Abstract: National Target Program; Ethnic minority and mountainous areas; Decentralization and delegation of authority; Fixed cultivation and settlement; Local experience.
1. Overview of the results of the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2021-2025
The National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2021-2030 with Phase I covering 2021-2025 (Program 1719) is the first large-scale national target program dedicated specifically to ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to be a crucial policy decision aimed at concretizing the guidelines and orientations set forth by the Politburo in Conclusion No. 65-KL/TW dated October 30th, 2019, regarding the continued implementation of Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of the 9th Party Central Committee on ethnic affairs in the new situation, National Assembly Resolutions No. 88/QH14 and No. 120/QH14 approving the master scheme and investment policy for Program 1719.
By the end of the period of 2021-2025, among the nine groups of specific targets assigned by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 120/2020/QH14, six groups had essentially met or exceeded the set targets, while three groups had not yet been met; these are:
(1) Target group regarding the improvement of technical and social infrastructure in communes facing extreme hardship (Region III) and villages facing extreme hardship in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Within this target group, 3 out of 8 components have not yet been met, including: Proportion of schools and classrooms built with permanent structures (94.6%); proportion of ethnic minority people with access to television (97%); proportion of ethnic minority people with access to radio (98.3%).
Many poor ethnic minority households in Tuyen Quang province have risen out of poverty by applying science and technology to their production activities(2) Regarding the target of removing communes and villages from the list of areas facing extreme hardship (with a goal of 50% doing so), neither of the two components has been achieved.
(3) Regarding the targets for fixed cultivation and settlement, as well as fundamentally addressing the shortage of residential and production land for ethnic minority communities, there are five unmet targets, namely: Provision of residential land reached 45.5% (10,549 households); direct support for production land reached 14.2% (13,387 households); and support for occupational transition reached 38.3% (54,899 households); the resettlement and population stabilization rate reached 30% (25,056 households, comprising 5,711 households settled in concentrated areas; 13,096 households settled through in-situ resettlement projects; 5,111 households settled in areas facing extreme hardship and other necessary locations; 1,138 households in border communes), while the vocational training rate reached 12.9%.
Among the unachieved targets, two groups face significant challenges: (i) targets regarding the improvement of technical and social infrastructure in communes facing extreme hardship (Region III) and in villages facing extreme hardship within ethnic minority and mountainous areas; (ii) targets regarding settled farming and settlement, as well as fundamentally addressing the shortage of residential and production land for ethnic minority communities.
2. The experience of some localities in handling target groups faces many difficulties
Despite the same policy content, the implementation results of the National Target Programs depend heavily on the approach taken at the grassroots level, especially given the Party, State and National Target Program Steering Committees' policy of enhancing decentralization and the delegation of authority to localities, based on the principle that: “Localities decide, localities implement and localities bear responsibility”. Consequently, even with challenging target groups, some localities have successfully met their planned objectives, yielding valuable lessons that can be studied and applied during the implementation of the National Target Programs on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction and Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period of 2026-2030.
Firstly, for the target group of improving technical and social infrastructure in extremely difficult communes (region III) and especially difficult villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
Given the low ratio of investment capital relative to the Program’s total funding, and the fact that support levels for inter-commune roads, access roads to commune centers, and the construction of ethnic minority boarding and semi-boarding schools fell short of actual needs, the People’s Committee of Bac Giang Province (now Bac Ninh Province) proposed that the Provincial People’s Council issue a resolution. This resolution prioritized the allocation of provincial budget funds to the most disadvantaged areas and localities with the lowest budget revenues, specifically targeting investment projects that generate spillover effects, enhancing connectivity, and serving as major drivers of local socio-economic development.
Under this Resolution, in addition to allocations from the central budget, the provincial budget provides direct support for certain projects utilizing development investment funds, such as: projects for the planning and stable resettlement of populations in communes facing extreme hardship; projects for the construction, renovation, upgrading of roads leading to commune centers and inter-commune roads; and projects for the construction of new markets; providing 100% funding support for investment projects to construct provincial-level boarding ethnic minority schools; provide support based on a specific percentage from the central budget for investment in district-level boarding and semi-boarding ethnic minority schools, with the remaining funds to be covered by the district budget to complete the projects.
