the instruction of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, is to coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Governmental agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to build plans to conduct the census, carry out surveys and rehearsal. All preparations and rehearsals must be completed in the fourth quarter of 2018.   

The Finance Ministry is tasked with preparing the census cost estimate and setting aside funds for the census. 

The Ministry of Information and Communication must build communication plans to popularise the census. 

Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Governmental agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities have the responsibility to provide data for the census.-VNA