Strategic and well-coordinated advocacy is essential to improve nutrition at scale. Recent efforts in countries throughout Southeast Asia have generated regional momentum and resulted in stronger nutrition policies and programs.

Translating national policies and guidelines into effective action at the subnational level is a prerequisite for ensuring an impact on nutrition. In Viet Nam this process is affected by the quality of the decentralized process of planning and action.

This article was part of a special supplement in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin on the Alive & Thrive (A&T) project. Despite the existence of a strong evidence base for investing in infant and young child feeding (IYCF), sufficiently supported IYCF policies and programs are rare.