Tây Ninh Province improves infrastructure and livelihoods for ethnic minorities

Tây Ninh Province in southern Vietnam is expanding support for its 17 ethnic minority groups to improve living conditions and economic stability, particularly in areas bordering Cambodia.

The province manages a population of 35,589 ethnic minority people across 13,594 households. These communities include the Khmer, Chăm, and Hoa groups, who live alongside the Kinh majority. The provincial government is implementing policies to provide housing, clean water, vocational training, and healthcare.

Officials have coordinated more than 50 training courses on human rights and the prevention of racial discrimination for over 3,500 people since 2024. These efforts have already reduced the number of poor ethnic minority households from 50 in 2023 to 13 by the end of 2025. By 2030, the province aims to reduce that number to fewer than 10 and ensure half of the working-age ethnic minority population receives vocational training.

Local residents report tangible improvements in infrastructure, such as better roads, electricity, and streetlights. In Ninh Điền Commune, which shares an 18.9km border with Cambodia, officials allocated one hectare of production land to 95 households and provided 60 breeding cows to 30 ethnic minority families. The province also supports cultural preservation by funding Khmer-language education and supporting religious observances like Ramadan and the Saunko Khamun festival.