Creating momentum for change in remote mountain villages of Nghe An province.
Currently, Nghe An province is home to 47 ethnic groups, with over 491,200 ethnic minority people (accounting for 14.76% of the province's total population). Over the past 10 years, thanks to the effective implementation of Conclusion No. 01/KL-ĐCT dated August 20, 2015, of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front "On renewing the content and methods of operation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in ethnic affairs," many disadvantaged areas of Nghe An have gradually transformed, embracing a new era of prosperity and happiness.
Standing alongside and understanding the people.
In Block 4, Con Cuong Commune, everyone sympathizes with the plight of Mrs. Ngan Thi Khoa (born in 1964). For the past 7 years, she has suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on one side of her body, and all her daily activities depend on a wheelchair and the care of her husband, Mr. Lo Hoi Duong. However, in September of this year, on his way to the hospital to care for his wife, Mr. Duong unfortunately had an accident and passed away, leaving Mrs. Khoa without her greatest support. Furthermore, their house was damaged by landslides after the remnants of Typhoon No. 3, and they are now in need of urgent relocation.
Understanding the immense difficulties faced by Ms. Khoa, in addition to housing support from various levels and sectors, the Block 4 Steering Committee, along with the Party Committee, the Fatherland Front, and member organizations, mobilized and provided her with over 46 million VND to help her temporarily stabilize her life.
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Throughout the commune, to closely support the people after typhoons No. 3, No. 5, and No. 10, the Fatherland Front of Con Cuong commune mobilized and appealed for 4.9 billion VND to support affected households; and connected with many charitable groups to distribute essential goods to the people, totaling approximately 390 million VND.
In addition, the Fatherland Front Committee of the commune and its member organizations also raised over 70 million VND to supplement the commune's social welfare fund, providing timely support to those who are sick, in distress, and particularly disadvantaged households in the area.
These practical acts of support not only help people strengthen their faith in the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance within the community, especially with the Party committees, government, the Fatherland Front, and its member organizations during the most difficult times.
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Meanwhile, in Mon Son commune, reflecting on the effectiveness of ethnic minority programs and policies implemented in the past, Ms. Ngan Thi Ha - Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Mon Son commune, shared: The locality has more than 90% of its population being ethnic minorities with many difficult living conditions.
Understanding the practical needs of the people, the Fatherland Front of the commune annually coordinates support in providing capital, plant seeds, and livestock to approximately 120 poor households. The commune's "For the Poor" fund has raised over 17 billion VND to contribute to the construction and repair of 279 houses, and organized gift-giving for over 3,900 poor households, with a total value of nearly 2 billion VND.
Simultaneously, the local authorities and the Mon Son Border Guard Station have implemented many practical activities to create livelihoods and help disadvantaged families gradually improve their lives. As a result, more than 320 households have been able to develop production and stabilize their lives.
Looking at the province as a whole, in recent times, many economically disadvantaged families in the mountainous areas of Nghe An have received timely support to have stable housing and sustainable livelihoods, helping people to work and produce with peace of mind.
Social welfare programs and ethnic affairs policies have been implemented effectively and closely aligned with the aspirations of the people, contributing to giving those in difficult circumstances more motivation to improve their lives.
Over the past 10 years, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province has supported the construction and repair of 16,528 houses for ethnic minority districts and communes. It has also coordinated assistance for 115 particularly disadvantaged communes in western Nghe An, with a total budget of over 310 billion VND, and implemented 57 effective models to help people develop their economy and alleviate poverty; and reclaimed and restored 139 hectares of paddy fields.
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Besides caring for the people within the province, people-to-people diplomacy in border areas is also a priority for the Fatherland Front at all levels. Ms. Lang Thi Lan, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Nam Can commune, shared: “Ethnic affairs in border areas are one of the important contents to concretize the spirit of Conclusion No. 01/KL-ĐCT of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. This is clearly demonstrated in Nam Can commune - a border commune with a particularly important position in terms of national defense, security, and foreign relations, bordering the Lao People's Democratic Republic. In recent years, under the leadership and guidance of the Party Committee and the commune government, the two sides have organized twinning agreements between Tien Tieu village and Loong Quang village - Noong Het Tay cluster of villages - Laos and Huoi Poc village and Tham Poong village - Noong Het Tay cluster of villages - Laos.”
