Over the past years, the Stateof Vietnam, besides supplementing legal documents targeting ethnicminority people, has implemented many policies to improve the spiritualand material life of these people.
The task hasbeen conducted unceasingly since the country gained its independence in1945. Article 8 of the 1946 Constitution said “apart from interestequality, the national minorities are assisted in every aspect to makerapid progress to keep pace with the general advance.”
On April 29, 1955, President Ho Chi Minh signed decree 229/SL toprioritise and ensure the rights of ethnic minorities, affirming “allethnic minority groups have the rights to freedom in developing theirown languages and writings, maintaining or improving their traditionalcustoms, and to religious freedom, and are supported by the Governmentin political, economic, social and cultural fields”.
Together with the country’s socio-economic development, Vietnam hasmade important achievements in ensuring the rights of ethnic groups.Ethnic minority deputies make up 17.27 percent of the National Assembly.The rate in the People’s Committees at the provincial level is 18percent, district level, 20 percent, and communal level, 22.5 percent.
The Vietnamese State has been implementing policiesto support production and human resources training to improve ethnicminority people’s living conditions, especially in extremelydisadvantaged and mountainous regions. To date, most of the communeswhere the groups live are accessible by roads and have access toelectricity, clean water, and educational, healthcare and postalservices. Eighty-five percent of the ethnic minority population watchtelevision programmes and 92 percent listen to radio programmes.
A number of independent UN experts on minority issues have beeninvited to Vietnam to see how ethnic minority people live. After such afact-finding tour, Gay McDougall, an expert on ethnic minority people’srights, spoke of the country’s political determination, policies,programmes and measures to ensure the rights of the minority groups ineducation, heathcare, job generation, culture, languages and traditionspreservation, especially in poverty reduction and hunger alleviation.
At a UN Human Rights Committee session in Geneva, GayMcDougall affirmed that ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities isVietnam’s top priority, which is shown in the country’s laws, policiesand socio-economic development programmes.
Despite theState’s great efforts, ensuring the human rights of ethnic minoritypeople in some places has faced difficulties, especially in lifeimprovement as most of them live in mountainous regions withgeographical obstacles. To deal with the issue, the Government hasissued an action plan to realise the ethnic minority strategy towards2020.
The draft revised 1992 Constitution, which isexpected to be passed at the sixth session of the 13 th NationalAssembly, also mentions fully the ethnic issue and ethnic policies tocreate conditions for all ethnic minorities to uphold their internalstrength to contribute to the country’s development. The NationalAssembly is expected to complete the “Law on Nationalities” by 2020.
Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, of which the Kinh people account for 86percent of the 90-million population. The population of the ethnicminorities is different. Some of the groups have over one millionpeople, including the Tay and Thai, several others have a population ofseveral hundred, such as the Pu Peo, Romam and Brau. Most of theminority groups live in the mountainous regions, which account for threefourths of the country’s total area.
Each ethnic group has its own cultural characteristics, reflecting their long-lasting traditions, history and pride.-VNA
The task hasbeen conducted unceasingly since the country gained its independence in1945. Article 8 of the 1946 Constitution said “apart from interestequality, the national minorities are assisted in every aspect to makerapid progress to keep pace with the general advance.”
On April 29, 1955, President Ho Chi Minh signed decree 229/SL toprioritise and ensure the rights of ethnic minorities, affirming “allethnic minority groups have the rights to freedom in developing theirown languages and writings, maintaining or improving their traditionalcustoms, and to religious freedom, and are supported by the Governmentin political, economic, social and cultural fields”.
Together with the country’s socio-economic development, Vietnam hasmade important achievements in ensuring the rights of ethnic groups.Ethnic minority deputies make up 17.27 percent of the National Assembly.The rate in the People’s Committees at the provincial level is 18percent, district level, 20 percent, and communal level, 22.5 percent.
The Vietnamese State has been implementing policiesto support production and human resources training to improve ethnicminority people’s living conditions, especially in extremelydisadvantaged and mountainous regions. To date, most of the communeswhere the groups live are accessible by roads and have access toelectricity, clean water, and educational, healthcare and postalservices. Eighty-five percent of the ethnic minority population watchtelevision programmes and 92 percent listen to radio programmes.
A number of independent UN experts on minority issues have beeninvited to Vietnam to see how ethnic minority people live. After such afact-finding tour, Gay McDougall, an expert on ethnic minority people’srights, spoke of the country’s political determination, policies,programmes and measures to ensure the rights of the minority groups ineducation, heathcare, job generation, culture, languages and traditionspreservation, especially in poverty reduction and hunger alleviation.
At a UN Human Rights Committee session in Geneva, GayMcDougall affirmed that ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities isVietnam’s top priority, which is shown in the country’s laws, policiesand socio-economic development programmes.
Despite theState’s great efforts, ensuring the human rights of ethnic minoritypeople in some places has faced difficulties, especially in lifeimprovement as most of them live in mountainous regions withgeographical obstacles. To deal with the issue, the Government hasissued an action plan to realise the ethnic minority strategy towards2020.
The draft revised 1992 Constitution, which isexpected to be passed at the sixth session of the 13 th NationalAssembly, also mentions fully the ethnic issue and ethnic policies tocreate conditions for all ethnic minorities to uphold their internalstrength to contribute to the country’s development. The NationalAssembly is expected to complete the “Law on Nationalities” by 2020.
Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, of which the Kinh people account for 86percent of the 90-million population. The population of the ethnicminorities is different. Some of the groups have over one millionpeople, including the Tay and Thai, several others have a population ofseveral hundred, such as the Pu Peo, Romam and Brau. Most of theminority groups live in the mountainous regions, which account for threefourths of the country’s total area.
Each ethnic group has its own cultural characteristics, reflecting their long-lasting traditions, history and pride.-VNA
