The Provincial Road 342 project connecting Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces was completed in mid-2024, creating conditions to foster socio-economic development in ethnic minority regionsKeywords: Innovating the mindset; Method; Ethnic policy; Enhancing efficiency; Sustainability; Ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
1. Introduction
Ethnic policy is a particularly important component of the Party and State's development policy framework, playing a strategic role in consolidating the great national unity bloc, ensuring social equity and fostering the country’s sustainable development. Over the years, numerous policies, programs, projects and schemes targeting ethnic minority and mountainous areas have been implemented in a coordinated manner, contributing to improved living standards, infrastructure development, sustainable poverty reduction and the preservation of ethnic cultural identities.
However, facing the country’s new development requirements in the context of digital transformation, market economy and deep international integration, the implementation of ethnic policies still reveals a number of limitations such as passive support thinking, policies are scattered, overlapping, unevenly effective and lack of sustainability. Some localities still face difficulties in implementation, and mechanisms for policy coordination, decentralization and oversight lack true effectiveness. In particular, insufficient attention has been paid to leveraging the internal strengths of ethnic minority communities for socio-economic development.
Against this backdrop, innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies has become an urgent necessity to enhance governance effectiveness, moving away from a passive aid-based mentality, and decisively shift toward a sustainable development approach that places people at the center and positions communities as the primary agents of their own development. This is not merely a requirement of state management but also a strategic task aimed at unleashing internal strength, reinforcing public confidence and establishing a solid foundation for the sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the new era.
2. Research results
2.1. Current situation of ethnic policy implementation
Over the years, under the leadership of the Party and the management of the State, the system of ethnic minority policies has been increasingly refined to be comprehensive and synchronized, with a focus on the sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Numerous major programs and projects have been implemented, most notably the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas (2021-2030), specifically Phase I (2021-2025) driving positive changes across various sectors. Socio-economic infrastructure in many ethnic minority and mountainous areas has seen marked improvement. Investments in transportation networks, electricity, schools, healthcare facilities, domestic water supplies and telecommunications infrastructure have been implemented systematically, contributing to enhanced quality of life and improved access to basic social services for the general population and ethnic minority communities in particular. The poverty rate has steadily declined over the years, while various models for livelihood development, agricultural production, community-based tourism, and entrepreneurship have begun to yield positive results. Furthermore, policies regarding education, healthcare, vocational training, and the preservation of ethnic cultures have been extensively implemented. Significant progress has been made in preserving the languages, scripts, traditional festivals, and indigenous knowledge of ethnic minority groups. Certain localities have gradually adopted digital technologies for cultural promotion, population data management and the delivery of online public services, thereby laying the groundwork for digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
However, alongside the achievements made, the current implementation of ethnic minority policies still reveals significant limitations and shortcomings. First and foremost, the mindset regarding policy implementation in some areas remains heavily focused on providing assistance, failing to truly prioritize the mobilization of internal resources and the role of ethnic minority communities as active agents. In many instances, local residents remain mere “policy beneficiaries” rather than active participants in the processes of policy formulation, implementation and oversight.
In particular, the capacity to implement policies at the grassroots level remains uneven. Some officials working in ethnic affairs lack proficiency in management skills and digital transformation, as well as the ability to adopt modern management methods. Coordination among various sectors and levels during policy implementation is inconsistent in some areas, leading to delays or a lack of uniformity in execution.
Furthermore, the digital transformation process in ethnic minority and mountainous areas continues to face significant challenges due to limitations in technological infrastructure, general education levels and residents’ access to information. The digital divide between regions is emerging as a new challenge to the goal of inclusive and sustainable development.
The aforementioned issues demonstrate that, to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of ethnic minority policies in the new era, we must radically innovate both our mindset and implementation methods. Ethnic minority policies need to shift from mere assistance to endogenous development; from administrative management to modern development governance; and from short-term approaches to long-term, sustainable strategies that place the people, specifically ethnic minority communities at the center of the development process.
2.2. Some issues about the renewal of mindset and implementation methods for ethnic policies
As we enter a new phase of development, ethnic affairs and the implementation of ethnic policies face numerous new and comprehensive demands and challenges, requiring us to vigorously innovate both our mindset and implementation methods to ensure effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
Firstly, a significant development gap persists between ethnic minority and mountainous areas and the country’s more developed regions. Issues such as a lack of stable employment, low-quality human resources, underdeveloped infrastructure, and limited access to basic social services are directly impacting the quality of development in these areas. This creates an urgent need to shift from a mindset of short-term assistance toward fostering endogenous development and enhancing the communities’ capacity for self-development.
Secondly, the processes of digital transformation and international integration are creating both opportunities and challenges for ethnic minority and mountainous regions. While digital technology opens up avenues for accessing knowledge, markets, and public services, the digital divide compounded by limited technological skills and information infrastructure in remote areas threatens to widen development inequalities in the absence of appropriate policies.
Thirdly, there is the risk of the erosion of ethnic cultural identity amidst the current context of globalization and intense cultural exchange. Many traditional cultural values, languages, writing systems and forms of local knowledge face the risk of being forgotten, thereby affecting the sustainability of ethnic minority communities...
Fourthly, the implementation of ethnic minority policies in some areas remains overly administrative and inflexible, failing to fully leverage the role of the people as active participants. Mechanisms for inter-agency coordination, management decentralization and policy oversight remain inadequate, resulting in uneven implementation effectiveness across localities.
Current challenges demonstrate that innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies is not merely a matter of governance but a strategic imperative to unleash the internal strength of communities, enhance policy effectiveness and ensure the sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the new period.
