Child labour is no new phenomenon throughout the developing world, and as globalisation increasingly links together global markets and supply chains, this issue has witnessed sharp changes. This paper takes Vietnam as a typical case where, despite a considerable decline in recent years, child labour constitutes an ordinary reality. It is concluded that child labour is not only a matter of national social affairs, but also a question of human rights, and resultantly should be considered throughout the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Vietnam.
Ngoc Diep Tran is a Junior Researcher at the European Institute for Asian Studies.