Patterns of mortality in Bavi, Vietnam, 1999-2001

Demographic data including detailed mortality patterns for Vietnam are relatively sparse, mainly coming from national census data. This paper describes detailed mortality findings from a sample drawn from the population of one district of northern Vietnam, over the three-year period 1999-2001.

These data were based on quarterly household visits to collect data on vital events, covering 142,318 person-years of observation over a three-year period.

Crude mortality was 5.1 per 1,000 person-years (4.7 for females and 5.6 for males). Infant mortality was 21.6 per 1,000 live births and crude birth rate was 14.7 per 1,000. Life expectancy at birth was 75.2 years (78.8 year for females and 71.1 for males). Residents of mountainous and highland areas experienced lower mortality than riverside and island dwellers.

These findings are discussed in the light of two major demographic factors: the legacy of the Vietnam War and, more recently, the effect of Vietnam's two-child policy. Although these mortality estimates seem low, there is good reason to believe that they accurately reflect the current state of this population. Vietnam as a whole enjoys low mortality in relation to its socioeconomic status compared with neighbouring countries.