Ensuring stable housing and education for ethnic minority communities

In early January 2026, the family of Dieu Co (residing in Bu Gia Map commune) moved into a newly completed permanent house. The house was built with funding mobilized from foreign non-governmental organizations through the Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations, additional support from local authorities, and contributions from the family and their relatives. With this new home, the couple feels more secure, as their children can now grow up and study in a clean, safe, and stable living environment.

Huynh Thi Hang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province, talks with students of Thanh Hoa High School in the border commune of Thien Hung at the opening ceremony of the 2025–2026 academic year. Photo: Van Truyen

Dieu Co’s family is among many ethnic minority households benefiting from policies of the Party, the State, and Dong Nai province for ethnic minority people, including programs that support housing stability and access to education.

Housing stability brings joy to ethnic minority communities

In the implementation of ethnic affairs and ethnic policies of the Party, the State, and Dong Nai province, as well as social security programs, ethnic minority people remain a top priority. Specifically, in 2025, Dong Nai province built more than 1,000 permanent houses for poor households, near-poor households, and families in difficult circumstances. Among these, nearly 200 houses were handed over to ethnic minority households facing housing shortages.

To ensure that houses provided to local ethnic minority families meet basic living needs after completion, Dong Nai province combines initial funding with the “three on-site” model, involving families, clans, and local communities. As a result, the actual value of each completed house exceeds the initial support level of VND 80 million.

Nong Van Truc (residing in Hamlet 7, Dak Lua commune) said his family is classified as disadvantaged and lacks the financial means to build a permanent house. Thanks to the province’s support, his family received VND 80 million for housing construction. During the building process, relatives and friends further contributed labor and resources.

Alongside housing support, the province also places strong emphasis on creating favorable conditions for ethnic minority children to pursue education. Currently, nine ethnic boarding schools at various levels across the province are providing education to more than 45,000 ethnic minority students.

At the conference honoring ethnic minority teachers, university students, and pupils organized by the Provincial People’s Committee in 2025, Le Truong Son, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, stressed that to further improve the quality of education and training for ethnic minority students, departments, agencies, and localities must effectively implement the National target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021–2030 period, with particular focus on projects related to education, training, and human resource development.

According to Nguyen Van Khang, Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs,ethnic minority students and pupils benefit from preferential State policies such as accommodation support, tuition exemptions or reductions, Lunar New Year (Tet) allowances, provincial commendations for outstanding academic performance, and access to policy-based education loans. These measures help make the educational pathway of ethnic minority students more accessible and sustainable.

Ly Quoc Duy (a Dao ethnic student in 12th grade at the Provincial Ethnic Boarding High School) shared that thanks to practical support policies from the state and the province, along with encouragement and expectations from his family, he has consistently maintained excellent academic results for many years and won first prize in the provincial-level excellent sudent competition for 12thgraders in English. He expressed his determination to secure good employment opportunities in the future, build a stable family life, and contribute to society.

Strengthening social security activities

To further ensure housing stability for ethnic minority people, in addition to households already included in the list for housing construction and repair support, the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and local authorities will continue reviewing cases to ensure no eligible households are overlooked. At the same time, they will intensify efforts to mobilize social resources to implement social security programs in ethnic minority areas, including the construction of permanent housing.

Venerable Nun Thich Nu Dieu Tri, Deputy Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Dong Nai province, said that through coordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, its member organizations, and commune-level authorities, the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Dong Nai province continues to organize social welfare programs, including housing support for disadvantaged communities. These activities primarily focus on ethnic minority areas facing persistent difficulties and residents of border communes.

In addition, the province has developed and implemented a wide range of policies for ethnic minority students. Under the project on comprehensive investment and development of teaching and learning quality in eight border communes of Dong Nai province through 2030, with a vision to 2045, nearly VND 1.2 trillion will be allocated during the 2025–2027 period to invest in schools in these eight border communes. Investments will be carried out in a synchronized and modern manner, with strong emphasis on teacher training, information technology application, and digital transformation. As these schools enroll a large number of ethnic minority students, the project is expected to significantly improve teaching and learning quality in the ethnic minority areas and contribute to developing a source of high-quality workforce for these communities.

By Van Truyen – Translated by Thuc Oanh, Thu Ha