At the request of the Vietnamese Government, she will collect first-hand information on efforts undertaken to improve the situation of both groups.
"Missions like this are an important opportunity to review progress," she said in Geneva before leaving.
"Viet Nam has been praised for its economic development in recent years, but poverty persists," she said.
"Social protection policies are of great importance if people are to be lifted out of poverty," she said. "And human-rights standards require official support."
"Social-protection interventions are also instrumental in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals," added Sepulveda.
The independent expert will meet senior Government officials, including a Deputy Prime Minister and representatives of ministries involved in social policies.
She will also meet representatives from the United Nations, the donor community and non-governmental organisations.
Sepulveda will also visit poor communities in Ha Noi and in Bac Kan and Quang Nam provinces.
She will then make recommendations on strengthening social protection from a human-rights perspective. Her report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next year.
Sepulveda is a Chilean lawyer working as research director at the International Council on Human Rights Policy in Geneva. — VNS
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