The directive states that in recent years, thanks to the attention of the Party and the State, numerous ethnic policies and programs have been issued and implemented, including the Ethnic Affairs Strategy for 2021-2030 with a vision toward 2045 under Government Resolution No. 10/NQ-CP dated January 28, 2022.

These policies have contributed significantly to transforming ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Material and spiritual living conditions have improved markedly, while the poverty reduction rate in ethnic minority and mountainous regions has outpaced the national average.

Ethnic groups have continued to promote equality, solidarity, mutual respect and shared development. Public confidence in the leadership and governance of the Party and the State has also strengthened, contributing to political stability and social order.

However, the directive notes that socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions remains slow. Infrastructure systems still fail to meet development needs, while the quality of education and human resource training remains limited.

The capacity and qualifications of grassroots officials, including ethnic minority officials in some localities, have yet to meet practical demands. The training and utilization of ethnic minority officials have not received sufficient attention.

Political security and social order in certain areas still contain potential risks of instability. Persistent concerns also remain regarding residential land, housing, production land, clean water access and unresolved issues related to population planning and settlement arrangements in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

According to the directive, these shortcomings stem not only from objective factors but also from subjective causes, including insufficient awareness in some places regarding the importance of ethnic affairs and state management in this field.

Some ministries and agencies have failed to complete and submit assigned projects under the action program implementing the strategy on schedule. In addition, ethnic minority and mountainous regions continue to face low socio-economic starting points, limited human resource quality and an incomplete, inconsistent and unstable institutional system for ethnic affairs management.

Accelerating programs and projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas

To strengthen implementation of the Ethnic Affairs Strategy for 2021-2030 with a vision toward 2045, the Prime Minister requested ministries, central agencies and provincial authorities to focus on several key tasks.

Authorities at all levels are instructed to continue deeply implementing the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on ethnic affairs, particularly Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW dated March 12, 2003, on ethnic affairs in the new context; Conclusion No. 65-KL/TW dated October 30, 2019, of the Politburo on continuing implementation of Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW; Government Resolution No. 10/NQ-CP dated January 28, 2022; and Decision No. 1657/QD-TTg dated December 30, 2022, approving the action program for implementing the strategy.

The directive also calls for improving the effectiveness of state management in ethnic affairs and institutionalizing the Party’s viewpoints into concrete mechanisms and policies.

Inspection and supervision of ethnic policy implementation are to be strengthened.

Authorities are required to accelerate the implementation of policies, programs and projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas while proactively mobilizing and integrating resources, especially in extremely disadvantaged regions.

The government will prioritize resources and suitable policies for particularly disadvantaged localities, border regions and very small ethnic minority groups.

Socio-economic development must be linked with environmental protection, sustainable natural resource management and the safeguarding of national defense, security and social order.

The directive also requires annual implementation plans and concrete solutions to achieve and exceed set targets, alongside strict reporting, review and evaluation mechanisms.

Resolving urgent issues to stabilize livelihoods

The Prime Minister assigned specific responsibilities to ministries, sectors and local authorities in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs will take the lead in monitoring, supervising and compiling annual reports on implementation results.

The ministry is also tasked with urgently issuing guidance documents for localities to effectively implement programs on new rural development, sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for 2026-2035.

Priority will be given to resolving urgent issues such as residential land, housing, production land, electricity, clean water access and essential social infrastructure to stabilize the lives of ethnic minority communities.

The ministry will also advise on the development and implementation of tasks, projects and policies in line with conclusions issued by Party General Secretary and President To Lam and other senior Party and State leaders.

The Ministry of Finance will coordinate with ministries, central agencies and local authorities to submit proposals for state budget allocations and mobilize lawful capital sources to support ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

Stabilizing population settlement and expanding essential infrastructure

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will continue researching and developing policies on stable population settlement and essential infrastructure development in disadvantaged regions to help stabilize livelihoods.

The ministry will also guide economic development linked with forest protection and income improvement for residents under national target programs on new rural development, sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for 2026-2035.

Priority will be given to poor households and ethnic minority residents in poor communes and especially disadvantaged villages.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will strengthen inspections related to preferential policies in the training, planning, recruitment and use of ethnic minority officials, especially female officials, officials from very small ethnic minority groups and groups with limited representation in the political system.

The ministry will continue researching and proposing amendments to improve relevant policies in line with practical conditions.

The Ministry of Education and Training will coordinate with agencies and localities to improve the quality of human resource training and educational standards in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

It will also study plans to upgrade and expand high schools in ethnic minority, mountainous and border commune areas to create better learning conditions and increase the proportion of students continuing upper secondary education after junior secondary school.

The ministry will implement programs to train high-quality ethnic minority human resources in key sectors for 2026-2035, with orientation toward 2045.

The Ministry of Health will review and supplement policies for training healthcare workers in disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas.

The ministry is also tasked with improving facilities and medical equipment for commune-level healthcare centers in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

Targeting universal electricity access by 2030

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will review and propose mechanisms and special policies prioritizing state budget investment for preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic minority groups.

Special attention will be given to very small ethnic groups and cultural values at risk of disappearing.

The ministry will also support the preservation and development of cultural spaces and traditional villages associated with sustainable tourism development, particularly community-based tourism that directly benefits ethnic minority communities.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will direct local authorities and relevant agencies to focus investment on electricity systems in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, aiming for 100% household electricity access by 2030.

The Ministry of Construction will focus resources on developing rural transport systems and civil bridges in ethnic minority and mountainous regions while continuing housing support policies for poor households, especially ethnic minority families.

The Ministry of Public Security will strengthen measures to maintain political security and social order while combating hostile forces exploiting issues related to democracy, human rights, ethnicity and religion to undermine national development.

The ministry will also intensify efforts to eliminate drug-related crimes and other social problems in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The Ministry of National Defense will continue integrating defense and security tasks with socio-economic development while supporting sustainable poverty reduction and investing in defense-economic zones.

The ministry will also strengthen security in border and island areas to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will strengthen political trust and relations with other countries, especially neighboring nations and international organizations, while mobilizing international support for projects related to ethnic minority development.

The ministry will also coordinate communication with international partners regarding the Party and State’s ethnic policies and laws while promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation in economics, culture, education and human resource development.

Improving ethnic minority personnel planning within the political system

Provincial and municipal People’s Committees are required to develop and finalize plans for training, fostering and utilizing ethnic minority officials within the political system.

Local authorities are also instructed to strengthen inspection, supervision, evaluation and review of ethnic policy implementation.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and leaders of central agencies must urgently complete and submit unfinished projects under the Government’s action program implementing Resolution No. 10/NQ-CP.

Local authorities, especially provinces and cities undergoing administrative mergers in 2025, are required to review, develop and issue implementation plans for the Ethnic Affairs Strategy that align with the Party and State’s orientations in the new period.

The Prime Minister also called on the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to coordinate with the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs to encourage ethnic minority communities to strengthen patriotic movements, promote self-reliance and reinforce the national unity bloc.

The directive also emphasizes caring for, training and promoting the role of reputable figures within ethnic minority and mountainous communities.

VGP