QUANG NGAI (VNS) — The People's Committee of central Quang Ngai Province will provide free packages of essential goods worth over VND5 billion (US$238,000) to 47,000 poor ethnic minority households in mountainous areas to help them celebrate the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which falls late next month. Among the items in the packages are fish sauce, salt and cooking oil. The committee asked departments and agencies to review the list of eligible households, as well as delivery plans to make sure that the aid reaches targeted residents on time. — VNS … [Read more...]
Ethnic minority students return to school after Tet
HA NOI (VNS)— Most ethnic minority students have returned to school following the prolonged Tet holiday in the provinces of Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Khanh Hoa. This was due to the efforts of school management boards and local authorities. In the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, a provincial Education and Training Department report made known that 90 per cent of students were back at school after Tet. The department set up two teams before the holiday to monitor the situation, and teachers were also sent to absentee students' houses to encourage them to return to class. In the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, only several kindergarten students were reported absent from school due to sickness caused by the icy weather, said Do Van Muoi, deputy head of the provincial Education and Training Department's Primary Education Office. To encourage students to go back to school, free lunches and warm clothes for students had been provided in the districts of Muong Cha and … [Read more...]
Ethnic minorities reject traditional garb
Ethnic minorities are increasingly choosing not to wear their traditional costumes, especially for their daily activities. Garment reversal: Ethnic Dao men in traditional costumes dance at cap sac, a coming-of-age ceremony in the northwestern region of Vietnam. Most ethnic people now find such costumes too inconvenient for everyday wear. The Muong Lo region, currently located in Nghia Lo Town of northern Yen Bai Province, is considered the hometown of Thais across Vietnam. Yet, it is uncommon to see a woman wearing the full garb of a traditional Thai costume – a long skirt and a tight blouse. Most modern Thai women pair the traditional long skirt with either a T-shirt or shirts resembling those worn by the majority Kinh group. Thai men are typically outfitted in clothes worn by the Kinh group. Among the Mong people, … [Read more...]
EU, VN hold talks on ethnic minorities
The Committee for Ethnic Minorities (CEM) and the EU Delegation in Viet Nam yesterday kicked off a workshop on international human rights standards focusing on ethnic minorities.— Photo Tien Minh KHANH HOA (VNS) – The Committee for Ethnic Minorities (CEM) and the EU Delegation in Viet Nam yesterday kicked off a workshop on international human rights standards focusing on ethnic minorities. The three-day event, being held in central Khanh Hoa Province under the umbrella of the EU-Viet Nam Strategic Dialogue Facility programme, aims to improve understanding of ethnic issues at the provincial and district levels. The event will also note Viet Nam's policy achievements in improving the rights of ethnic minority groups. Addressing the opening session, Deputy Minister-cum-CEM Vice Chairman Hoang Xuan Luong stressed Viet Nam's consistent policy to ensure human rights, including the rights of ethnic minorities. Ewa Chylinski, senior expert at the European Centre for Minority … [Read more...]
Ethnic minorities to get land for housing
HCM CITY (VNS)— Ethnic minorities living in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta will benefit from a new Government policy to provide them land for housing and jobs. Under a decision issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last Monday (May 20), city and provincial people's committees can allot land to local ethnic people to build suitable housing. The Government will also provide a maximum of VND30 million (US$1,400) to poor, landless ethnic families to buy land for housing. These families will also receive from local agencies financial support that is not less than 10 per cent of this amount to buy residential land. If localities have land that can be turned into residential land, local authorities can use the subsidy amounts for land clearance and building infrastructure before allotting the land to eligible families. Families getting land are prohibited from selling it and have to use it within 10 years. Poor ethnic minority families in the delta will also be provided with soft loans … [Read more...]
