Feature Nutrition for Growth: Cooperating with the Private Sector and Citizen Participation (Vietnam / Health)

JICA utilizes a wide range of approaches to work with private organizations and citizens for nutrition improvement.

Photo

Vietnam

Fostering Vietnam's First Dietitians

Photo

Vietnam's first dietitians graduate from the four-year bachelor in nutrition course Hanoi Medical University.

Vietnam has seen rapid economic growth in recent years. But while the country continues to grow more prosperous, obesity and other problems caused by overnutrition and an unbalanced diet are beginning to appear. "There were no nutrition specialists-no dietitians-in Vietnam, and there was no system in place to educate people about nutrition," said Kuriwaki Kei, who formerly worked at Ajinomoto's CSR [1] Department.

Photo

The first batch of students at Hanoi Medical University visiting Japan for training.

Ajinomoto's research station decided to confront the problem, and in 2011 launched the Vietnam Nutrition System Establishment Project (VINEP) together with Vietnam's National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). The project bore fruit in September 2013, when Vietnam's first four-year bachelor in nutrition course was opened at Hanoi Medical University. The course trains dietitians in Vietnam, with the support of the Japan Dietetic Association, Jumonji University, and the Kanagawa University of Human Services.

In furtherance of JICA's role, since 2014 students of the dietitian course have been invited to Japan for training. Specialists from universities, hospitals, and government institutions in Vietnam visited Japan and learnt about the environments where dietetics is being applied. "We thought it was important for them to see first-hand situations where dietitians' expertise is being applied, and apply what they learnt in Vietnam." A symposium on nutrition was also held in Vietnam, helping people to recognize the importance of having a national nutrition policy and dietary management. Thanks to such efforts, dietetics was legally recognized as a civil service profession in 2015, laying the groundwork for a system to further foster the discipline.

Activities continue through the Ajinomoto Foundation. The number of universities training dietitians has grown to ten, and further expansion with improved curricula is planned. The aim is not only to train more dietitians, but to help them to be more effective in society.


Note