With this approach, during the period of 2021-2025, the former Bac Giang province allocated over 349.6 billion VND, equivalent to 23.17% of the total central government budget allocated to the province and exceeding the Prime Minister's regulations by 8.17%; the district budget allocated 85.767 billion VND to complete investment projects for the construction of impact-related works that significantly drive local socio-economic development. Specifically, this involves 12 projects to upgrade and renovate roads leading to commune centers and inter-commune routes, totaling 72 km in length, ensuring a 6-meter-wide roadway surfaced with asphalt or cement concrete; and completing investments in 3 provincial-level and 2 district-level ethnic minority boarding schools, 4 ethnic minority semi-boarding secondary schools, 8 secondary schools, 10 primary schools and 17 preschools. By the end of the period, 100% of communes had asphalted or concreted roads connecting to their centers; 100% of ethnic minority boarding schools met national standards; and all 13 “Region III” communes, representing a 100% success rate had emerged from the status of extreme hardship.
Cao Bang - a mountainous, highland border province with the highest proportion of ethnic minority residents in Vietnam (nearly 95%) has been allocated over VND 5,033 billion in central budget funds for the 2022-2025 period (including over VND 2,679 billion for investment, supplemented by VND 117.62 billion in local counterpart funding). In order to utilize these resources effectively, the province has implemented a special mechanism empowering local communities to execute small-scale, technically straightforward construction projects; issued standardized designs for facilities such as village cultural houses, rural roads, centralized domestic water supply systems and irrigation canals; streamlined investment procedures to save time, encouraging public participation and create local employment opportunities.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of this mechanism, Cao Bang province emphasizes the active involvement of local authorities, particularly their heads in project formulation and the definition of procedures for selecting community-based contractors, while ensuring widespread dissemination of information through flexible channels to reach capable local residents and work teams for collaborative implementation. Fully delegate authority to local authorities regarding project selection, approval of documentation, and accountability for transparency, quality, and progress. Simplify investment procedures and contractor selection processes for construction packages involving small-scale, technically uncomplicated projects. Strengthening the supervision and inspection of construction projects. Establish a broad-based community oversight mechanism with a proper legal standing in the project acceptance and completion processes; close community supervision generally leads to higher-quality construction and minimizes losses and waste.
Under this mechanism, during the period of 2022-2025, Cao Bang province invested in 243 small-scale, technically uncomplicated projects with a total investment exceeding VND 200 billion; these included 26 domestic water supply facilities, 95 transport infrastructure projects, 19 irrigation canals and 103 village cultural centers, thereby significantly improving infrastructure in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
Secondly, regarding the target group for settled farming and settlement programs, the aim is to fundamentally resolve the shortage of residential and agricultural land for ethnic minority communities.
Fixed cultivation and settlement has been a key issue in the policy for developing ethnic minority and mountainous regions in Vietnam from 1968 to the present. “Fixed cultivation and settlement focuses on the resettlement of ethnic minority communities in mountainous areas who live scattered across challenging regions (often those prone to natural disasters such as floods and landslides); remote areas characterized by high service costs and poor infrastructure; residents living in zones such as protection forests and national parks; and ethnic groups that practice shifting cultivation also known as rotational agriculture” [2].
Achieving stable cultivation and settlement requires the government to provide adequate infrastructure to support both production and daily life, thereby enabling ethnic minority communities to develop their economies, alleviate poverty, access education and healthcare and secure employment, ultimately preventing deforestation or even providing compensation to families relocating or settling in different areas. Stable cultivation is also a component of national defense policy.
Thus, the initiative for settled cultivation and residence is a set of objectives requiring a high level of focus and a longer implementation timeframe compared to many other tasks. Although local authorities have prioritized this work, implementation has faced significant challenges; this is because the activities are largely carried out in areas where communities have long-standing, stable customs regarding residence and production, yet which are characterized by rugged, fragmented terrain, poor accessibility and high vulnerability to natural disasters.
In addition to infrastructure development, local authorities must address shortages of residential land, housing, agricultural land and domestic water supplies for ethnic minority communities. While the provision of housing and domestic water generally proceeds without significant obstacles, most localities face difficulties regarding the allocation of agricultural land due to a lack of available land reserves. Under the provisions of Item 3, Sub-section c, Section 1, Part III of Program 1719, if local authorities are unable to allocate agricultural land, households that are landless or lack sufficient agricultural land are eligible for support to transition to other livelihoods.
Prior to the 2024 amendment of the Land Law, land regulations did not authorize provincial People's Committees to issue quotas for residential land or land for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; consequently, localities lacked the basis to review and identify the beneficiaries of these policies. This issue is resolved by Article 16 of the 2024 Land Law, which stipulates that land for implementing land policies for ethnic minority groups is to be allocated from land funds managed by State agencies or organizations, or from land recovered by the State; and by Article 79, which classifies land recovery projects for implementing such policies as cases of land recovery for socio-economic development in the national interest.
