Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a census project on 53 ethnic minorities, not including the major group of Kinh people, to improve managerial work on ethnic issues, the government said on its website. Authorities will collect data on population, density, infrastructure, socio-economic and cultural issues, poverty, education, manpower, healthcare, rural environment hygiene, security, and religion. The census, which will be conducted for every five years with the state budget, is aimed at reviewing the development and equality among the groups to help the government have proper policies for them, the website shows. The government’s General Statistics Office (GSO) cooperates with Committee for Ethnic Affairs (CEMA) to conduct the census that is considered “very necessary”. Vietnam has 54 groups, including Kinh or Viet people, but many of the minority groups are facing difficulties due to disadvantaged conditions. The Vietnamese government has made to ease criticism by rights groups for its unfair policies among minorities with privilege given to Viet or Kinh people, the group accounts for 85% of Vietnam’s population. (Chinhphu Jan 6, Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times Jan 7 p2)