Tuition hike could harm ethnic minority students
VietNamNet Bridge – As universities become financially independent, ethnic minority students enrolled in special majors may suffer tuition fee increases when their institutions impose fee levels higher than the Government’s ceiling.As universities come under financial pressure, some of them charge slightly higher tuition fees for some special majors, if they are financially independent and able to do so, said Tran Van Top, vice director of Ha Noi University of Science and Technology (HUST). Special majors are those offered exclusively in Viet Nam, focused on the country’s issues, including majors dedicated to the country’s ethnic groups. “Ethnic Minority Culture is Viet Nam’s exclusive major which researches the country’s social conditions. However, as students are mostly from ethnic minority groups, charging the maximum tuition fee will place a burden on them,” Nguyen Thi Việt Huong, vice director of Ha Noi University of … [Read more...]
NA Chairman meets Bac Kan ethnic minority voters
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung met with ethnic minority voters from Quang Thuan commune in Bach Thong district, that are amongst the most disadvantaged communities in Bac Kan northern province on December 30. People in Quang Thuan commune subsist on agricultural and forestry production. An individual earns on average 16 million VND per year from growing fruit trees. Hung asked the Party Committee, authorities and people of Quang Thuan commune to make full use of their natural advantages to develop farming and husbandry. They should also improve the effectiveness of national programme 135 to reduce poverty, and apply advanced technology in farming and husbandry to enhance the quality of products, he said. He suggested leaders of the commune concentrate on building the Party, at the same time create better conditions for young people to access education, as well as look for resources to improve infrastructure and the transport system. Earlier, Chairman Hung visited and … [Read more...]
Ethnic minorities need stronger voice in public policy on poverty
Ahead of next Monday's Consultative Group meeting on breakthroughs in poverty reduction, Oxfam's associate country director Bert Maerten talks about the importance of local voices in achieving poverty reduction. Lives have improved tremendously in rural areas during the last decade, even in remote and mountainous areas. Prior to 2007, women in Ban Lien, a remote commune in northern mountainous Lao Cai Province, had little access to markets and the outside world. Since a market was set up in 2008, they have been able to sell surplus vegetables there. The market is also a place for information sharing and has improved channels and opportunities for communication. Such a sense of progress and achievement exists among many communities around the country. Millions have lifted themselves out of poverty. Despite such progress, opportunities seem to be bypassing a significant number of people who live in chronic poverty. According to a joint poverty monitoring survey conducted by Oxfam and … [Read more...]
Festival honours ethnic minorities
HA NOI — Some of the country's diverse ethnic cultures will be on show at a festival held tomorrow and Thursday in suburban Ha Noi. The Viet Nam Ethnic Groups Cultural Festival features the participation of 13 ethnic groups from eight cities and provinces. Taking place at the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture and Tourism Village in Dong Mo tourist area, 40km from the city centre, the festival's highlights include a gala night with the title of "Opportunities in the Year of the Dragon", featuring art performances by more than 300 amateur artists who come from ethnic groups, according to Lam Van Khang, chairman of the organising board. The artistic director of the show, Nguyen Khac Phuc, said the performance would spotlight the cultural quintessence of ethnic groups throughout the country. "Ethnic people will perform their own art forms and introduce their culture to the audience, and this is the best way to express their true-to-life values," Khang said. "The stage will be … [Read more...]
Young entrepreneurs vital for advancement of ethnic minorities
Social welfare activities attract a great number of young people from ethnic minorities..—Photo baocaobang HCM CITY (VNS)— Ethnic minority youth are a key factor in helping reduce poverty among their communities in particular and the country in general, experts said at a meeting on Saturday in HCM City. Titled "Poverty Reduction Among Ethnic Minority Communities: Impact of Young Entrepreneurs," the meeting was co-organized by the World Bank and Ton Duc Thang University's Institute for International Studies and Exchange. Speakers at the meeting said support policies were necessary to enable the "incubation" of ethnic minority youth. The importance of financial support and investment in human resources was stressed. Dang Le Nguyen Vu, chairman of the Trung Nguyen Coffee Group, said education was vital for encouraging ethnic minority youth to become entrepreneurs and contribute to the economic development of their communities. "Education is not only knowledge but also a … [Read more...]