Six Vietnamese non-governmental organisations set up a network for migrant workers called M.net, which aims to help migrant workers receive better social welfare services and voice their opinions on political issues.

M.net was officially introduced in Ha Noi on December 8. The six founding members are the Institute for Community and Health Development (LIGHT); the Centre for Development and Integration; the Research Centre for Gender-Family and Community Development; the Institute for Policy Studies, Law and Development; the Viet Nam Judicial Support Association for the Poor; and the Center for Social Work Community Development Research and Consultancy.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the last decade, migration from rural areas to urban areas increased, from two million migrants in 1999 to 3.4 million in 2009. The increase is expected to continue to 5 million in 2019, accounting for five percent of the country's population.

On the same day, M.net opened an exhibition displaying photos taken by street vendors and scrap-iron dealers in Ha Noi. It was part of a project LIGHT ran from July 2014 to December 2016 to support street vendors and scrap-iron dealers in Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem and Nam Tu Liem districts.

(Source: VNA)