Taking care of the lives of ethnic minority people.

Ham Thuan Nam is a mountainous district with two highland communes inhabited entirely by ethnic minorities: Ham Can and My Thanh, as well as some mixed villages in Tan Thuan and Tan Lap communes. The economic life of the ethnic minorities is mainly based on agriculture and forestry.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Ham Thuan Nam District People's Committee, said: "In recent years, the socio-economic situation of ethnic minority areas in the district has made significant progress, and people's lives have improved. The State has invested in building a comprehensive infrastructure for highland communes, such as: transportation systems, electricity, schools, health stations, clean water, land allocation for households for production, and support for production and livestock development. Highland communes now have paved roads to the commune centers, creating favorable conditions for households to travel, produce, and transport goods conveniently, and all households now have access to the national power grid. Provincial functional agencies have invested in constructing the road to the Lo To residential area in Ham Can commune." The construction of canals N8, N6, N4, Lang Ma canal in Ham Can commune, Mac Co rice field canal in My Thanh commune, and Muong Ngua canal in Tan Thuan commune aims to provide irrigation water for agricultural production in ethnic minority areas. 90-95% of households in My Thanh and Ham Can communes now have access to clean drinking water. From the disaster prevention program's funding, the District People's Committee has allocated and supported 80 water storage tanks (1,500-liter capacity) for Ham Can and My Thanh communes to address the shortage of drinking water during the dry season. Community cultural centers, village cultural centers, and sports facilities have been built using the new rural development program's funding, creating opportunities for ethnic minority communities to participate in recreational activities. In addition, the District People's Committee has allocated 714.5 hectares of land to 640 households for production, including 538 hectares/447 households in Ham Can commune, 127.5 hectares/144 households in My Thanh commune, and 48 hectares/24 households in Tan Lap commune. Forest management units have contracted out 7,922.9 hectares of natural forest to 205 ethnic minority households for forest management and protection, creating jobs and improving family life. Specifically, 2,259 hectares of forest have been contracted out to 59 households in Ham Can commune, 3,745.99 hectares to 96 households in My Thanh commune, and 1,917.5 hectares to 50 households in Tan Thuan commune. In My Thanh commune alone, there are 27 ethnic minority households contracted to protect 2,000 hectares of forest under the forest environmental services program, and 21 ethnic minority households in Ham Can commune contracted to protect 904 hectares of forest under the natural forest regeneration program.

The total agricultural land area of ethnic minority communities in the district is 3,726 hectares, of which 456 hectares are used for rice cultivation, and the remainder is used for growing vegetables and dragon fruit. District authorities, along with local governments, have focused on promoting and encouraging people to diversify their crop and livestock structures, applying scientific and technological advancements to production, aiming to gradually create high-value agricultural products. The highland communes have identified rice and hybrid corn as their main crops, while the Cham people in Tan Thuan commune have identified dragon fruit as their main crop. Simultaneously, the District People's Committee has mobilized organizations and individuals inside and outside the district to contribute and support the construction of 5,600 dragon fruit trellises for 56 poor and near-poor households in Ham Can and My Thanh communes. Annually, the District Agricultural Technical and Service Center organizes training courses, workshops, and demonstrations of rice, mung bean, and hybrid corn cultivation models. Techniques for raising cattle, goats, and free-range chickens, and methods for using pesticides. Investment support for seeds, livestock, fertilizers, and agricultural supplies for poor and near-poor households in the mountainous areas of Ham Can and My Thanh under the Government's Program 135. The Provincial Mountainous Area Service Center has invested in advance, subsidized freight and transportation of seeds and supplies to support production development for ethnic minority people in the mountainous communes.

As a result, the lives of ethnic minority people in Ham Thuan Nam district have improved significantly, and the social landscape of the highland communes has seen many positive changes. Temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households are gradually being eliminated, and political security and social order are ensured.

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