Viet Nam is often considered an example of success in poverty reduction b etween 1993 and 1998 , T he percentage of the population that was poor declined considerably from 58.1 percent to 37.4 percent during the period. The poverty rate continued to fall to 19.5 percent in 2004 and to 14.5 percent in 2008. Th is study examines how poverty reduction has been associated with economic growth and inequality in Viet Nam . It find s that a lthough poverty reduction speed was lower in t he 2000s than in the 1990s, economic growth was more pro - poor in 2000s than in 1990s. During 1993 — 1998 , expenditure distribution deteriorate d , and poverty reduction was mainly caused by economic growth. During 2004 — 2008, however, expenditure inequality decr eased, thereby contributing to poverty reduction. During this period, poverty incidence decreased by 5 percentage point s , of which expenditure growth and expenditure redistribution contributed 2.8 and 2.2 percentage points to poverty reduction, respectivel y