Poverty reduction has been successful in remote mountain regions thanks to National Program 135 which began in 1998. This set a good example for nation’s path to social equality and development. During Vietnam’s industrialization and modernization progress, the Party and State always paid attention to implementing local policies in poverty reduction. Program 135 has been closely directed by the Party’s committees at all levels and local administrations to reach the national poverty reduction target. It is the fact that poverty reduction results come from any where the local authorities and party members are pioneers and side by side to the poor implementing the policy. Carried out with an allocated capital of VND14,000 billion, phase 2 (2006-2010) helped raise the living standard of ethnic minorities and mountain areas. The poverty rate reduced from 47 percent in 2006 to 28.8 percent in 2010. Nguyen Khoa Lai, Head of the Gia Lai Board of Ethnic Minorities, said Program 135 has greatly contributed to social development and helped stabilize people’s lives, particularly those in Central Highland provinces. He said there were 68 disadvantaged communes in Gia Lai province. In 2006, the province had 50 percent of targeted communes for poverty reduction and now has only 24 percent. So far, all of them have medical stations, traffic routes, schools and 96 percent of children enjoy education. Along with the state budget, many localities mobilized funds and called for financial help from businesses and benefactors to carry out other plans for the poor, such as granting production land, houses and water, as well as providing capital. Giang A Dang, Chairman of the Suoi Giang commune people’s committee, Van Chan district, Yen Bai province said after three years implementing the program, his committee were optimistic about the program’s effect in the future. Vietnamese ethnic minorities’ lives have changed thanks to Program 135. As present, the country has 15 provinces with a poverty rate of less than 5 percent of the population 5 of them has a poverty rate under 1 percent. Other localities, including HCM City, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Duong were declared free of poverty based on the national standard. However, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the Committee for Social Affairs of the National Assembly, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Vietnam’s recent poverty reduction results were not really sustainable. The return of poverty is foreseeable due to the fact that per capita income in the poorest communes is VND4.5 million a year, only by one-sixth of the nation’s average. The poverty rate in these communes will be 60 percent, with 6.3 million people, if new poverty standards are applied (per capita income of VND400,000 a month). Therefore, a comprehensive and sustainable programme of national poverty reduction should be planned, and projects should be carried out in accordance with poor people’s need. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung affirmed the nation needs a breakthrough in poverty reduction in the next 5-10 years. “This is the campaign that mobilizes the whole nation’s human resources to reduce poverty among 15-16 poor people”, he said. He expressed his hope phase 3 with capital of more than VND25,800 billion will continue promoting the programme with the expectation of reducing one-third of the poor population and increase per capita income by one-third of the nation’s average. (vovnews.vn Jan 12)
