(VOVworld)- This is the first year that Vietnam will observe International Day of Happiness, one year after the UN launched this event globally on March 20^th, 2013.

Under the theme “Love and Sharing”, International Day of Happiness will be observed all over Vietnam through a variety of meetings, seminars, contests, and cultural, sport and tourist activities.

Major policies focus on people’s happiness

Since the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was founded, happiness has always been one of Vietnam’s three main goals along with independence and freedom. Over the years, Party guidelines and State policies promoting well-being for people have had significant success. According to the World Happiness Report of the World Institute of Columbia University released in 2013, Vietnam was the 63^rd happiest of the 156 countries surveyed. The rankings were based on three criteria: life satisfaction, emotional balance - positive and negative emotion- and spirituality. According to the New Economic Fund, in 2012 Vietnam ranked 2^nd in the world on its happy planet index. This index was based on people’s satisfaction with their current life, their life expectancy, and the natural resource consumption. Tran Huong Duong is Deputy Head of the Department of Family of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: “Over the past few years, the Party, State, government, ministries, and sectors in Vietnam have paid special attention to ensuring social security and promoting people’s well-beings. This has been clear. The UN’s declaration of March 20^th as International Happiness Day with criteria for health, spirituality, education, environment, management quality and people’s living standards is in line with Vietnam’s social security criteria”.

Further improving people’s lives

Launching International Day of Happiness on March 20, 2013, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon stressed the need for a balanced approach to sustainable development by integrating three pillars – economic growth, social development and environmental protection. The UN Chief said that these three factors will ensure a happy world. With a commitment to make Day of Happiness more than just one symbolic day, Vietnam and the other UN 192 members are observing the day with efforts to improve people’s well-being and build an equal society. These efforts can be seen in the government’s goals and measures to manage socio-economic development in 2014. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung addressed the 6^th session of the 13^th National Assembly: “It is important to successfully implement the Party’s resolution on some issues relating to social policies. We need to coordinate measures to generate jobs, improve incomes, especially for rural workers and strengthen the National Poverty Reduction Program and integrate it with other programs. We should focus on improving policies for ethnic minority people and those in disadvantaged areas supporting them with food, livestock production, planting and afforestation. We need to respond effectively to the government’s resolutions on environmental protection, forest protection and development, nature conservation and biodiversity. We also need to improve the environment and people’s living conditions”.

Vietnam’s efforts to ensure social security and a happy life for people have contributed to national sustainable development.