Hanoi, December 27, 2025 – The Europe Today: The Communist Party of Việtnam (CPV) has consistently affirmed that ethnic affairs and the implementation of ethnic policies are the responsibility of the entire Party, the people, the armed forces, and the whole political system, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm said on Friday.
Addressing a meeting with outstanding and exemplary ethnic minority pupils, students and young people, the Party leader stressed that the development of ethnic and mountainous areas is a strategic and long-term task of special importance to political stability, sustainable development, and the consolidation of the great national unity bloc.
He noted that the history of Việtnam’s revolution has always recorded the great, persistent and selfless contributions of ethnic minority communities. From the early days of nation-building, President Hồ Chí Minh affirmed the immutable truth of great national unity, which has remained a guiding principle throughout the country’s revolutionary cause.
In recent years, under the Party’s leadership, ethnic affairs have achieved important and comprehensive results across various fields, he said. Socio-economic infrastructure in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has continued to improve, while the material and spiritual lives of local people have been significantly enhanced. Grassroots political systems have been strengthened, national defence and security maintained, and trust among ethnic minority people in the Party and the State further consolidated.
The Party chief also highlighted notable progress in education and training in ethnic minority areas. The school network, particularly boarding and semi-boarding schools for ethnic minority students, has been reinforced, while policies on tuition exemptions and reductions, scholarships, nomination-based enrolment and student credit have been implemented more effectively. As a result, a growing contingent of young ethnic minority intellectuals is emerging, gradually asserting its role in the political system, State management, science and technology, and socio-economic development.
Expressing his confidence in the future, Tô Lâm said more ethnic minority intellectuals, officials, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, athletes and outstanding soldiers will continue to emerge from villages and hamlets nationwide, contributing to the building of an increasingly prosperous and developed country.
To further nurture and promote the role of ethnic minority youth in the new development era, he called on the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs to take the lead in reviewing and refining policies for ethnic minority pupils, students and young people. He also urged the establishment of long-term monitoring, connection and support mechanisms for those who have been commended, and the replication of effective models and good practices, particularly in remote, border and small ethnic minority communities.
The Ministry of Education and Training was asked to consider the development of education in ethnic minority areas a key task, with a focus on identifying and nurturing gifted students, investing in boarding and semi-boarding school systems, and caring for the teaching workforce. The ministry was also encouraged to coordinate with relevant agencies to develop schemes for training and creating a pool of ethnic minority cadres from outstanding pupils and students, including consideration of scholarships for some honourees to study abroad.
The Party leader further called on ministries, sectors, localities and the Việt Nam Fatherland Front to strengthen coordination in creating favourable conditions for ethnic minority youth to study, start businesses, build careers and contribute to national development. He emphasised the need to link training with socio-economic development requirements, border protection, preservation of cultural identity and the strengthening of the great national unity bloc.
Encouraging the young people, he urged them to nurture aspirations for learning, continuously improve knowledge and skills, master science, technology and digital transformation, and cultivate political steadfastness, ethics, discipline and innovative thinking. He also reminded them to take pride in their traditions and cultural identities, preserve their languages, scripts and customs, overcome any sense of inferiority, and dare to dream big while keeping their homeland and country in their hearts.
At the meeting, a representative of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs reported on the academic performance of outstanding and exemplary ethnic minority pupils, students and young people, while representatives of the honourees shared their achievements and experiences in overcoming challenges in recent years.
