Poor environmental sanitation poses a serious threat to the health of Vietnamese children. Infectious diseases caused by inadequate sanitation facilities, poor hygiene practices, and the ingestion of contaminated drinking water are the main causes of child malnutrition in Viet Nam today. Beyond contributing to general malnutrition, diarrhoeal and parasitic diseases also impair children's physical development, cognitive function, and ability to learn.
Heavy infections can even result in complications leading to acute or chronic disability.
While there are numerous reasons rural households continue to lack access to suitable sanitation facilities, the problem is primarily attributable to a lack of knowledge about the importance of sanitation, failure to put knowledge into practice, insufficient governmental inputs, and a general lack of attention to the problem of environmental sanitation in Viet Nam. Most people in rural Viet Nam remain unaware of the real impact unsanitary surroundings and poor sanitary practices have on the lives of their children, and continue to live in unsanitary conditions. These individuals need to be informed of the benefits that improved sanitary practices and facilities can bring their families. Even when people are properly informed about proper household sanitation and personal hygiene practices, they often fail to incorporate these lessons in their daily routine. This is partially due to the fact that many adults have a difficult time fundamentally changing their living habits.