Hi there! Today I have a special request; if you haven't, join me in my efforts to protect the spinal cord injury community in Vietnam. As a person with a spinal cord injury, I have experience living in: Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Australia, USA and learned about the lives of those who are in the same situations around the world and realized that we need to find a way to fight and advocate for this distinct social group in Vietnam.

What is spinal cord injury? A spinal cord injury is a damage to the brain that affects its ability to send messages to the rest of the body. These injuries cause loss of sensation, chronic pain, and many other serious medical problems beneath the wound site. Because of secondary diseases, the risk of death for people with spinal cord injuries is 2 to 5 times higher than that of the general population, depending on the medical care they receive. (According to the WHO)

The real issues, according to the “My Dream” direct survey conducted in December 2017 by the Linkreation Center on 70 participants (48 males/22 females, aged 18-65 on Facebook closed group with 1000 members) are as follows:

Most depend on their families for support (>90%), thus lacking autonomy. They live in conditions that lack sustainable housing, safety, and health.

Right after the accident, many people commit suicide or experience depression. There are absolutely no psychologists in Vietnam after they become disabled.

They cannot receive public health care, and they cannot afford treatment for secondary conditions such as Ulcers, cystitis, and nephritis, ... Although they are 90-100% covered by medical insurance, most medications and treatment equipment are not covered by the insurance company.

Why is the spinal cord injury group a distinct community that needs protection?

According to the 2020 HRW report, Vietnam continues to systematically violate fundamental issues of democracy and the rule of law, which has pushed the spinal cord injury community from society, creating more barriers that cause more difficulties in their efforts to integrate into society.

For example, The independent living program is implemented by the Hanoi Center for Independent Living under the ODA Nippon foundation (2009-2014) with the following goals:

- Create a new profession in the community’s field: Personal assistant.

- Help people with severe disabilities to live independently.

- Remove barriers to help people with disabilities integrate into society.

However, after participating in the program as a model in Da Nang City, I left halfway for the following reasons:

This is not an independent organization or organization that protects the rights of the disabled; rather it was created to follow the government’s directions. This is how the authorities deal with international human rights organizations in calling for human rights, profiting from projects like this to spread propaganda. After finishing this project,

There are no results at all:

- No new profession is created: Personal Assistant.

- People with spinal cord injuries in critical condition must desperately call for charity from individual donors and are often taken advantage of.

- Accessible vans are still not allowed to be imported for a "Special" reason, even though this type of vehicle is funded to implement the project. Therefore, transportation support services for people with disabilities are not created. Also, according to HRW, the right to freedom of speech and association affects dissidents and independent activists, but in my opinion, the spinal cord injury group is also seriously affected because when they are in danger, their voice is completely unheard, they have no representative to address their difficulties. Although there is no right to freedom of established associations in Vietnam, Disability Associations have been established in many provinces and cities throughout the country with their definition as "Special" under the direction of the government and appointment by the Communist Party. These organizations are promoted as organizations representing people with disabilities which is a lie. Systematic corruption, lies, and media control affect people with disabilities.

The DRT Da Nang 2016 express bus project is one example. Nguyen Xuan Anh, the party secretary of Da Nang city, approved a loan from the World Bank of more than $70 million despite objections from many people about its feasibility. And the result is: The buses have been operating almost without passengers until now. RAMP accessibility equipment did not work in all vehicles immediately upon being put into service. Reasons: These vehicles were imported from Korea, with RAMP accessibility equipment devised and self-processed by QuangAn, a company controlled by the Secretary.

Also, the problem of buses refusing to carry people with disabilities who use wheelchairs still happens regularly, but those who post criticism on social networks are immediately threatened and in danger, and I am one of the victims.https://youtu.be/YkF-Y704xpw

Social problems abound in Vietnam, but with an authoritarian ruling system that has complete control over the news and media, it is difficult for authentic information to be released to the global community. This is also why I want to find a way to get the facts out and call for the protection of distinct social groups in Vietnam.

Prepared by: Tran Ngoc Tuan