As part of the Chronic Poverty Report 2008-09, the Viet Nam case study attempts to look at the various steps of implementation of policies meant to serve the chronically poor. Specifically, the report will provide a thorough analysis of the two most important programmes. The first is the National Targeted Programme on Hunger Eradication and Poverty Reduction (NTP on HEPR). This programme is directly aimed at a demographic group that is living below the poverty line (poor households). The second is the Programme on Socio-economic Development for Communes faced with Extreme Difficulties in mountainous and remote areas (Programme 135). This programme is directly aimed at a geographic group who live in mountainous and remote areas of Viet Nam. The majority of this group is comprised of people of ethnic minorities.Research tools: The research projects make use of extensive literature reviews, interviews and in-depth discussions with development specialists and researchers in Ha Noi.Location of the field trips: Field trips were conducted in Dien Bien province in the Northwest mountainous areas and Hai Phong in the Red River Delta. Dien Bien province was chosen because it belongs to the poorest mountainous region with a high density of ethnic minorities. Hien Hao commune of Cat Hai district, Hai Phong City was chosen because it presents a pocket of poverty in one of the fastest growing regions. The selection of the sites provides a West-to-East transect for the study. The choice of the field trip sites is planned to provide a cross-region comparison of implementation of policy focus.Structure of the report: Guided by the TOR, the report follows the questions therein. Appendixes are provided to help explain the specific settings of Viet Nam and form an important part of the report, providing information in the Viet Nam context for understanding the specific points discussed in the main report