The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced on Aug 18 its project costing VND1.51 trillion ($72.7 million) to conserve culture of ethnic minorities by 2020, state media reported. The project, which has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, includes 12 key tasks, seven solutions and six plans. It will lay an emphasis on urgent conservation and better self-protection to prevent the culture from dangers of oblivion, the ministry said. Conducted in two phases 2011-2015 and 2016-2020, the investment capital for the project will be sought from different sources. The government expects that the project would support culture conservation of the ethnic groups mostly in Northwest, Central Highlands and Southwest but not make any intervention into the ethnic community. Preferential policies to craftsmen and promotion of traditional arts in the ethnic groups will be focused on. The government’s move is aimed to conserve language, scripts, costumes and cultural values of ethnic groups amid the big gap between them and other communities in Vietnam. The Southeast Asia country has 54 ethnic minorities with the majority of Viet people making up for 85.7% of total population while ethnic people account for one seventh of Vietnam’s population living in different parts, mainly in mountainous, boundary and remote areas. In fact, ethnic minorities in Vietnam are facing numerous difficulties in different ranges, even unfair judgment from the largest community, Viet or Kinh people. (Ha Noi Moi - New Hanoi Aug 18)
