Nặm Cứm village in Nà Tấu commune is one of the most disadvantaged areas, not only lacking in economic resources but also home to many large, low-income families. Vàng Thị Dung, a mother of four, shared that two of her children were once malnourished. Due to limited knowledge of reproductive health and child-rearing practices, she had not focused on her diet during pregnancy and skipped prenatal checkups. As her children grew, she continued feeding them a simple, nutrient-poor diet, which led to poor physical condition, slow weight gain, and frequent illness.

Dung recounted: “Back then, we didn’t know what was wrong with the children. They just looked thin and weak, often sick. We took them to the clinic, and the doctor said they were malnourished, needed better food, and supplements like vitamin A and iodine. Since then, I’ve learned how to care for them better. They’re healthier now, and we’re really grateful.”

The issue of malnutrition, stunted growth, and underweight children remains widespread in many remote highland areas. Several factors contribute to this situation, but the main reasons include inadequate child-rearing practices, lack of breastmilk, early weaning, and insufficient knowledge of malnutrition prevention. Many children suffer frequent infections without timely treatment, which hampers growth, causes appetite loss, digestive disorders, and ultimately, malnutrition. Additionally, in many remote villages, limited economic resources prevent families from providing adequate meals, and children are often not supplemented with essential micronutrients during the crucial developmental window from 0 to 24 months.

To gradually improve this situation, the provincial health sector has implemented comprehensive nutritional care activities by effectively mobilizing resources from local budgets, national target programs, and international aid (e.g., UNICEF Vietnam, World Vision Vietnam). From 2024 through the first quarter of 2025, nearly VND 15.3 billion has been allocated to maternal and child nutrition programs across the province. These funds are used for training and capacity building for grassroots health workers, developing and scaling community nutrition models, providing micronutrient supplements for mothers and children, running behavior change communication campaigns, and strengthening monitoring and program evaluation.

In ethnic minority areas, grassroots health centers have actively partnered with social organizations to conduct awareness campaigns, teach proper childcare techniques, track growth charts, and offer nutritional counseling tailored to local conditions. As a result, public awareness of child health and nutrition has steadily improved.

According to Dr. Nguyễn Trung Thành, Deputy Director of Mường Ảng Health Center, the nutritional status of children in communes such as Mường Lạn, Mường Ảng, Nà Tấu, and Búng Lao has shown noticeable improvement in recent years. However, the rate of stunted growth remains high, nearly one in three children is affected. Additionally, deficiencies in vitamin A, zinc, iron, and anemia are still common. Therefore, the center calls for continued involvement from all sectors of society to nurture and protect children’s health from the earliest years.

In parallel with clinical interventions, the 1,000 First Days of Life Nutrition Program continues to be effectively implemented in the province to prevent maternal and child malnutrition and improve national stature. Each year, health efforts focus on supporting pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under two, especially in remote and ethnic areas. Communication campaigns emphasize the importance of prenatal checkups, exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, and age-appropriate complementary feeding. On Micronutrient Day 2025, nearly 100% of children aged 6-60 months in the province received vitamin A supplements, and over 98% of children aged 24-59 months received deworming treatment. These efforts have significantly helped reduce micronutrient deficiencies, strengthen immunity, and improve children’s overall physical health.

Dr. Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn, Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Nutrition Department at the provincial Center for Disease Control, noted that with the attention of the political system, especially the healthcare sector, and grassroots efforts, nutrition improvement programs for children in the province have achieved many positive outcomes. Intervention programs have become more tailored to the characteristics of each region, especially highland communes with high malnutrition rates.

"Thanks to synchronized solutions, child malnutrition prevention in the province has made significant progress. As of now, among 62,243 children under five, 14.7% are underweight (by weight-for-age), 24.5% are stunted, and 2.5% are wasted. Encouragingly, all these indicators have decreased compared to the same period last year, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of community-based nutritional care programs,” emphasized Dr. Tuấn.