The objective of this research is to analyze the current status and process
of Vietnam's rural development to draw lessons for improving the quality
of rural life and achieving sustainable rural development in Vietnam. The
research was carried out by the following methods. First, the paper reviews
previous studies on concepts and theoretical perspectives on rural
development and comes up with a concrete definition of the term ‘rural
development’ for this research to build a Rural Development Index (RDI).
Second, the RDI is developed as a tool to evaluate the current status
and process of rural development. Third, the paper examines the current
status and development process of Vietnam's rural development using
the RDI. The scope of this study covered 63 regions (58 provinces and 5
municipalities) in Vietnam. This research can be used to establish midand
long-term visions and strategies of rural development policies in
Vietnam.