This year’s days will be held in all provinces and cities nationwide. Provincial Departments of Health, centres for preventive medicine, and Mother and Children health protection Centres will provide children with high doses of vitamin A and carry out communication activities to raise public awareness of nutrition, and advise mothers to provide proper nutrition from different sources for comprehensive development.

The country’s child malnutrition rates have decreased from 38.7 percent in 1999 to 18.9 percent in 2009, reaching the target two years earlier than scheduled.

However, Vietnam is still facing malnutrition and shortages of micro-nutrition in children, increasing the risks of diseases and fatality.

Le Thi Hop, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, said people needed more effective intervention in the community to further prevent malnutrition.