How living and working in industrial zones affects health outcomes in Hanoi, Vietnam

ABSTRACT The national economic reform movement that began in 1986 in Vietnam, known as Doi Moi, included efforts to connect Vietnam to the global production chain, thereby encouraging more foreign investment in the country. These reforms led to rapid economic growth and urbanization, positioning modern day Vietnam as one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. By 2018, the Vietnamese national government had designated 326 industrial zones, attracting a total of US$41.8 billion worth of domestic capital and US$145 billion in foreign capital. This study evaluates the factors associated with health outcomes for industrial zone workers in Hanoi, Vietnam. Analyzing 501 surveys of industrial worker households living in informal sector housing in industrial zones, we examine demographic, socio-environmental, housing, and occupational factors in shaping physical and mental health outcomes. This is one of the first studies of informal housing in industrial zones in Vietnam which provides an exploratory analysis of how living and working environments in industrial zones affects the health of workers. Gender is one indicator that stands out as a robust and significant predictor of health outcomes. We find that women fare worse on all four measures of health outcomes in our study.