The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has implemented dozens of social policies to improve the living conditions of the local Khmer ethnic minority.

The locality has provided them with production and residential land and social services such as healthcare, vocational trainings and job placements, said Tran Quoc Thanh, Head of the provincial Ethnic Minority Department.

An Giang has also cooperated with the Mekong Delta Rice Institution and the University of Can Tho to provide local Khmer people with seeds and skills assistance, while encouraging them to apply science and technology and restructure agricultural production.

A number of irrigation systems have been constructed in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts to expand production land for Khmer people.

Target programmes have effectively boosted local socio-economic development and security, including the new-style rural area building programme and the 135 programme investing one billion VND (46,500 USD) each in 17 border communes.

An Giang is home to over 22,600 Khmer ethnic households with over 91,000 people, accounting for 4.23 percent of the provincial population.

The majority are located in Tri Ton and Tien Bien districts, living off the harsh land with its severe and extreme weather conditions, while the rest are scattered across Chau Phu, Chau Thanh and Thoai Son districts.

According Thanh, the rate of local impoverished and near-impoverished households in Khmer ethnic areas has constantly reduced over the past 40 years, posting at 14.55 percent currently.

The figure is expected to stand at around 10 percent in 2015.-VNA