The Ethnic Minority In Vietnam

With 54 different ethnic groups, Vietnam is regarded as a multiethnic nation. 85.4%, or 78.32 million people, of Vietnam's population are of the Kinh ethnic group. The population of the nation is just 14.6% made up of the remaining 53 ethnic groups.

The government does not recognize Vietnamese ethnic minorities as indigenous peoples, despite the country's support for UNDRIP. Instead, everyone else besides the Kinh majority is referred to as an "ethnic minority" by the government. "Unity in variety" is the government of Vietnam's main concern.

Ethnic minority in Vietnam is extremely diverse. The Hoa (ethnic Chinese), a minority ethnicity, have assimilated effectively into Vietnamese culture and play a significant role in the country's economy. They are not typically regarded as an "ethnic minority in Vietnam” as a result. Others, like the Hmong and Nung peoples, live off the land and have significant cultural ties to the forests. Language is another way to classify the ethnic groupings of Vietnam. Eight categories can be made up of the languages of the Vietnamese people: Viet - Muong, Tay - Thai, Mon - Khmer, Mong - Dao, Ka - belt, Nam duc, Han, and Tang. Ethnic minorities speak their mother tongue in 96% of cases.

Where is ethnic minority groups in Vietnam?

Despite being concentrated in Vietnam's rural and mountainous areas, the Vietnamese ethnic minority is now dispersed all throughout the country as a result of migration and war. The same ethnic minority groups in Vietnam residing in rural areas are less wealthy than those living in metropolitan areas. There are frequently three to four separate ethnic groups coexisting in communes and villages. Many Vietnamese ethnic minorities' cultural customs are greatly influenced by geography, but geography also has a negative impact on access to infrastructure and services like health care and education.

In the areas where ethnic minorities in Vietnam are concentrated, there is a lack of access to essential infrastructure. More over a quarter of ethnic minority families lack access to safe water, and 72% of minorities lack access to latrines. Vietnam has a high rate of electrification, yet a disproportionate number of ethnic minorities live in rural, hilly areas without access to power.

Ethnic minority groups in Vietnam are represented as cadres and civil officials in the various levels of government, particularly in provinces and cities, despite having less access to education than the Kinh majority. However, there are significant differences in educational attainment, notably in terms of literacy rates, amongst various ethnic groups. The literacy rate for the 53 ethnic groups as a whole is 79.8%, while for the 53 ethnic groups individually, it ranges from 34.6% for the La Hu to 95% for the Tho, Muong, Tay, and San Diu.

Distant learning is one obstacle. From 9 kilometers to as much as 70 km, many ethnic minority kids have a long commute to secondary school. Additionally, due to societal restrictions, males and boys are more prone to travel.

Culture, Livelihood, and Land Of Ethnic Minority In Vietnam

Forests continue to be important to many Vietnamese ethnic minorities despite the fact that they have differing cultural customs. In several provinces across Vietnam, ethnic minority groups like the Mong, Thai, Red Dao, Van Kieu, Ja Rai, and E De peoples engage in community forestry. Each of them also has a holy forest that is utilized for worship, just like the majority of Kinh do with their temples and clan altars. Forests near bodies of water, where water spirits are revered, are governed by specific customary laws. The production of forest goods, including as medicinal plants, fuel, and materials for handicrafts, is governed by various customary rules in various forest areas. Many ethnic minorities in Vietnam depend heavily on this kind of communal forest management for their livelihoods and cultural customs. Here is a documentary produced by Culture Identity and Resources Use Management on the H'Mong people and their veneration of forest gods in Sin Cheng Commune, Simacai District, Lao Cai Province (CIRUM).

Agriculture is another source of income for ethnic minority in Vietnam, in addition to forestry. Access to land is necessary for both agricultural and forestry operations. However, in order to maintain their means of subsistence and cultural traditions, ethnic minorities continue to fight for land rights. Some communities have received land from the government so they can continue communal forest management in an effort to save livelihoods and promote environmental conservation. This is not a typical story, though. Only 26% of the entire forest land area was assigned to households in 2015, and only 2% of that total was given to communities for management. The Civil Code does not recognize communities as a legal body, and even while the Land Law acknowledges customary tenure, the government ultimately owns the land.

Impacts of law on ethnic minority in Vietnam

The rules, laws, and regulations relating to land tenure and forests differ significantly from province to province. Ethnic minority women are particularly affected by this. Ethnic minority women have traditionally been seen as guardians of the forest and custodians of indigenous knowledge, but these positions are not recognized by the state. Only recently (2014) did the land registration system start requiring the names of both spouses on land registration paperwork. Even among the women whose names are on the register, many claim they lack the self-assurance necessary to make judgments regarding property use.

All Vietnamese people are guaranteed the same rights by the State of Vietnam's Constitution, which also safeguards the rights of ethnic minorities. Vietnam does not have particular laws governing ethnic minorities, but the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, a ministry-level organization, is in charge of such matters. But between 2011 and 2015, the State published 180 legal papers that made mention of the legal rights and interests of racial and Vietnamese ethnic minorities. As another example, Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP on Sustainable Poverty Reduction and Housing Support Policies for Poor Households has an effect on ethnic minority in Vietnam. Nevertheless, ethnic communities continue to be susceptible, especially to the destruction of the forest, which serves as the foundation for many ethnic minorities' cultural beliefs and customs. Due to some duplication in substance, the policies on ethnic minority in Vietnam concerns do not cover everything that is required. In addition, few laws are really put into practice. The lack of resources for policy implementation leads to poorly coordinated and inefficient execution. The rights of Vietnamese ethnic minorities are further harmed by land development and immigration. Finally, programs should not take a "one-size-fits-all" approach but rather focus on the unique requirements of various ethnic minority groups. An insufficient number of policies are created from the bottom up. However, the first survey of ethnic minorities was done by the Vietnamese government in 2015, therefore there is now some suppozrt for ethnic minority policy. In fact, it has been intended to use this data to construct an ethnic minority development plan for the years 2016 to 2020. However, despite the fact that this data is now available, there are significant problems with how it was gathered, which should be noted. Generally speaking, the sample size is modest and inadequately represents minor ethnic groups.

Although efforts have been made to decrease the gender gap in Vietnam, this problem still affects ethnic minority in Vietnam in particular. Working directly with women from ethnic minorities requires more effort. For instance, efforts can be made to boost ethnic minority women's self-confidence with reference to land. As another illustration, since many adults from ethnic minorities do not understand Vietnamese and because ethnic minority women are less likely to be literate than ethnic minority males, education and services should be offered in an accessible format and language.