Prioritizing development in ethnic minority areas

In implementing policies that prioritize investment for ethnic minority communities and mountainous regions, Dong Nai Province has not only focused on directing and formulating implementation plans but has also shown a strong commitment to translating central government policies into local action.

Tissue-cultured bananas – a high-value crop for the Hoa ethnic community in Bau Ham Commune, Dong Nai Province. Photo: D. Phu

Dong Nai province has proactively issued a range of policies, programs, projects, and plans targeting socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas and improving the living standards of ethnic communities in the province.

Policies driving positive changes

Phuoc Son Commune in Dong Nai is home to a significant ethnic minority population. Through the implementation of health insurance support policies, the local government has so far issued more than 15,000 free health insurance cards to ethnic minority residents. Thanks to this policy, ethnic minorities in general, and the S’tieng community in particular, have gained easier access to healthcare services.

Dieu Dai, a S’tieng resident of Village 10 in Phuoc Son Commune, shared: For families facing economic hardship, medical costs are always a heavy burden. This worry is just as painful as the illness itself. With free health insurance cards provided by the state, the S’tieng people no longer carry that burden. For them, the health insurance card represents not only support but also deep goodwill and value.

Dong Nai currently has 48 ethnic minority communes, 8 border communes, and 3 especially disadvantaged communes; 95 villages and hamlets classified as EM/mountainous areas, including 46 extremely difficult villages. The province is home to 37 ethnic minority groups, totaling approximately 421,000 people.

Dieu Dieu, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Dong Nai People’s Council, stated: The implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, under Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg dated 14 October 2021 issued by the Prime Minister, has played a crucial role in driving socio-economic progress, ensuring social welfare, and improving both the material and spiritual well-being of ethnic minority communities. The material and spiritual living conditions of ethnic minority communities have gradually improved, and the poverty rate continues to decline. Essential needs such as education, healthcare, housing, and employment have received prompt and adequate attention. The influence of reputable community figures, village elders, and ethnic affairs officers has also been further strengthened.

Priority investment policies

The fixed-cultivation and fixed-residence (FCFR) area of the Choro community in Nhan Hoa Hamlet, Hung Thinh Commune, Dong Nai Province, currently consists of 31 households with 150 residents. No poor households remain in this FCFR area.

According to Phan Thai Hoc, Head of the Fatherland Front Affairs Committee of Nhan Hoa Hamlet, the Choro people here live peacefully and maintain strong solidarity with other ethnic groups. They also participate actively and responsibly in building new-style rural areas and fostering a civilized and cultural lifestyle in the hamlet and commune. During the implementation of ethnic policies, the local authorities have focused on various solutions such as: infrastructure investment combined with education; job referral and job creation; vocational training; and encouraging self-reliance and resilience among ethnic minority communities. Special attention is given to promptly addressing issues arising in daily life to help ensure stability within the great national unity bloc.

Legal expert Chu Van Hien, Deputy Head of the Committee for Propaganda, Dissemination, and Legal Development of the Dong Nai Lawyers’ Association, stated that in formulating and implementing socio-economic development policies for ethnic minorities and ethnic minority areas, the Party, the State, and Dong Nai Province have issued numerous documents for implementation. These include: Resolution No. 12/2022/NQ-HDND, dated 8 July 2022, by the Provincial People’s Council, which sets out support policies for reputable individuals within Dong Nai’s ethnic minority communities; Resolution No. 16/2024/NQ-HDND, which regulates land policies for ethnic minorities living in Dong Nai Province.

Most recently, on 16 October 2025, the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 7604 requesting a review and preparation of materials and data for classifying ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province for the 2026–2030 period, to serve as a basis for future policy development for ethnic minority regions.

After the provincial merger, Dong Nai has entered a new phase of development. Ethnic minority communities also have new growth opportunities. Therefore, residents need to prepare in terms of health, knowledge, and skills to embrace a new cultural environment and new development prospects.

— DIEU DIEU, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Dong Nai People’s Council

Dieu Dieu noted that the Action Program No. 02-CTr/TU, dated 23 October 2025, issued by the Provincial Party Executive Committee to implement the Resolution of the first Dong Nai Provincial Party Congress for the 2025–2030 term, includes a key directive: Planning the school network from the provincial to grassroots levels; investing in school infrastructure, especially in remote areas, ethnic minority communities, and border regions. This is a sector in which Dong Nai places particular emphasis, prioritizing investment for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, as well as communes with large ethnic minority populations.

By Doan Phu - Translated by Quynh Nhu, Thu Ha