Two reports on poverty reduction in Vietnam have been released.

The two reports offer several recommendations on policy directions for poverty reduction, focusing on villages and communities.

Oxfam – an international non-governmental organization specializing in rural agricultural development and humanitarian assistance – and ActionAid – an international federation fighting poverty – have just published two research reports entitled “Models of Poverty Reduction in Typical Ethnic Minority Communities in Vietnam” and “The Role of Village Institutions in Poverty Reduction in Typical Ethnic Minority Communities in Vietnam”.

These two studies were conducted in the provinces of Ha Giang, Nghe An, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Quang Tri, Dak Lak, and Tra Vinh at the end of 2012, aiming to understand the socio-economic factors at the community level that create "bright spots" in poverty reduction among ethnic minority households and communities. They also emphasized the important role of village-level institutions in poverty reduction, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of policies, programs, projects, and public service delivery aimed at poverty reduction in ethnic minority communities in Vietnam.

The two reports offer several recommendations on policy directions for poverty reduction, such as: Developing poverty reduction programs in ethnic minority areas with greater resources, focusing on villages; Designing a comprehensive program to improve local governance in ethnic minority communities based on empowering the people and village institutions.

The reports also offer several recommendations for sustainable poverty reduction, such as: Developing village-level institutions in conjunction with institutional reforms at the commune level and above; Strengthening resources and restructuring investment in agricultural extension in ethnic minority communities; Focusing on building a competent team of agricultural extension officers; Developing policies to encourage and replicate community-based social security models, emphasizing the role of village funds, family and clan linkages, and community-based, economic, cultural, and spiritual groups in self-security and risk prevention.

According to (VOV) - LH