In Lao Cai province, the application of these two legal provisions helps the locality overcome procedural obstacles when establishing land reserves to implement land-related policies for ethnic minority communities. Based on actual conditions and available local land reserves, the Provincial People’s Committee determines the specific areas of land to be allocated or leased for the implementation of land support policies for ethnic minority individuals. In addition, the process of converting land use purposes has been accelerated by guiding residents through procedures within established quotas to gradually formalize land use rights, thereby enabling many households to access land-related support.
These experiences are highly valuable for the implementation of the National Target Programs on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2026-2035 period (with Phase I covering 2026-2030), as these programs continue to include the following components: “Implementing population stabilization arrangements including centralized establishment of new settlements, integration into existing settlements, or in-situ stabilization for areas lacking land for relocation in accordance with State plans and zoning. These measures apply to regions prone to natural disasters, areas facing extreme hardship, border and island regions, areas with spontaneous migration and special-use forests (subject to the list of projects and schemes approved by competent authorities)”.
3. Discussion
Practical implementation of Program 1719 at the local level demonstrates that variations in outcomes do not depend solely on the scale of investment resources; rather, they are strongly influenced by governance capacity, implementation methods, and the level of proactivity shown by local authorities. Under the same policy framework, localities that adopt flexible approaches, leverage their decentralized autonomy, and effectively mobilize social resources tend to achieve superior results, even with initiatives considered difficult to implement.
Firstly, achieving success requires shifting from a mindset of mere “policy implementation” to one of “managing policy implementation”. Many localities have proactively operationalized the principle of “localities decide, localities execute, and localities bear responsibility” by issuing tailored support mechanisms and adjusting investment priorities to suit practical conditions; this proactive approach ensures policies are better aligned with the specific needs of each area.
Secondly, the Program’s effectiveness has been enhanced by linking investment to long-term development. Localities achieving strong results have prioritized investments in projects that foster connectivity, drive socio-economic development, and improve public access to services. Focusing resources on investments in transportation, schools, clean water supplies and essential infrastructure not only contributes to achieving the Program’s objectives but also lays the foundation for boosting production, attracting investment, enhancing human resource quality and improving living conditions for local communities in the long term.
Thirdly, decentralization coupled with enhanced accountability and community participation is a crucial factor in ensuring policy effectiveness. The mechanism of entrusting communities with the implementation of small-scale projects in Cao Bang demonstrates that when residents are directly involved in every stage from project selection and construction execution to supervision, project quality improves, costs are saved and losses and waste are minimized. This contributes to greater transparency in public investment management while fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility within the community regarding the completed projects. This is an appropriate approach to the need to innovate public administration in the direction of putting people at the center of the development process.
Fourthly, the synchronization between development policy and institutional improvement is decisive for specific contents such as fixed farming, settlement and support for residential and productive land. Many localities face obstacles due to lack of legal basis to create land funds or identify beneficiaries. The 2024 Land Law has introduced additional regulations on land policies for ethnic minority communities, helping to resolve institutional bottlenecks and enabling localities to proactively implement these policies; this demonstrates that the effectiveness of the program depends on the completeness and coherence of the legal framework.
4. Conclusion
Program 1719 has brought about positive changes across various sectors, contributing to improved living standards for local communities and narrowing the development gap between regions. However, tasks related to infrastructure development, the stabilization of residential settlements and the provision of land for production remain challenging; they require substantial resources, a long-term implementation timeframe and organizational mechanisms tailored to the specific conditions of each locality.
Practical experience demonstrates that the Program’s effectiveness depends not only on the scale of investment resources but also significantly on the methods of implementation. Proactively mobilizing local resources; promoting decentralization and the delegation of authority coupled with local government accountability; applying specific mechanisms for small-scale projects; leveraging the community’s role in supervision and implementation; timely refining policies and mechanisms, these are all lessons of high practical value.
Researching, summarizing and scaling up effective local models and practices will contribute to enhancing the governance quality of the National Target Program, ensuring the efficient use of public investment resources and guaranteeing that policies are effectively implemented in practice, thereby meeting the requirements for rapid and sustainable development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
References
1. Government (2025), Report summarizing the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2021-2025.
2. Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs UK Department for International Development (2006), Study on Sedentarization and Resettlement in Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, pp.11-12.
