This study examines the impact of a large-scale poverty alleviation program targeted at 62 of the poorest districts in Vietnam. We use a regression discontinuity design with district fixed effects and household survey data spanning the past 20 years. Overall, we do not find significant effects of the program on household welfare measured by per capita income, poverty, and local nighttime light intensity. However, we find that the program facilitates a shift among rural individuals from farm to nonfarm employment. The share of nonfarm income is also significantly increased by the program. One possible explanation for the positive effect on nonfarm employment is the improved access to credit that the program provides to participating households. We find that the program increases healthcare utilization of people, possibly through improving healthcare centers at the commune level. We do not find any significant effect of the program on children’s educational attainment. Nevertheless, the program does enhance the availability of educational subsidies for students residing in the program districts.