Providing free legal aid to people in remote areas

Recently, the Department of Justice – the standing agency of the Dong Nai Provincial Coordinating Council for Legal Dissemination and Education – has always focused on providing legal dissemination and education and free legal aid to grassroots levels, especially ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups in remote and far-off areas. As a result, people's legal awareness has increasingly improved.

Lawyer Nguyen Minh Dang (2nd from left), Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial Bar Association, provides free legal advice to people in Nha Bich commune. Photo: An Nhon

Recently, the Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, the Provincial Bar Association, the Provincial Lawyers' Society, and the Nha Bich Commune People's Committee, organized a Conference on Legal dissemination, education, and consultation for 200 ethnic minority people in Nha Bich commune. This is one of the practical activities in response to Law Day 2025, helping people deeply understand about legal knowledge.

Dissemination content is accessible and easy to understand

At the conference, people were informed by Nguyen Thi Hong Phuoc, Deputy Head of the Administrative Justice Department (Department of Justice), and Phan Thi Van, Deputy Director of the State Legal Aid Center No. 1 (Department of Justice), about practical issues related to civil status, marriage and family, and land law. Provincial-level rapporteurs selected practical, appropriate, and relatable topics relevant to daily life to disseminate to the people, such as: introducing new points of the 2024 Land Law, the timelines for birth registration for children; timelines for birth and death registration; how to name children correctly and in accordance with Vietnamese customs and traditions... The concise, practical, and easy-to-understand dissemination method makes a large number of people stay attentive during the session.

Dieu Thi Dieu (S'tieng ethnic group in Hamlet 6, Nha Bich commune) confided: "Recently, I often attended legal dissemination and education sessions organized by the locality in coordination with departments, agencies, and mass organizations. Thanks to these sessions, I have gained legal knowledge related to civil status, marriage, and family matters. For example, when a child is born, the family must register for a birth certificate within the legally prescribed time; husband and wife should live in harmony and happiness, and domestic violence must be condemned...".

Village patriarch Dieu Mot (S'tieng ethnic group in Hamlet 6, Nha Bich commune) added: Previously, the legal awareness of ethnic minorities in Nha Bich commune in general and Hamlet 6 in particular had certain limitations. However, thanks to the attention of all levels, sectors, and local authorities, regular dissemination sessions are organized at the grassroots level, helping people raise their awareness of law observance and live and work according to State regulations.

In parallel with dissemination, the Dong Nai Provincial Bar Association and legal aid workers from the State Legal Aid Center No. 2 (Department of Justice) also participated in providing legal consultation and free legal aid to people in need.

Lam Thu (Khmer ethnic group) emotionally shared: "Thanks to the dedicated advice of the lawyer, I now know the procedure for registering as head of the household after my wife passed away and the legal way to divide land among my children. The instructions were concise and easy to understand, which made me feel very reassured."

Lawyer Nguyen Minh Dang, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial Bar Association, said: Most of the people's questions relate to land, civil status, marriage, and family matters, such as: procedures for transferring, gifting land; how to convert land to residential use and the registration procedures; whether a husband can be registered as the head of the household after his wife passes away and the steps for registration procedures; how to obtain a certificate of marital status for someone planning to marry, when that person's hometown is in another province or city... These issues are relatively simple, and the team of lawyers can provide legal advice on the spot, and at the same time guide the people to the competent authorities to resolve issues according to the law and reduce repeated travel.

In recent times, the justice sector has actively promoted legal propaganda, and education, and legal aid towards the grassroots. Specifically, in 2025, legal propaganda, dissemination, and consultation will be organized for 200 ethnic minority people in Nha Bich commune; in 2024, legal propaganda, dissemination, and consultation were provided to nearly 200 ethnic minority people in the old Dinh Quan district; in 2023, over 550 ethnic minority people in the old Long Thanh district received free legal propaganda, dissemination, and consultation...

Enhancing legal understanding for people

Nha Bich commune is home to more than 13 ethnic groups living together, with the Khmer and S'tieng ethnic groups accounting for a large proportion of the total population. The unique traditional cultural values, including the festivals, customs, and practices of the Khmer and S'tieng people, are still maintained and spread, contributing to cultural diversity and solidarity in the community.

In recent times, with the attention of the Party and local authorities, the lives of ethnic minority people have been increasingly improved, and their awareness of law observance has shown many positive changes. However, in practice, people still face difficulties and obstacles in exercising their legal rights and obligations, especially in the fields of land, civil status, marriage - family. Therefore, the Department of Justice organized the conference to provide people with necessary legal knowledge and at the same time remove difficulties and obstacles for the people.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Director of the Department of Justice Nguyen Trong Tri emphasized: The Party and the State always consider ethnic work and ethnic policies as a long-term strategic issue of special importance to the cause of national construction and defense. In which, enhancing legal understanding, respect for, and observance of the law by ethnic minority people is one of the key tasks. Therefore, the organization of legal dissemination, and consultation this time is a practical activity, aiming to concretize the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws in legal education, especially targeting vulnerable groups, including ethnic minority people. As a result, people are equipped with basic, practical legal knowledge closely related to daily life; and information about new policies and laws of the State for ethnic minority people.

In particular, a team of experienced lawyers and legal aid workers enthusiastically advised and directly answered the difficulties and problems of the people in the process of implementing the law.

In the coming time, the justice sector will continue to pay attention to propaganda and legal education for ethnic minority people in the province. This contributes to bringing the law into life, helping people raise their awareness and well observe the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws.

By An Nhon – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha