Expedite the process of demarcating areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous regions.

Government Decree No. 272/2025/ND-CP on the demarcation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2026-2030 officially came into effect on December 1, 2025. Son La province is actively accelerating the review and re-demarcation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, ensuring that policies are implemented effectively and in accordance with the realities of each locality.

The leaders of Gia Phù commune assess the situation regarding ethnic affairs in Phiêng Lương village.

For the period 2021-2025, according to Decision No. 861/QD-TTg dated June 4, 2021, of the Prime Minister approving the list of communes in areas III, II, and I belonging to ethnic minority and mountainous regions, our province has 11 districts, 1 city, and 202 communes in ethnic minority and mountainous regions; of which, there are 66 communes in area I, 10 communes in area II, and 126 communes in area III).

From July 1, 2025, implementing a two-tiered local government model, Son La province will have 67 communes and 8 wards. The demarcation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2026-2030 period will be carried out based on the 75 newly reorganized commune-level administrative units, ensuring consistency between the streamlining of local government and the implementation of ethnic policies and social welfare in the new areas.

According to Government Decree No. 272/2025/ND-CP, a village or hamlet in an ethnic minority area is defined as one where at least 15% of the population are ethnic minorities living stably as a community; a commune in an ethnic minority area is defined as one that meets at least one of two criteria: having at least 15% of its population being ethnic minorities living stably, or having at least 4,500 ethnic minorities living stably. A province in an ethnic minority area is defined as one that meets at least one of two criteria: having at least 15% of its population being ethnic minorities living stably; or having at least two-thirds of its communes being ethnic minority communes.

Based on Government Decree No. 272/2025/ND-CP, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religion to coordinate with other departments and agencies to guide commune-level People's Committees to urgently review and determine the criteria for delineating ethnic minority and mountainous areas, ensuring accuracy and compliance with requirements. Simultaneously, it has issued directives and documents to expedite the implementation and review process. A council has been established to appraise the results of identifying villages and communes in ethnic minority areas, and the results of delineating particularly difficult villages and communes in zones I, II, and III within the province. The council is responsible for checking, appraising, and confirming the legality, reasonableness, and accuracy of all data (demographics, ethnic composition, infrastructure, topography, etc.) as a basis for identifying villages and communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas according to the new criteria.

Phiêng Pằn commune held a meeting to implement Government Decree No. 272/2025/ND-CP.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoang, Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, said: The Department has established a working group consisting of experienced specialists from various departments and agencies, closely adhering to the criteria of the decree, directly reviewing each administrative unit; requesting localities to cooperate in providing data quickly and accurately to serve the review, compilation, preliminary assessment, and preparation of dossiers to be submitted to the Appraisal Council for consideration and decision on the list of villages and communes as prescribed. By the end of December 7, 2025, all 75/75 communes and wards in the province had submitted the results of their classification to the Department. Initial assessment showed that 12 communes and wards met the criteria for Area I; 4 communes met Area II; and 59 communes met Area III.

Phiêng Pằn commune was established by merging Chiềng Lương, Phiêng Pằn, and Nà Ớt communes, comprising 45 villages with a population of 24,687 people, including the Thái, Mông, Kinh, Xinh Mun, and Khơ Mú ethnic groups. Assessments and surveys indicate that the commune's infrastructure and economic development capacity are still limited; 44 out of 45 villages have 90% or more ethnic minority population; the multidimensional poverty rate is 36.1%, 8.9 times higher than the national average; only 52.9% of commune roads are paved; health and education standards are not met; and there is no cultural and sports center. Based on the criteria and the review results, the commune proposes classification as a Category III area, with 35 out of 45 villages classified as particularly disadvantaged.

Mr. Lo Duc Ngoc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Phieng Pan commune, said: Despite efforts, the commune still faces many difficulties regarding infrastructure, lack of basic services, and a high poverty rate. In the context of commune mergers and the implementation of a two-tiered local government model, redefining the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous regions is extremely necessary to correctly identify the target areas and beneficiaries, thereby concentrating resources, improving policy effectiveness, and promoting development in disadvantaged villages.

In Gia Phu commune, out of 2,342 households, ethnic minorities account for 95.9%. Based on the assessment results, the commune proposed classification as a Zone III area, with 11 out of 28 villages classified as particularly disadvantaged. Ms. Ninh Thi Tam Binh, Chairwoman of the Commune People's Committee, stated: The review and classification were conducted objectively and accurately, providing a basis for developing investment, support, poverty reduction, and social security policies, ensuring efficient and targeted resource allocation. Upon recognition, the commune will continue to benefit from specific state policies for the 2026-2030 period, creating momentum for sustainable socio-economic development and improving the lives of ethnic minorities.

The implementation of the review and demarcation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas is of great importance, contributing to ensuring that the Party and State's ethnic policies reach the right target groups and areas; creating a basis for building the socio-economic development plan for the period 2026-2030, and promoting sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/xa-hoi/day-nhanh-tien-do-phan-dinh-vung-dong-bao-thieu-so-va-mien-nui-Dz5awdMvR.html