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Gov’t ups education budget, support for ethnic minorities

In Uncategorized on January 8, 2011 at 4:08 am




Gov’t ups education budget, support for ethnic minorities


QĐND – Tuesday, January 04, 2011, 20:42 (GMT+7)

The education budget will be 2.9 percent higher this year at 5 trillion VND (256 million USD), according to the Ministry of Education and Training.


Nguyen Van Ngu, head of the Ministry’s Finance and Planning Department, said it would fund 100 percent of normal expenses by high schools and pre-university training schools for ethnic minorities, which are free.


This includes 2.8 billion VND (143,600 USD) for scholarships and allowances for the students, according to Ngu.


While public universities and colleges offering economics and finance streams will be provided funds for all their normal as well as one-off expenses, those offering other streams will be subsidised in part.


The amount earmarked for regular expenses is around 4.2 trillion VND, an increase of 11.9 percent over 2010.


The amount to be spent on training a student will increase by at least 17 percent at the university and college levels and 52 percent at the doctoral level.


More than 99 billion VND will be earmarked for the Ministry’s advanced programmes.


The HCM City and Hanoi Open Universities , National Economics University , Hanoi University , Foreign Trade University , and the HCM City University of Economics will get a total of 38 billion VND (1.9 million USD) for buying equipment and building facilities.


Viet-Duc University and the University of Sciences and Technology in Hanoi will get 28 billion VND.


“Universities and colleges are in better financial shape now after tuition and enrollment fees were raised in 2010,” Ngu added.


Source: VNA


Source: QDND

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Spotlight falls on ethnic minorities

In Uncategorized on December 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm




Spotlight falls on ethnic minorities


QĐND – Thursday, December 16, 2010, 21:3 (GMT+7)

Concrete and appropriate policies are needed to ensure ethnic minorities participate fully in the nation’s economy, said Be Truong Thanh, vice standing chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs at the third two-day session of the UN forum in Geneva , which ended on Dec. 15.


He said ethnic groups should be classified according to their geographical location – such as mountainous or delta – and their socio-economic development level, in order to implement appropriate policies.


He said the Government had been carrying out a number of programmes designed to meet the needs of specific ethnic groups.


These programmes include the implementation of hunger elimination and poverty reduction in the extremely difficult areas in a bid to reduce the poverty level of households. He said Vietnam was implementing a rapid and sustainable poverty-reduction programme in more than 60 extremely difficult and poor districts in ethnic minority areas where the poor account for more than 50 percent of all households.


He also said the Government had begun upgrading and building new infrastructure in extremely difficult areas that included building new roads and improving irrigation channels.


Thanh said projects had been implemented to preserve the indigenous people’s culture.


Five ethnic groups with a population of less than 1,000 have been targeted. They include the Si La, Pu Peo, O Du, Ro Mam and Brau minorities. Further projects will be carried out targeting ethnic groups with a population of less than 10,000.


The Government is also planning to boost trade and tourism in mountainous and remote areas to boost local incomes.


Thanh said it was important to raise awareness among minority groups of the law so that their rights are protected.


He said the participation of local communities in implementing the Government’s programmes was essential. He said the State could provide the “fishing rod, but not the fish.”


He said that if the Government’s programmes were implemented successfully, minority groups would see a marked improvement in their standard of living.


Source: VNA


Source: QDND

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Ethnic minority contestant wins HCMC Television music contest

In Uncategorized on December 16, 2010 at 9:57 am

H’Zina Bya from the central highland province of Dak Lak won the first prize of  the Ho Chi Minh City Television annual singing contest entitled “TV Singing Star” ended at Hoa Binh Theater on December 1.

Doan Phuong Thao (L), H’Zina Bya and Do Xuan Son (R).

The singer received 44.29 % of the support of voters. She also got the title “Best ethnic minority contestant”.

The second and third places went to Do Xuan Son of the northern city of Hai Phong and Doan Phuong Thao from the central city of Da Nang.

Son took home two awards including “Best voice in song honoring Thang Long –Hanoi” and “Best performing style”. Meanwhile Thao was awarded the “Best voice in revolutionary traditional song” title.

Tran Thi To Ny won “Youngest contestant” and “Best voice in folk song” awards.

The “Best voice in song praising Ho Chi Minh City” belonged to Pham Trung Kien.

The organization board also gave four fourth prizes and five Encouragement Awards.


Related article:
City TV music contest becomes “strong brand”

Source: SGGP

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Clinic to be built for ethnic minority’s healthcare

In Uncategorized on November 25, 2010 at 8:19 am

The organization of “Nghia tinh Truong Son” (Sentimental Attachment for Truong Son Road), Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper, and the border guards in the central province of Nghe An broke ground for a clinic on November 24.


