Consultations were held in Danang and Hanoi in January by a joint UN group led by UN-Habitat to understand some of the challenges, opportunities and dreams of the urban poor in Vietnam today. The group worked with the officials of the People's Committees and Women's Unions in Hoa Hiep Bac Ward (Lien Chieu District, Danang), Thanh Khe Tay (Thanh Khe District, Danang) and Phuc Tan ward (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) to find out more about the poverty status of each ward and their pro-poor activities. In addition, through group discussions and in-depth interviews, key problems facing the urban poor emerged and possible solutions become clearer.

The UN mission was part of series of consultations conducted by the UN in Viet Nam to ask people about the world they want and what they think the priorities for a new development framework for 2015 and beyond should be. The urban poor are one of the eight target groups being consulted in Viet Nam: ethnic minorities, the urban and rural poor, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, young people, the elderly and the private sector.