Persistent barriers widen the information gap for women in mountainous areas

While access to information indicators in Viet Nam has improved overall, women and girls in ethnic minority and mountainous areas still face significant barriers in accessing knowledge related to sexual and reproductive health, nutrition and personal safety.

Drawing on programme implementation experience in Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) considers this gap to be structural and persistent, and one that cannot be bridged through mass communication approaches alone.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Tram Anh, Communications Officer at UNFPA in Viet Nam, identified language as the most significant barrier. Many ethnic minority women communicate primarily in their mother tongue, have limited proficiency in Vietnamese, or lack basic literacy skills. In this context, conventional communication materials, even when designed to be simple, remain difficult to access. In several highland communes in Dien Bien Province, Hmong women shared that they “cannot watch television because they do not understand Vietnamese,” or that they “hold leaflets but cannot read them.”

Beyond language, geographical isolation and limited infrastructure further constrain access to information. In areas such as Nam Nhun (Lai Chau) or Dak Glei (Kon Tum), residents must walk for hours to reach the nearest health facility. Unstable mobile signals and intermittent internet connectivity render modern communication channels largely ineffective.

Gender norms and traditional practices also present major obstacles. In many communities, women are not accustomed to or encouraged to discussing sexual and reproductive health, family planning or gender-based violence. In some cases, access to information depends on the approval or support of male family members. Economic hardship further limits participation, as many women lack the time to attend communication sessions or health check-ups. When livelihoods depend on subsistence farming and caregiving, seeking information is often deprioritised.

UNFPA emphasises that trusted messengers are central to effective communication. One highly regarded model is the village midwife network. In Lai Chau Province, many midwives are Hmong, Dao or Thai women who speak local languages and understand cultural practices. When they visit households to provide counselling on antenatal care or preventing early pregnancy, women are more receptive. As one Hmong woman shared: “When the commune nurse talks, I still feel shy, but when the village midwife talks, I listen.”

Small-group communication sessions have also proven effective. In Dien Bien, discussions involving 10–15 women at village cultural houses, focusing on violence prevention or postnatal care, create safe spaces where participants feel comfortable sharing personal experiences and asking questions about contraception, topics they would otherwise hesitate to raise in public settings.

In areas with limited digital infrastructure, village loudspeaker systems continue to play an important role. In Dak Glei District (Kon Tum), community broadcasts in the Xo Dang language on preventing child marriage were more easily received than printed materials. In parallel, UNFPA uses visual tools such as flipcharts, posters and illustrated videos in local languages. In Ninh Thuan Province, Cham-language videos on maternal and child health attracted large audiences at community houses because women reported they could “understand the content and see their own lives reflected.”

According to UNFPA, communication achieves its greatest impact when it is directly linked to service delivery. In northern mountainous provinces, communication sessions on sexual and reproductive health and family planning are consistently organised alongside health screening and individual counselling. Women receive blood pressure checks, anthropometric measurements, nutritional risk assessments and basic antenatal examinations, and are immediately referred to appropriate service points if risks are identified.

This “communication linked with services” model enables communities to see tangible benefits, strengthens trust in the health system, and encourages sustained engagement with health facilities. UNFPA considers this a critical factor in improving access to sexual and reproductive health and family planning services, particularly for ethnic minority women and those living in hard-to-reach areas.

According to Ms. Tram Anh, cultural relevance is a guiding principle across all UNFPA communication efforts. This approach is grounded in co-creation with communities, rather than delivering messages from the outside. In Dien Bien, while developing materials on safe childbirth, UNFPA found that initial illustrations did not reflect local practices, where women commonly give birth in a sitting position or on the floor. Following community consultation, visuals were revised to feature characters wearing Hmong or Thai traditional attire, making the materials more relatable.

Communication language is also “localised” beyond direct translation. Concepts such as “reproductive rights” or “reproductive autonomy” do not have direct equivalents in many ethnic minority languages. As a result, communication teams work closely with village midwives and respected community members to convey these ideas through concrete examples, such as the right to choose a safe method of childbirth or the right to refuse care when feeling unsafe.

UNFPA also prioritises direct, visual and hands-on communication approaches, using physical models and practical demonstrations to accommodate limited literacy levels among many women.

With regard to child nutrition, UNFPA views communication as a long-term accompaniment process. In many mountainous areas, economic constraints make standard dietary recommendations impractical. Messages are therefore tailored to locally available foods. In Ninh Thuan, Cham mothers are guided on preparing nutritious porridge for children using pumpkin, mung beans, bananas or stream fish, rather than expensive ingredients.

Another priority is communication during the first 1,000 days of life. In Gia Lai Province, village midwives not only explain the benefits of breastfeeding, but also demonstrate proper positioning, milk expression and storage for mothers who must work in the fields. UNFPA also extends communication efforts to key household decision-makers such as grandparents and men, who often influence childcare practices. When the entire family understands and supports recommended practices, children are more likely to benefit.