Following the new "doi moi" official economic policies of the 90s, the Vietnamese government had to adjust its laws to the rules adopted by the international society. New legislation paved the way to foreign organizations working in Vietnam, but at the same time the government tried to strengthen its control on their activities. In 1996 the Prime Minister, Vo Van Kiet, made public the new regulations on foreign NGOs working in Vietnam and a new organization, People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) was officially established.

Last February 5, PACCOM officials visited Tokyo for the first time and a meeting, "Mutual Workshop for NGOs Promoting Development Assistance in Vietnam," was organized with the assistance of 30 persons from several NGO groups active in Vietnam.

The main speaker, Mr. Nguyen Van Kien, official representing PACCOM, spoke about NGO assistance and cooperation with official organizations. In 1975 there was almost no NGO working in Vietnam, but a few years later in 1978, the numbers increased to about 70, most of them American and European groups.

By 1989 NGOs active in Vietnam had jumped to 500. Among them, Japanese groups accounted for 40. PACCOM organized last year a public meeting in Hanoi, on "Poverty Eradication", with the participation of many international NGOs. The government of Vietnam highly evaluates the work of international NGOs and is planning to build a documentation center on NGOs to strengthen information and cooperation. And as a result of the new legislation of 1996, strongly invites all foreign NGOs to register officially. In fact less than half of the 40 Japanese NGOs have registered.

There are a few international bodies working at various levels in Vietnam, but most of the foreign NGOs have been working in poor areas with small development projects that have proved to be very successful especially in rural regions. Lately, many NGOs run programs for street children, HIV patients and sex workers in urban areas. In rural areas many foreign organizations are also quite active in building schools, providing scholarships and training teachers, others build clinics or conduct programs for health workers or do similar medical activities.

Following the adoption of the "doi moi" policies, from 1991 to 2000, Vietnam's economic growth showed a remarkable increase with hopes of further developments. Nevertheless new social problems have provoked population growth and a fast influx of people from rural areas into urban centers with the results of a big poverty gap, lack of educational facilities and child undernourishment. The government is making efforts to better his international image following the human development index (HDI) standards fixed by the UN, like sanitary conditions and education, among others.

PACCOM welcomes Japanese NGOs and those activities concerned with ethnic groups, improvement of the environment, drug addicts and sex workers, the care of HIV patients and financial assistance to rural and urban programs for poverty eradication.