After the merger, Vinh Long has 124 communes and wards. Of these, 30 communes and 7 communes/wards have hamlets and villages inhabited by ethnic minorities. The province has a population of over 3.7 million people, with the Khmer ethnic group accounting for more than 11%. Thanks to the Party and State's ethnic programs, projects, and policies, the material and spiritual lives of the Khmer people have improved, and their traditional cultural values have been preserved and promoted.
A warm Tet holiday for the poor.
According to Thach Thi Thu Ha, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Vinh Long province, the implementation of ethnic affairs work and ethnic and religious policies has significantly contributed to poverty reduction in ethnic minority areas of the province. By the end of 2025, the poverty rate among Khmer households will be reduced to 1.46%, and the near-poverty rate to 2.7%.
During the period 2021-2025, the province will implement the construction of 279 new projects, with a budget of over 434 billion VND. These are essential infrastructure projects serving daily life, facilitating transportation and goods circulation, and contributing to the socio -economic development of the Khmer ethnic minority region.
Communes and wards throughout the province have also implemented the "Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses" emulation movement launched by the Prime Minister in a comprehensive and decisive manner. As a result, the entire province has supported 14,738 houses, including 11,604 newly built houses and 3,134 houses repaired, with a total budget of over 894 billion VND.
Mr. Thach Danh, from Hoa Lac A hamlet, Song Loc commune, received 60 million VND in support from the government's program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. He shared that this is a very meaningful gift, showing the concern of the Party, the State, and the local government for people facing housing difficulties. Now, his family lives in a new house, giving them more motivation to overcome difficulties and build a prosperous and happy life.
In the joyful and enthusiastic atmosphere of welcoming the traditional Chôl Chnăm Thmây New Year 2026 of the Khmer people in the province, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Nguyen Dinh Khang, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, along with a delegation from the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religion, visited and extended New Year greetings to the Patriotic Monks' Solidarity Association of the province; together with the local authorities, they directly presented nearly 250 Tet gifts to policy beneficiary families, influential people in ethnic minority areas, and poor Khmer households in Chau Thanh and Binh Phu communes.
Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Nguyen Dinh Khang expressed his delight that Buddhist dignitaries, officials, and followers in the province have consistently adhered to the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws; actively participated in social welfare activities, lived "a good life and a virtuous life," and firmly consolidated the great national unity.
During his visits, Minister Nguyen Dinh Khang also cordially inquired about and extended his best wishes to the Khmer people, comrades, and Buddhist monks for a joyful, healthy, safe, and economical New Year celebration. He requested that local Party committees and authorities continue to promptly and effectively implement the Government's projects, programs, and policies on ethnic groups and religions in the coming period.
In addition, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, and the Provincial Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front have organized many delegations to visit and present gifts to Khmer Theravada Buddhist temples and families of policy beneficiaries and retired officials of Khmer ethnicity.
During their visits, provincial leaders informed that, thanks to the implementation of many comprehensive development policies for the Khmer ethnic minority region, the material and spiritual lives of the people have been improved. They also requested that departments and agencies coordinate with localities to effectively implement the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas for the period 2026-2030.
Preserving and spreading the national cultural heritage.
The Ánh Bình Minh Khmer Art Troupe of Vĩnh Long province currently has 40 members, comprising many generations of artisans, artists, and actors, performing nearly 100 shows annually both domestically and internationally. Of these, approximately 30 shows are dedicated to serving political purposes in localities within the province and for events, festivals, and holidays of the Khmer people in the Southwest region.
Every year, during holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), and the dry season months, people in Vinh Long, An Giang provinces and Can Tho city contribute money to invite Dù kê theatrical troupes, including the Khmer Anh Binh Minh Art Troupe, to perform nightly at Khmer temples and villages, attracting thousands of viewers.
According to Mr. Thach Mu Ni, Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of the province, the Dù kê theatrical art has undergone more than 100 years of formation and development, leaving many impressions on the audience. In 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the Dù kê theatrical art of the Khmer people in Can Tho city in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
During the Khmer Dù kê theatrical arts festivals in Southern Vietnam, hundreds of actors, artisans, and musicians from provinces and cities in the Southwestern region participate. This is also an opportunity for artisans and actors to exchange and learn from each other's experiences, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the traditional cultural values of the ethnic group.
During the period 2021-2025, the province invested over 100 billion VND in infrastructure and equipment for ethnic minority boarding schools. 132 schools provided Khmer language instruction to 41,522 students. During the summer, 137 temples opened 1,066 supplementary Khmer language classes for 23,733 students, with over 4.9 billion VND allocated to support teachers.
Venerable Kim Ngoc Sang, from Khmer Temple in Hamlet 4, Nguyet Hoa Ward, shared that when the temple opened summer classes teaching Khmer script, it attracted many students and monks. Seeing the students improve every day while teaching made him very happy, because he felt he had contributed to fulfilling his responsibility of passing on the written language of his ethnic group to the younger generation.
The transmission and widespread dissemination of the Dù kê theatrical art forms, dance drama, and musical performances by the Ánh Bình Minh Khmer Art Troupe, along with activities such as teaching the Khmer language at public educational institutions and Khmer temples in the province, have contributed to preserving the script and spreading the artistic heritage values of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/ron-rang-chol-chnam-thmay-o-vinh-long-post955027.html
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