Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyen Dinh Khang praised Lam Dong's progress in reducing poverty and improving infrastructure while reviewing the implementation of the national ethnic minority development program.
The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs' working delegation met with the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province to review and evaluate the implementation of Vietnam's National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021–2025 period.
Ethnic minority poverty rate records remarkable decline
Minister Nguyen Dinh Khang addresses the working session. Photo: Le Huong
Reporting to the delegation, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Lam Dong Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, said the province had achieved significant progress after five years of implementing the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for 2021–2025 (Program 1719).
The provincial poverty rate fell sharply from 9.33% at the end of 2021 to 3.33% by the end of 2025, equivalent to nearly 50,000 households moving out of poverty. Among ethnic minority communities, the poverty rate declined from 26.96% to 9.18%, representing an average annual reduction of 3.56% during the 2021–2025 period.
Infrastructure has also been upgraded substantially. All villages now have access to the national electricity grid, while more than 90% of inter-commune roads have been paved. Schools, healthcare stations and community cultural centers have also been modernized. Average annual income among ethnic minority residents has reached approximately US$1,770–1,850 per person.
Education and healthcare networks serving ethnic minority communities have continued to improve, strengthening teaching capacity, primary healthcare services and community health care. Traditional cultural values have been preserved and promoted, contributing to improved spiritual and cultural well-being.
However, provincial authorities acknowledged that socio-economic infrastructure in ethnic minority and mountainous areas remains insufficient to fully drive development. Many households continue to face economic hardship, regional development potential has yet to be fully realized, and access to public services and social amenities remains limited.
According to the report, during the 2026–2030 period, Lam Dong will have 100 communes and wards, together with 2,312 villages and residential clusters located in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, including 29 Area III communes and 218 especially disadvantaged villages.
Dang Hong Si, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee, shares an overview of the province during the meeting. Photo: Le Huong
The province has established and strengthened its Steering Committee for the National Target Programs on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2026–2030 period. It has also issued implementation documents under its delegated authority, providing the legal basis for carrying out the program and Component 2 across the province.
For the new phase, alongside central government funding, Lam Dong plans to allocate matching funds from its local budget equivalent to approximately 137% of the central government's financial support for implementing Component 2.
At the meeting, the provincial People's Committee proposed that the ministry promptly issue the remaining implementation guidelines, adopt more flexible poverty classification criteria, announce total public investment allocations for the full five-year period at the beginning of each cycle, increase the maximum loan available to poor and near-poor households participating in production value chains to approximately US$7,650 per household, and extend the maximum loan repayment period.
Focusing investment on five key priorities
Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Lam Dong Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, presents the province's five-year implementation results of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (2021–2025). Photo: Le Huong
Addressing the meeting, Minister Nguyen Dinh Khang praised Lam Dong's efforts and congratulated the province on its achievements in implementing the National Target Program, particularly following the recent administrative restructuring.
The minister also welcomed the Provincial Party Committee's plan to issue a dedicated resolution on implementing the National Target Program, describing it as an important political foundation for carrying out the program across the province.
He noted that implementation mechanisms in the new phase differ fundamentally from the previous period, with local authorities being granted greater autonomy in accordance with national policy.
For the National Target Program, particularly Component 2, local authorities should clearly identify investment priorities in each area, establish specific objectives and targets for every commune, and develop resource allocation criteria together with matching funding arrangements that reflect local conditions.
Funding should be distributed based on each locality's actual circumstances, with the primary objective of addressing the five key issues identified by the program.
Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyen Dinh Khang and the ministry's working delegation meet with the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee.
The minister also emphasized the importance of assigning dedicated officials to oversee implementation and expanding training programs to strengthen the capacity of commune-level staff.
Where implementation challenges arise, provincial authorities should submit clear and specific recommendations so that relevant agencies can resolve them promptly.
Minister Khang highlighted another important issue: whenever infrastructure projects receive public investment, local authorities must also ensure effective post-investment management and operation so that the projects deliver lasting benefits.
He further stressed that disbursement should always be linked to practical effectiveness. Resources intended for activities that no longer have eligible beneficiaries should be reallocated to other tasks in accordance with regulations. The ultimate priority, he said, is ensuring that public investment delivers tangible results.
Representatives of Lam Dong Province present recommendations during the working session. Photo: Le Huong
During the meeting, several recommendations from Lam Dong Province were addressed directly by the ministry's specialized departments. The remaining proposals were recorded by the working delegation and will be reported to the Government while the ministry coordinates with relevant ministries and agencies to consider appropriate solutions that will facilitate future implementation of the National Target Program.
Following the recent administrative restructuring, Lam Dong Province now comprises 124 communes, wards and special administrative zones. It is home to 49 of Vietnam's 54 officially recognized ethnic groups, with ethnic minorities accounting for 17.6% of the provincial population. The province also has 312 legally recognized religious establishments, 24 state-recognized religious organizations and four religious training institutions. Lam Dong shares a 141-kilometer international border with Cambodia and is traversed by several major transport corridors.
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