Focus on solutions for ethnic people in Nghe An province to integrate and develop

PV:Could you please give us some general information about ethnic minorities in Nghe An province?

Comrade Luong Thanh Hai:Ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Nghe An province include 252 communes, 1,339 villages and hamlets (including 106 communes in region III, 100 communes in region II and 46 communes in region I; 1,182 extremely disadvantaged villages and hamlets).

The population of Nghe An province is currently over 3.3 million people, of which the population of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas is 1,197,628 people (accounting for 41% of the province's population), ethnic minorities are 491,295 people, accounting for 14.7% of the province's population and 36% of the population in mountainous areas with 39 ethnic groups, of which the majority ethnic minorities are: Thai, Tho, Kho Mu, Mong, O Du.

Muong Xen town (Ky Son border district). Photo: Nguyen Book

This is a region with a particularly important strategic position in terms of economy, politics, national defense - security and ecological environment protection; there is great potential in terms of land resources for growing industrial crops, forestry, raising large livestock, developing hydropower, exploiting minerals and developing trade and tourism of the province.

Ethnic minorities have a revolutionary tradition, are united, help each other; have absolute trust in the leadership of the Party and State; each ethnic group has its own unique cultural tradition, creating a rich and diverse cultural identity of the ethnic groups in Vietnam in general and Nghe An in particular.

PV:Could you tell us more about some outstanding results of the past 5 years of implementing ethnic work and ethnic policies in the province?

Comrade Luong Thanh Hai:It can be affirmed that in the past 5 years, in addition to the attention, investment and support of the Central Government, the leadership and direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels, an extremely important factor is that the ethnic minority communities of Nghe An province have always promoted the tradition of solidarity, helping each other in production and life; and have successfully implemented the Resolution Letter set forth at the 2nd Congress of Ethnic Minorities in 2014.

The socio-economic situation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has had clear changes, which can be summarized as follows:

The first,The economy shifted in the right direction and had good growth; the average income per capita in ethnic minority areas in 2018 reached 29.09 million VND; the poverty rate decreased by an average of 3-4%.

Monday,Infrastructure serving socio-economic development, serving national defense and security is invested and built, contributing to solving difficulties in transportation, production, circulation of goods, domestic water, electricity; the need for education and health care for people; creating conditions for people to intensively cultivate rice, grow industrial crops and raise livestock; contributing to protecting forests and protecting the ecological environment.

Tuesday,The quality and effectiveness of education have been gradually improved; every year, over 30 ethnic minority students take the national high school exam and score 24 points or higher; health care for the people has made much progress, and the values ​​and cultural identities of ethnic groups have been preserved and promoted.

Wednesday,The grassroots political system is increasingly consolidated and strengthened; national defense and security are also strengthened and maintained, creating favorable conditions for socio-economic development and stabilizing the lives of people of all ethnic groups.

However, the results of implementing socio-economic development goals, targets and tasks are still not commensurate with the potential and strengths of the region; they have not created fundamental changes and important breakthroughs for the rapid and sustainable development of the region.

The economic scale is still small, the connectivity is low, the efficiency is not high; environmental pollution in some places has not been thoroughly handled; the poverty rate in some districts is still high; political security and social order and safety still have many complex factors.

Of the 27 main socio-economic and environmental targets by 2020 stated in the Resolution Letter at the 2nd Congress of Ethnic Minorities in 2014, 20 targets are forecast to be achieved and exceeded, and 7 targets are difficult to achieve.

Thai ethnic women in many localities preserve and promote traditional weaving. Photo: Sach Nguyen

PV:With the specific characteristics of terrain, location and unique characteristics of ethnic minority communities, what are the basic difficulties and limitations in implementing the Party and State's policies and guidelines, comrade?

Comrade Luong Thanh Hai:The lives of the people are still difficult, people cannot create a stable income or sustainable livelihood in their homeland. People live near the forest but do not have a stable income from the forest. Infrastructure is still lacking and weak, not meeting the requirements of development.

Up to now, in the ethnic minority areas of the province, there are still 9 communes without car roads to the commune center; more than 300 villages and hamlets in communes in mountainous districts do not have national grid electricity; many villages do not have mobile phone signal...

Health and education have made progress, but the quality is still limited. The risk of losing cultural identity and cultural assimilation is present for ethnic minorities in the area. Along with that are the complications arising in the border areas...

Mong people in Nghe An during the festival. Photo: Sach Nguyen

PV:According to you, what solutions are needed to better implement ethnic work and ethnic policies for ethnic minority areas in Nghe An province in particular?

Comrade Luong Thanh Hai:Thoroughly implement Conclusion No. 57/KL-TW dated November 3, 2009 of the 10th Politburo on implementing Resolution No. 24 of the 9th Party Central Committee on ethnic affairs and Directives, Resolutions, and Decisions of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee, in which, it is necessary to focus on effectively implementing the following main tasks:

Strengthening political and ideological education, raising awareness for ethnic minorities; promoting the tradition of national solidarity, self-reliance, and working together to build a strong and prosperous country, so that people can have a prosperous and happy life. Propaganda work must be carried out in many appropriate forms so that ethnic minorities can understand and implement the Party and State's policies and guidelines.

Thai ethnic people harvest rice in Mon Son, Con Cuong. Photo: Ho Phuong

Fully and effectively institutionalize the Party's guiding viewpoints on ethnic affairs and ethnic policies. Focus on synchronous deployment and adequate allocation of investment resources to effectively implement ethnic policies in ethnic minority areas, so that ethnic minority areas can escape the core of poverty in the province and the country. Proactively transfer and apply science and technology to production development, select varieties, crops and livestock with high productivity, economic value and output mechanisms for products; encourage investment attraction in ethnic and mountainous areas.

Continue to effectively implement policies and projects to support the poor and care for the lives of ethnic minorities. Focus resources on especially disadvantaged communes, communes with high poverty rates, and especially disadvantaged hamlets and villages with many ethnic minorities.

Giving gifts to policy families and ethnic minorities in difficult circumstances. Photo: Thai Hien

Improve the quality of education and training, health, culture and society. Accordingly, effectively carry out the work of planning, training, fostering, mobilizing and using leaders and managers in the political system and cadres working on ethnic affairs at all levels and sectors; focus on the work of developing ethnic minority party members in association with building and promoting the role of key forces, village elders, village chiefs and prestigious people. Well implement the work of taking care of people's health; health insurance regime and national health programs in ethnic minority areas.

Promote the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life"; basically perfect grassroots cultural institutions, preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups.

Create an environment to attract investment capital to develop infrastructure systems and sustainably reduce poverty; FDI capital; investment capital from outside the province; strengthen promotional activities for new products, especially agricultural products.

Maintain political stability, ensure national defense, security, social order and safety; strengthen cooperation in defense and security; build a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developing Vietnam-Laos border.

PV:Thank you, comrade!

A fishing rod hanging over the Giang River. Photo: Huu Vi