Being part of Vietnamese ethnic groups, the H’Mong ethnic minority in general, the H’Mong people in the Northwest region in particular, especially since the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), have always joined other ethnic groups in actively participating in the wars of resistance, defending the revolutionary base, building new life, and making great contribution to the previous national liberation and current national building and defence. According to statistics, in 6 Northwest provinces, the H’Mong has about 82,980 households with 644,589 members and accounts for 50 per cent of the H’Mong minority nationwide. They inhabit in 6,119 villages spread in 694 communes. 1,793 villages or 72 communes are totally inhabited by the H’Mong people. Due to their shifting cultivation, the H’Mong people usually live in the mountainous, remote, border areas. That is why their villages are seen as the “hedges or trenches” to affirm sovereignty and protect security of the Fatherland.

In the process of leading the revolution, our Party, by means of sound guidelines and policies, has paid constant attention to satisfying compatriots’ legitimate needs and achieving equality between ethnic groups, especially ensuring rights and access to rights of minor ethnic compatriots, including the H’Mong people in the Northwest region, in all aspects of their life as follows.

Politically, recent terms of the National Assembly have shown that members of the National Assembly from ethnic minorities in general and the H’Mong group in particular always account for high rates, ranging from 15.6 per cent to 17.3 per cent, while minority ethnic people only account for 14.3 per cent of the whole population. The 14^th National Assembly (Tenure 2016-2021) has 17.3 per cent of members from ethnic minorities. 9 out of 22 members from ethnic minorities belong to H’Mong group, accounting for 41 per cent of minority ethnic members in the Northwest provinces or 24 per cent of members from ethnic minorities nationwide. The proportion of minority ethnic people participating in people’s councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 period is maintained reasonably. Therefore, compatriots’ freedom and democracy have been constantly secured. Minority ethnic people are entitled to give opinion on policies that relate directly to their life and operations of authorities at grass-root levels.

Economically, despite numerous difficulties, the State often spares up to 12.8 per cent of state budget for agriculture and countryside nationwide to invest in minority ethnic and mountainous areas annually. In 2014, the Government spent VND 5,300 billion on implementing policies on settlement, supporting building land, land for cultivation and running water, and lending money to minority ethnic compatriots in extremely difficult situations. In the Northwest region, thanks to resource mobilization and national target programs, material base and infrastructure have witnessed new developments. District vocational training centres have opened many free training courses to provide people with basic knowledge on farming, breeding, handicraft, conversion of livestock and crops, sale of goods, and so on. Some of the most typical examples include techniques for oyster mushroom cultivation in Dong Van town and Pho Cao commune, Ha Giang province; techniques for raising breeding buffalo, bulls and cows in Si Ma Cai district, Lao Cai province; silver lamination in Yen Son district, Tuyen Quang province, and so forth. Many localities have restored their traditional linen industry in support of tourism and people’s income. Consequently, the number of poor households, on average, has reduced 3.91 per cent per year. The H’Mong group has the fastest rate of reduction with 4.5 per cent of households possessing permanent houses, 81.4 per cent living in semi-permanent houses, and 14.1 per cent living in temporary and other houses.

H’Mong people celebrate the National Independence Day in Moc Chau town, Son La province (photo: VNA)

In the fields of culture and society, currently, the network of schools has covered every village. The compilation of primary school textbooks for the H’Mong compatriots and 5 other minority ethnic groups is being carried out, marking a major breakthrough in the exercise of human rights in this field. In 2015, all of the communes in the H’Mong ethnic compatriots’ areas attained the standards of primary education universalization. Over 83 per cent of classrooms were solidified. The rate of pupils starting school at the right age was 65.7 per cent, in which the primary, secondary and high levels attained 86.9, 65.4 and 17.6 respectively. Provision of health care for compatriots has witnessed considerable progress in both health care network and reproductive health services provided for women and children. Today, every commune has medical stations. 80 per cent of villages have nurses and 40.5 per cent of minority ethnic compatriots use their medical insurance. Over 90 per cent of communes where the H’Mong compatriots inhabit have roads connecting villages with the centre. 100 per cent of communes have communal cultural post offices. 30 per cent of villages get electricity and running water. Some villages have houses of culture. Each village has their own art groups to maintain cultural activities and bring into play value of the H’Mong traditional arts. Particularly, apart from celebrating their traditional new year holiday, the H’Mong compatriots in Moc Chau, Son La province also celebrate the Independence Day (on 2^nd September) very solemnly to remember the day they were freed from oppression and exploitation and became citizens of an independent country.

