PM orders stronger push on minority, mountainous region development
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the programme must focus on steadily improving the material and spiritual well-being of ethnic minority and mountain communities, with each year’s progress surpassing the previous.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Mua A Thi, head of Hang Pu Xi hamlet in Xa Dung commune of Dien Bien province, who saves 90 villagers from flash floods and landslides in the yearly morning of August 1. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s national target programme for the socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for 2021–2025 must be implemented “no matter how difficult” anღd deliver tangible, effective results, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Addressing a nationwide conference in Hanoi on August 13 to sum up the programme’s progress and set orientations for 2026-2030, PM Chinh called for faster action to translate the Party’s guidelines and State policies into reality, in line with directions of the Politburo and Party General Secretary To Lam. The programme must focus on steadily improving the material and spiritual well-being of ethnic minority and mountain communities, with each year’s progress surpassing the previous, he said.
The programme should ensure equal access to education, healthcare, culture and national resources, while creating jobs and livelihoods to lift residents out of poverty and toward prosperity. The PM urged practical, specific, feasible and verifiable targets to ensure no one is left behind in Vietnam’s new development phase, he said.
The PM laid out 10 key tasks and solutions, stressing that investing in these communities is both a responsibility and a moral commitment rooted in national solidarity and humanity. The effort requires genuine and results-driven action, backed by concrete laws and mechanisms from all levels of the political system, including Party committees, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organisations, with the highest determination.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference. (Photo: VNA)
Poverty reduction must be equitable, prioritising vulnerable groups, with funding allocations 10–15% higher than the previous phase, drawn from state budget and public resources, he said.
According to him, the Government will intensify oversight and channel legal resources into job creation and livelihoods, equal access to healthcare, especially grassroots and preventive services, and school upgrades. Investments will also target transport, telecommunications, electricity, and water infrastructure for lasting impact. Relevant agencies must develop policies to foster inter-ethnic community links, support cooperatives and enterprises, and leverage sci-tech and digital transformation to boost local economies and social welfare. Projects should also tackle climate change, enhance social welfare, expand quality and low-emission rice cultivation, safeguard national defence-security, and engage respected community leaders, village elders, and religious figures.
The Government leader called for priority policies aligned with the Politburo’s “four-pillar” resolutions and upcoming resolutions on healthcare, education, and culture. Cultural identity, language, and scripts of ethnic groups must be preserved and turned into assets, with growth in cultural and entertainment industries so communities can enjoy their own heritage. Relevant agencies will design preferential credit packages, fiscal and land access policies, and tax relief to support sustainable poverty reduction and wealth creation. Tools to measure the effectiveness of Party and State policies and actions by central and local authorities will be built.
Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam pledged continued support for the programmne in pursuit of Vietnam’s sustainable, comprehensive and inclusive growth goals.
On the occasion, 18 exemplary communes and villages were awarded with the PM’s certificates of merit for their standout contributions to the 2021–2025 programme.
According to the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programmes, Vietnam’s 53 ethnic minorities, totaling over 14.4 million people, reside in about 1,516 communes across 32 cities and provinces following the recent local administration restructuring.
The 2021–2030 programme, encompassing 10 projects across multiple sectors, has a budget exceeding 137 trillion VND (5.26 billion USD) for 2021–2025. In its first five years, six task groups met or exceeded targets, including poverty reduction, per-capita income growth, education and vocational training, cultural heritage preservation, and healthcare. However, three areas lagged: upgrading technical and social infrastructure, reducing the number of communes and villages facing extreme difficulties, and addressing housing and farmland shortages for ethnic minorities./.
The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs is currently developing criteria to classify ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2026–2030 period, aiming to identify priority regions for investment and ensure fair and effective allocation of resources.
The effective implementation of national target programmes is considered key to improve the quality of life for ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, which make up 55% of the locality's population.
National Assembly (NA) deputies on June 17 morning focused their discussion on adjustments to the investment policy for the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas in the 2021-2030 period, as part of the 15th legislature's ongoing seventh session.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, accompanied by a high-level Vietnamese delegation, left Busan for Hanoi on August 13, concluding their four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) at the invitation of Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse.
At the local level, successive leaders of HCM City have paid due attention to fostering Vietnam–India friendship. Under their guidance and support, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in the city have flourished across trade, tourism, culture, and education. Such activities have deepened ties and mutual understanding while bringing tangible benefits to the people of both nations.
In the context of the robust development of bilateral ties, the establishment of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Busan is vivid evidence of the deepening linkages between the two nations, serving as a solid bridge to expand locality-to-locality cooperation in various fields such as economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The diplomatic sector has always upheld its role as one of the three key pillars in the cause of national construction and defence, taking the lead in implementing the motto of “using the invariables to cope with the variables" in asserting and safeguarding the sacred sovereignty of the nation.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, on behalf of the Government and people of Vietnam, extended congratulations to the government and people of Singapore, highlighting Singapore as a source of aspiration for many nations, including Vietnam, and a model of innovation, and smart government building.
President of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien highlighted the fruitful ties between the VFF Central Committee and the LFNC Central Committee for the effective implementation of the bilateral cooperaetion agreement and the tripartite memorandum of understanding among the fronts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Busan will continue to work closely with Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese localities to promote substantive collaboration in areas where the two sides boast complementary strengths, contributing to concretising the agreements reached by high-ranking leaders of both sides, said Busan Mayor Park Hyeong Joon.
Party General Secretary To Lam acknowledged the rapid progress of the Vietnam–RoK partnership in recent years, especially in economics, thanks to the support of both countries, their citizens, and business leaders like former Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in the RoK Park Soo Kwan.
The Government leader called for a people-centred and comprehensive approach involving the full political system, with more decentralisation and delegation of power, as long as stronger implementation capacity, enhanced inspections, perfected institutional frameworks, and targeted resource allocation.
Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Policy, and Industry at the Australian Department of Defence, highly valued Vietnam's increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions and expressed confidence in the growing, practical, and deeper cooperation between the two countries.
The visit marks the Vietnamese Party General Secretary’s first state visit to the RoK in his new role. The RoK’s invitation to him as the first “state guest” under its new administration signals the high priority it places on the relationship with Vietnam and its Party chief personally.
Party General Secretary To Lam suggested both sides effectively implement existing parliamentary cooperation agreements and strengthen exchanges between the two legislatures. He laid stress on the bridge-building role of friendship parliamentarian groups in each country.
Under the draft revised rules, the NA and People’s Councils will no longer directly establish thematic supervision missions. Instead, the NA will select annual supervision themes and assign their implementation to the NA Standing Committee or specialised committees, which will then report findings for parliamentary discussion and resolution.
The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s media continued to provide extensive coverage on August 12 of the State visit to the country by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-level Vietnamese delegation from August 10-13.
Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for Policies and Strategies, underlined that the exchange of experience in building socio-economic development policies, refining institutions and policies, and particularly in SOE reform, is a practical and significant approach that contributes to maintaining stability and fostering development in both countries.
According to Decisions No. 1720/QD-TTg, Le Thanh Hai was removed from the title of the Chairman of the city People’s Committee and other positions he once held for violations and wrongdoings while performing his duties.