2.3. Innovating the mindset in the formulation and implementation of ethnic policies
As the country enters a new phase of development demanding rapid and sustainable growth, innovating the mindset regarding the formulation and implementation of ethnic minority policies has become a strategic imperative. This represents not merely a shift in management methods but a profound transformation in the perception of development, aimed at enhancing policy effectiveness and harnessing the internal strengths of ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
(1) It is necessary to shift the mindset from “passive support” to “empowerment and the creation of development momentum”. For a long time, many ethnic minority policies focused primarily on direct assistance to address immediate hardships. However, current policies must aim to enhance the self-development capacity of communities, encourage proactivity and creativity and unlock the internal strength of ethnic minority people. Residents must not merely be beneficiaries but must become active agents in the development process.
(2) It is necessary to shift from an administrative management mindset to a modern development governance mindset. The formulation and implementation of ethnic policies must center on practical effectiveness and the needs of the people; enhancing transparency, accountability and community participation throughout the entire process of policy planning, execution and oversight.
(3) Innovate policy implementation methods by prioritizing digitalization and cross-sectoral integration. Digital transformation should be viewed as a new driving force for managing ethnic minority-related data, delivering public services and connecting ethnic minority communities with socio-economic development opportunities. At the same time, it is essential to address policy fragmentation and overlap through inter-agency coordination mechanisms and clear decentralization of responsibilities between central and local authorities.
(4) Renewing the mindset regarding ethnic minority policy must be linked to sustainable development and the preservation of ethnic cultural identity. Economic development must go hand in hand with preserving traditional culture, protecting the environment and strengthening the great national unity.
Thus, innovating the mindset regarding the formulation and implementation of ethnic minority policies entails shifting from short-term assistance to sustainable development, from administrative management to modern governance and from dependency-based development to the leveraging of internal community strengths, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of ethnic policies in the current new period.
2.4. Solutions to innovate the mindset and implementation methods of ethnic minority policies, contributing to enhanced effectiveness and sustainability in the new period
In this new stage of development, innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies must be identified as a strategic task aimed at enhancing governance effectiveness, leveraging the internal strength of communities and ensuring the sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas:
Firstly, it is essential to continue refining the system of ethnic minority policies to ensure they are comprehensive, cross-sectoral, and long-term, while maintaining consistency among goals for economic, cultural, social, and environmental development, as well as national defense and security. Ethnic minority policies must shift decisively from a subsidy-based support model toward fostering sustainable livelihoods, enhancing self-development capacity and inspiring the aspiration for advancement among ethnic minority communities.
Secondly, it is necessary to innovate policy implementation methods by placing citizens at the center and positioning the community as the primary agent of development. Citizen participation in policy formulation, implementation and oversight must be enhanced to ensure practicality and effectiveness. At the same time, the decentralization of authority to local levels should be accelerated, accompanied by clear mechanisms for inspection, supervision, and accountability.
Thirdly, promoting digital transformation in ethnic affairs and policies. Building digital databases, digitizing policy management, developing online public services and enhancing digital skills among ethnic minority communities will contribute to improving governance efficiency and narrowing the development gap between regions.
Fourthly, emphasis must be placed on developing human resources from ethnic minority groups, particularly grassroots-level officials who possess management competence, an understanding of community culture and the ability to apply digital technologies. At the same time, economic development must be integrated with the preservation of ethnic cultural identities, environmental protection, and the strengthening of great national unity.
Thus, innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies must aim for sustainable development, the leveraging of internal community strengths and the establishment of modern governance, thereby enhancing policy effectiveness in the current new period.
3. Discussion
It is evident from the foregoing that innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies is no longer merely a matter of technical adjustment; rather, it has become a strategic imperative for the country's current development. In the context of digital transformation, international integration and rapidly changing socio-economic conditions, persisting with a mindset of passive assistance would make it difficult to ensure the long-term sustainability of these policies.
In practice, various ethnic minority policies implemented in recent times have played a significant role in poverty reduction, infrastructure development, and improving the quality of life for the general population and ethnic minority communities in particular. However, in many localities, residents have not yet truly become the driving force of their own development; the internal strength of communities has not been fully unleashed; mechanisms for policy coordination, governance and oversight remain limited. This necessitates a decisive shift in mindset from “support for survival” to “empowerment for development”.
In particular, ethnic minority policies must be viewed not merely through the lens of social welfare but through the approaches of sustainable development and modern governance. These policies need to be integrated with digital transformation, human resource development and cultural preservation, at the same time enhancing community resilience in the face of new challenges such as climate change, labor migration and the digital divide.
Furthermore, the approach to policy implementation must be people-centered, fostering community participation throughout the entire process of policy formulation, execution and oversight. Only when the people truly become the agents of development can ethnic minority policies achieve long-term effectiveness and generate momentum for sustainable development.
Thus, innovating thinking and methods of implementing national policies is the key to improving governance efficiency, promoting community internal strength and consolidating the great unity of the entire nation in the current new period.
3. Conclusion
Innovating the mindset and implementation methods regarding ethnic minority policies is an imperative requirement as the country enters a new phase of development demanding rapid, sustainable and inclusive growth. Experience shows that ethnic minority policies can only achieve long-term effectiveness by shifting from a mindset of passive assistance to one of endogenous development placing people at the center and making the community the driving force. At the same time, innovating implementation methods by embracing modern governance, digital transformation, and transparency, while enhancing the participation of the general public and ethnic minority communities will contribute to improving the effectiveness of state management and the sustainability of policies. This is not merely a socio-economic development task but also a strategic solution to strengthen the great national unity in the current new period.
* Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs
** Journal of Ethnic and Religious Research
References
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4. Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg dated October 14th, 2021, of the Prime Minister: Approving the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2021-2030, Phase I: from 2021 to 2025.