However, due to a number of reasons, the H’Mong compatriots’ life in the Northwest region still faces difficulty. Propaganda and education on human rights and basic rights and obligations of citizens are not popular and gain little effect. Therefore, many people have no idea about their rights or feel “free” to violate law. Investment in socioeconomic development has not been sustainable. Part of the H’Mong people in the Northwest region are living under the poverty line. Shifting cultivation and free movement of persons are still very complex. People’s cultural, spiritual life in some places has not been improved, leading to “vacuum” in religion management for the hostile forces to exploit and induce people and exert negative influence on political security and social order and safety in the areas.

In order to address the aforementioned limitations and better ensure human rights of the H’Mong compatriots in the Northwest region, it is important to realize synchronous measures as follows.

1. Promoting education and propaganda to raise people’s awareness of the Party’s standpoint and State’s policies and law on human rights, rights and obligations of citizens, and fine nature of our regime, thus providing knowledge and skills, consolidating belief, and helping compatriots to be cognisant of their rights, the significance and value of these rights, and know how to protect their interests. Education and propaganda also serve to enable compatriots to recognize their sense of obligation to comply with the law, gradually get rid of erroneous understanding and be sufficiently self-aware to adjust their behaviour with the aim of minimizing violations of human rights; respect other people’s dignity, rights and freedom; and be capable of recognizing and countering the hostile forces’ plots and artifices to incite hatred and division within society. Being one of the peoples whose traditional cultural identity less fall to oblivion, localities should pay attention to preserving cultural values of the H’Mong and creating favourable conditions for the compatriots to bring into play fine features in terms of culture, art, customs, and habits, particularly in festivals such as Nao Song, Gau Tao or Sapa love market. This is both a channel of propaganda and activities to realize human rights of the H’Mong effectively.

2. Ministries and branches need to continue to amend and supplement mechanisms and policies on sustainable poverty reduction for the Northwest region. Localities in the region should work out plans to effectively use resources provided by the programme of rapid and sustainable poverty alleviation according to the spirit of the Government’s Resolution 30a/2008/NQ-CP, dated 27 December 2008, on the Programme of Rapid and Sustainable Poverty Reduction for 61 poor districts; Programme to Implement Decision 167/2008/QD-TTg, dated 12 December 2008, of the Prime Minister on the Policy on Assisting Poor Households with Housing; and other programmes and investment projects in this area. At the same time, they need to step up agricultural transformation from self-supply to commercial production; exploit every potential and advantage of the Northwest region in terms of agriculture, forestry, processing industry, tourism, and services; and actively apply science and technologies to production  and work, especially vocational training. Apart from developing suitable manufacturing models and aiding compatriots in breeds of crops and domestic animals, production materials, and techniques, it is important to advertise the H’Mong people’s products, including fruits, cuisine, utensils, etc., to attract tourists and enable compatriots to sell their products and commodities, thus helping compatriots to achieve hunger alleviation and poverty reduction by themselves, get rich in a sustainable way, and become masters of their own life.

3. Strengthening population management and countering free migration. Free migration represents a factor that has ill effects on the implementation of human rights. Therefore, it needs to be restricted and stopped completely. The H’Mong people’s free migration is attributed to many causes, which may include their inherent habit of living temporarily, lack of cultivated land or plots of reactionary organizations in exile to incite insecurity, socio-political instability and forth. Consequently, localities should closely monitor changes in the numbers of household members and inhabitants to timely detect, classify and deal with free migration. Also, it is important to bring into play the integrated strength of the whole political system and communities, especially the role of village patriarchs, village chiefs, prestigious men in localities, and former migrants in propagandizing people to overcome short-term difficulties and work actively to have a better life in their own land. Besides, it is necessary to closely combine with economic, administrative measures to return free migrants to planned areas; and escalate inspection to timely discover, prevent and deal with organizations and individuals who exploit ethnic, religious issues and compatriots’ difficulties to embroil, incite and broker free migration. Moreover, the Government needs to check the system of legal normative acts to remove conflicting, overlapping or unsuitable legal documents; propose amendment to the system of policies and law on human rights to ensure its consonance with geographical, cultural characteristics and understanding of minority ethnic people.

The aforementioned solutions are basic issues that levels, branches and localities may consult and apply to contribute to improving quality and effectiveness of ensuring human rights of the H’Mong’ ethnic compatriots in the Northwest provinces at the present time. They are both objectives and drivers to promote socioeconomic development and play vital role in firmly preserving political stability and strengthening national defence and security in the areas.

Doctor Truong Thi Thanh Quy, Hanoi Medical University