The VND1 billion (US$49000) clinic sponsored by the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group through the Nghia tinh Truong Son program was built in the mountainous district Con Cuong in Nghe An for healthcare service for over 60 ethnic minority people Dan Lai who live separately in the National park Pu Mat.


Mr. Tran The Tuyen, Editor – in – chief of Sai Gon Giai Phong, said the fund for the program was raised to repay veterans and voluntary youths including ethnic minority Dan Lai who fought and worked on the Truong Son Road, also known as the Ho Chi Minh trail, during the war, but now live in poverty on the eastern and western sides of the Truong Son mountain range.


On the behalf of border guard headquarter, colonel Nguyen Van Tuy promised to construct a high quality clinic and it will be soon operated to provide healthcare to inhabitants in the mountainous district.



 

Source: SGGP

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More education opportunities for ethnic minority students in Tra Vinh

In Uncategorized on November 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm

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‘Thang Co’ a typical dish of the H’mong ethnic minority group in northern Vietnam

In Uncategorized on October 13, 2010 at 3:57 am




‘Thang Co’ a typical dish of the H’mong ethnic minority group in northern Vietnam


QĐND – Monday, August 30, 2010, 20:44 (GMT+7)

Visitors are always impressed by the big Thang Co pan and bean soup bowls at colorful market days of Bac Ha Town. It is really interesting to taste a bowl of Thang Co with big pieces of horse meat and drink wine made from corn to experience cuisine of the H’mong ethnic minority in these remote areas.


Market days are always crowded and people hardly can pass by Thang Co shops without tasting it. Thang Co in H’mong language means a big pot of water. In the past, Thang Co used to be cooked with horse meat. At present, Thang Co is cooked with other kinds of meat such as buffalo, pork and goat. Thang Co’s recipes in the past were a little different to the current one.


Like Thang Co, most of dishes of H’mong minority people are always simply made, and, though Thang Co has been one of the most special dishes of the H’mong culture, the preparing process is quite simple. After a horse is butchered and washed, its internal organs are removed. The horse meat is chopped into small pieces. Then, these pieces are mixed with special spices and put into a big pan. After being fried in it’s own fat, water is added and the meat is stewed for hours.


Thang co is always ready when people complete their trading. Sitting on low chairs, H’mong men usually enjoy Thang Co with liquor distilled from fermented corn, while their wives are waiting for them at a distance.


At the end of a market day, drunken men stumble or sleep on horse backs while their wives walk behind them. That is a custom of local residents and it is rare to see all of the family eating Thang Co together.


H’mong people go to market not only to buy goods, eat Thang Co and drink corn liquor but also to meet and talk with their friends and socialize, and this is an important element of their culture.


– From Lao Cai city, tourists can travel by coach 60 km north to Bac Ha District. The district’s old name was Pac Ha. This means “a hundred bundles of grass”; later on people called it as Bac Ha.


– Bac Ha fair, one of the biggest in Northern Vietnam takes place on Sundays. The fair is famous for agricultural products, farming tools and cattle. In spring time, visitors will have opportunities to see the most special cultural identities in the fair.


– Besides the fair, Bac Ha is also famous for its tourist sites such as Pho Hamlet with liquor distilled from fermented corn, Ta Van Chu Hamlet for brocades, Lung Phin buffalo market, Hoang A Tuong house which was built between 1919 to 1921.


Reported by Phan Binh


Translated by Duy Minh


Source: QDND

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Students build water system for ethnic people

In Uncategorized on August 12, 2010 at 7:23 pm




Students build water system for ethnic people


QĐND – Thursday, August 12, 2010, 20:34 (GMT+7)

Phu Yen Province Youth Union Committee has completed providing fresh water supply system into operation for local ethnic people in Son Hoa district.


The facility, with the investment of VND 86 million funded by Vietnam KCP Company Ltd, was built by volunteer students from the Banking University’s sub-institute in Phu Yen province and members of the Son Hoa district’s Youth Union during the voluntary summer campaign.


Thanks to the facility, water from a dam in the Hon Coi Mountain will flow through a filtering system to a 10 cubic meter tank before coming to each house. Thanks to this system, 53 households with 267 ethnic people in Tan Hoa hamlet, Son Hoi mountainous commune in the district, will have safe drinking water all around year.


Mr. Tran Huu The, Secretary to the province’s Youth Union, said that it took a long time for local residents to get fresh water during the dry season. The facility is one of the meaningful projects which young people have provided for people in remote areas.


Source: Tuoi Tre


Translated by Duy Minh


Source: QDND

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Ethnic minority girls receive educational support

In Uncategorized on August 7, 2010 at 11:20 am

Exemplary girls from 24 ethnic minority groups all over the country gathered in the UNESCO-recognized natural heritage site of Hoi An, from August 3-5, for the launch of the Brighter Path scholarship program. 