Despite facing many difficulties, Nam Can commune has always upheld the spirit of mutual support and fostered the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos. From 2020 to the present, the locality has organized six visits and gift-giving events for functional forces, the villages of Loong Quang and Tham Poong, and the Women's Association of Noong Het Tay cluster in Laos, worth over 65 million VND. In 2025, when the Noong Het Tay cluster suffered damage from a storm, the commune coordinated with the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee to provide essential supplies worth over 342 million VND. The commune's health station, together with the Nam Can International Border Gate Border Guard Post, organized three free medical examination and medicine distribution events for the Lao people. These activities contribute to strengthening border solidarity, ending illegal encroachment, unauthorized migration, and land disputes, while creating a foundation for stability in the border area.
Not only in the aforementioned communes, but also in many mountainous areas of the province, ethnic affairs work, linked with social welfare and people-to-people diplomacy, has been implemented comprehensively and practically. As a result, the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minorities have been improved, national unity has been strengthened, contributing to building a stable, developed, and culturally rich border region.
Ethnic affairs work is geared towards development.
sustainable
Currently, Nghe An province is home to 47 ethnic groups, comprising over 491,200 people, accounting for nearly 15% of the province's total population. These ethnic minority communities reside in 65 communes and wards, spread across an area of over 13,700 km², representing 83% of the province's total area.
Over the years, the Party and State have issued many guidelines and policies aimed at developing the socio-economic conditions of ethnic minority areas. Notably, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations at all levels have actively implemented ethnic affairs work with many specific solutions appropriate to the new situation, including Conclusion No. 01/KL-ĐCT of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
Over the past 10 years since the implementation of Conclusion No. 01, ethnic affairs in Nghe An have achieved comprehensive results, contributing to maintaining national unity; effectively organizing many campaigns and emulation movements linked to the lives of ethnic minorities. Alongside this, the Fatherland Front at all levels has effectively participated in people-to-people diplomacy, building mechanisms and policies; promoting the role of influential individuals; improving the capacity of cadres; and implementing social supervision and criticism, ensuring depth in its activities.
Over the past 10 years, through the "Tet for the Poor" program, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, along with agencies, units, businesses, and philanthropists, has raised more than 439.2 billion VND to support the poor, near-poor households, and other eligible groups. This ensures that 100% of poor households and over 60% of near-poor households in ethnic minority areas receive support.
The effective implementation of ethnic affairs work has contributed to a positive transformation of the landscape in ethnic minority and mountainous areas within the province. Accordingly, the poverty reduction rate among ethnic minorities has averaged over 3% annually; the average income of ethnic minorities has reached over 38.4 million VND/person/year; and the percentage of working-age people receiving vocational training suitable to the needs and conditions of ethnic minorities and the specific characteristics of ethnic minority and mountainous regions has reached over 51.5%.
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However, alongside the achievements, ethnic affairs work still faces some limitations, including uneven dissemination of policies, underutilized influence of respected individuals, and the failure to replicate many exemplary models. The preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values have also not been truly effective. Economic development is slow, and the poverty rate remains higher than the provincial average. The main reasons for this are the limited level of education among the population, the lack of close coordination between different levels and sectors, and the fact that ethnic affairs officials and those working in ethnic affairs sometimes fail to meet the demands of their duties.
To address existing shortcomings and gradually improve the effectiveness of ethnic affairs work, Comrade Nguyen Dinh Hung - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province, emphasized: "The Fatherland Front at all levels will continue to thoroughly understand and implement Conclusion No. 01 in conjunction with the province's programs and plans. At the same time, it will coordinate with all levels and sectors to implement emulation movements, mobilize the entire population to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas; organize social supervision and criticism; cultivate and promote the role of influential people and commend good deeds. People's diplomacy will also be strengthened, leveraging international resources to care for and develop ethnic minority areas."
Simultaneously, efforts to strengthen the organization and improve the quality of ethnic minority cadres and cadres working on ethnic affairs have been emphasized, aiming to ensure that the Fatherland Front at all levels effectively and sustainably fulfills its nhiệm vụ of advising on and implementing ethnic policies.
