The scheme, approved by the prime minister on April 28, 2011, seeks to develop Vietnamese stature to improve the human resource quality for the cause of national modernisation and industrialisation and gradually enhance the Vietnamese’s race quality and longevity.
With a total investment capital of roughly VND6 trillion (US$282 million), the 641 scheme will be among the top important goals of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the coming time.
The project will be implemented via four major programmes including identifying factors influencing Vietnamese people’s height growth; nutrition care combined with relevant population quality activities; boosting physical education for students aged 13-18, and raising common awareness of Vietnamese physical fitness and stature development. Pregnant mothers, infants, children and the under-18 youth will be among the scheme’s top beneficiaries.
One of the scheme’s specific targets is to raise the average height of Vietnamese men to 167cm by 2020 and 168.5cm by 2030. The target heights for women are 156cm by 2020 and 157.5cm by 2030.
Health is vital to each individual and the whole society, and protecting and improving people’s health also means the direct protection of human resources for national construction and defence, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said at the launching ceremony.
On the occasion, the 641 scheme’s steering board also presented prizes to the winners of the contest to design logo, slogan and song for the project.
