This paper discusses initiatives of the Vietnamese government to address the educational and training needs of the working population, particularly women. Since 1986, the Vietnamese government has initiated efforts to develop a multisectoral, market-oriented economy. Education and training are considered to be essential for promoting long-term national development. Thus, the government has focused on the development of higher education and the provision of basic education to working people, especially rural women. The current population of Vietnam is 73 million, including 20 million working women between the ages of 15-55. Seventy-five percent of working women are farmers who play a major role in food production. However, Vietnamese women particularly in rural areas, face many difficulties: unemployment, underemployment, poverty, lack of knowledge and experience in a market economy, and a high rate of illiteracy. Approximately 5.6 million women are illiterate, 89 percent of whom live in rural areas. Since 1990, the government has implemented literacy programs with the goal of raising literacy rates for people aged 15-35. Follow-up literacy courses focus on functional literacy and address such issues as environmental protection, drug abuse and AIDS prevention, child rearing, small business management, and cultural preservation. In addition, job skill training and distance education have been integrated to further meet the educational and training needs of women. The government believes that the education of women will result in effective parenting skills, lowering the school dropout rate, and cultural preservation. The significant number of female teachers at all levels of education illustrates the success of the government's efforts to promote the education of women. (LP)