Vietnam’s prime minister has approved new policies on supporting poor people and ethnic minority households in disadvantaged areas nationwide in the 2013-2015 period. Beneficiaries include farming and forestry households living under the poverty and near-poverty line, who don’t have sufficient residential land or land for production, or those facing clean water shortage. The government aims to provide housing and production land to 70% of the targeted households and basically ensure safe water supply for ethnic groups and the poor in extremely difficult areas. New measures designed specifically for poor ethnic minority people in the Mekong Delta have also been approved, including provision of residential land and employment assistance. Vietnam has set a target of reducing the percentage of poor households among ethnic minority groups by 4% per annum by 2020, as part of the newly-approved Ethnic Work Strategy. Vietnam has 53 ethnic minority groups, which accounts for 15% of the national population. The groups mainly live in rural and remote areas, which have low labor productivity, are vulnerable to natural disasters and suffer numerous socioeconomic difficulties. (baodientu.chinhphu.vn May 21)
