Exciting Seven Mountains Bull Racing Festival for the 30th An Giang Television Cup, 2025. Photo: PHUONG LAN
Preserving cultural identity
An Giang province has a large population of ethnic minorities, primarily Kinh, Hoa, Cham, and Khmer. The area boasts a diverse mix of ethnic groups and cultural influences, reflecting the unique cultural characteristics of the Southwestern region of Vietnam. This has resulted in a rich cultural heritage, encompassing numerous folk festivals, traditional crafts, and religious structures with distinctive architecture.
The Mubarak Mosque in Chau Phong commune is the cultural and religious center of the Cham people. It is also one of the architectural works that embodies the unique characteristics of the Cham people, following the style of mosques in Middle Eastern countries. In 1989, the Mubarak Mosque was classified as a National Historical and Cultural Monument.
For the Khmer people in An Giang, preserving and promoting the Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival is an important cultural event. On September 20th, the 30th Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival, competing for the An Giang Television Cup, took place vibrantly at the Tri Ton commune bull racing arena. This is a significant event for preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, while also showcasing the tourism , culture, and people of An Giang.
Nurturing knowledge
Every summer, the free Khmer language class at Kal Po Pruk Pagoda in Oc Eo commune becomes a familiar meeting place for over 200 Khmer ethnic minority children. Under the dedicated guidance of the teachers, the pictographic characters have opened the door to knowledge about their mother tongue, history, and the age-old traditional cultural values of the Khmer people. "The pagoda also continues to donate laptops and bicycles to Khmer ethnic minority children with good academic achievements," shared Venerable Thach Phong, Deputy Abbot of Kal Po Pruk Pagoda.
Van Rau Pagoda in An Cu commune also serves as a "common home" for teaching Khmer to children of the ethnic minority. Venerable Chang Ratana shared: "The classes at the pagoda for Khmer children take place in a simple setting. The reasons for bringing children to learn are diverse. Some children are sent by their parents like to kindergarten to learn to speak, while others come with their older siblings and sit to listen to the monks' lectures." Currently, Van Rau Pagoda encourages learning by promising to organize exams and award valuable prizes such as bicycles to outstanding students.
Give them a "fishing rod".
As of the end of 2024, the province had 13,736 poor households, of which 2,869 were ethnic minority households. Over the past period, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have effectively implemented many specific mechanisms and policies of the Party and State for ethnic minorities to create momentum for socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, helping people increase their income, stabilize their lives, and achieve sustainable poverty alleviation.
At the seminar on ethnic minority youth entrepreneurship held in Tri Ton commune, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Danh Phuc informed that An Giang province is actively implementing the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, with a total capital of over 1,000 billion VND from the central government and local counterpart funds, including 10 projects and many sub-projects and project components. In particular, the province focuses on supporting ethnic minority youth in starting businesses through sub-project 2 of Project 3. The Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions is working closely with the Provincial Youth Union to advise and implement specific plans, focusing on propaganda and training to change mindsets and build practical entrepreneurial models.
Mr. Danh Phuc emphasized that while capital is available, the challenge lies in the willpower and creativity of young people, especially in applying AI to create unique products, exploit the tourism and cultural potential of the locality, thereby striving to become wealthy and preserve national identity.
The family of Mr. Chau Nhay, born in 1955, residing in Ba Den hamlet, An Cu commune, is a clear example of the effectiveness of sound livelihood support policies. Mr. Nhay happily stated: “Previously, my family was classified as a poor household. Thanks to the local government's support of 20 million VND in preferential loans, I bought a pair of cows to raise, increasing my income and gradually escaping poverty.”
Mr. Danh Loi, residing in Tan Dong hamlet, Oc Eo commune, also expressed his joy at receiving capital support for beef cattle farming. “The capital support helps us improve our lives, increase our income, and gradually escape poverty. Besides that, we also receive training in livestock farming techniques, disease prevention and control, ensuring the healthy development of our cattle herd,” Mr. Loi said. Accordingly, the Sustainable Beef Cattle Farming Project for Poverty Alleviation in Oc Eo commune (Project 3 - sub-project 1 under the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction) has been effectively implemented, supporting 20 households of poor, near-poor, and newly-escaped-poverty Khmer people with a budget of 445 million VND.
An Giang is effectively implementing the national unity policy by providing practical livelihood support (through capital programs and livestock farming models), creating internal vitality that helps ethnic minority communities rise up and develop sustainably.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/bai-2-chuyen-hoa-chinh-sach-thanh-suc-song-cong-dong-a464703.html
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