Ethnic minority girls and former Miss World Vietnam Duong Truong Thien Ly at the ceremony (Photo: Coutersy of VinaCapital)

The scholarship program is a collaboration between the Vu A Dinh scholarship organization and the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF). It will support these students through three years of high school and four years of college.


The program launch began with the first annual “Dream Meeting,” which consisted of series of workshops to mentor and encourage the girls to have big dreams and goals and give them the tools to succeed. The girls were also treated to fun outings to ancient Hoi An town and My Son.


The meeting was held at the Hoi An River Beach Resort and attended by former Vice-President of Vietnam and Chairwoman of Vu A Dinh, Madame Truong My Hoa; VCF’s CEO and Executive Director Robin King Austin; and others.


The VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) and Vu A Dinh are proud to partner on this innovative partnership to help educate ethnic minority girls, one of the most disadvantaged groups in Vietnam.  An initial donation of $13,500, which will fund the first year of scholarships for the 50 girls, was provided by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (CanCham), and was matched 100 percent by the VinaCapital Group.  The Golden Light Investment Trading Company is also donating one percent of their annual sales to support the scholarship program.
 
A Brighter Path is designed to provide hope for a brighter future and to break the poverty cycle for ethnic minority girls in Vietnam.  To be eligible for the program, all students must be members of one of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups, have demonstrated academic excellence, and come from families living at or below the national poverty line ($13 per capita per month).

Source: SGGP

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Bilingual education to benefit ethnic minorities

In Uncategorized on July 22, 2010 at 7:16 pm




Bilingual education to benefit ethnic minorities


QĐND – Thursday, July 22, 2010, 21:16 (GMT+7)

Bilingual education will help improve living conditions for Vietnamese ethnic minority communities, said Gay McDougall, an expert on minority issues for the United Nations, on July 21.


After spending a 10-day fact finding tour in Vietnam, McDougall said that equal access to education is one of the best ways of reducing poverty, as well as preserving and promoting the cultures, languages and identities of ethnic minorities.


With all 54 different ethnic groups having different languages, religions and cultural traits, Vietnam should give top priority to bilingual education, she said, adding that it helps children to gain better results at school, which is a firm foundation for their studies in the future.


She will submit a full report to Human Rights Council in March, 2011.


Source: VNA


Source: QDND

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Ethnic minorities go green

In Uncategorized on July 21, 2010 at 3:15 pm




Ethnic minorities go green


QĐND – Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 21:1 (GMT+7)

Ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong have agreed to work together to fight against climate change.


More than 5,500 people, who were primarily from the Co Ho ethnic group, along with 24 interlocutors from the United Nation Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) are currently working together on a sustainable development plan, after 78 village meetings.


The REDD programme aims to establish projects that provide a financial incentive to locals who preserve the forest for carbon credits. The programme was established during the 11th Convention of the Parties at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that was held in Montreal , Canada , in 2005. Viet Nam has been the first UN-REDD pilot country.


The local residents of Di Linh district’s Bao Thuan commune are hosting one of UN-REDD’s two pilot projects in the country. Participating locals have already received educational material about climate change, REDD and UN-REDD activities that will be implemented in the area.


“It is not easy to make people here understand the UN-REDD programme and the benefits that they will reap from the project,” said K’ Bril, deputy chief of Bao Thuan commune.


“We are people of the forest, we have loved the forest for our entire lives, but now we really understand the importance of the ecosystem,” said K’ Breoh, a local resident.


“The forest is like our lungs that provides us with cool air and a fresh environment,” said K’ Breoh. “Without it, we will suffer from hot weather and flooding.”


K’ Breoh suggested that the programme managers and government leaders pay more attention to the locals’ concerns.


Living in the Central Highlands, most of ethnic communities grow coffee and corn, which often leads to illegal deforestation.


Local communities have been instructed to begin reforesting the area, which might have an adverse effect on their income.


“We have agreed to take part in the programme, but we also hope that our leaders will bring more jobs here,” said K’ Breoh. “A regular and stable income will allow us to reforest the area with a peaceful mind because we won’t have to worry about feeding our family.”


“The results that we have pocketed are not considerable because it is the very first step of the programme so we still need help from the local government leaders,” said Pham Minh Thoa, UN-REDD national programme director.


If the pilot programme in Lam Dong province is effective then UN-REDD plans to continue working in the area.


“People understand the importance of the forest because it provides sustenance to the communities that live there,” said Hua Duc Nhi, deputy minister of the Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).


“UN-REDD is a new programme in Viet Nam and I hope it will support people to improve their living standards.”


Viet Nam has recently received 4.5 million USD from the Norwegian government for the programme which are being implemented by MARD in collaboration with three UN agencies, UNDP, FAO and UNEP.


Source: VNA


Source: QDND