Far Eastern Economic Review, Volume 155, Issue 16 (1992-04). pp. 26-28.
Language:
English
Abstract:
VIETNAM'S 53 ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS TOTAL ROUGHLY EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE, OR ABOUT 13% OF THE COUNTRY'S 69 MILLION POPULATION. THE TEN LARGEST GROUPS--THE TAY, THAI, HOA (ETHNIC CHINESE), KHMER, MUONG, NUNG, HMONG, DAO, JARAI, AND EDE--EACH NUMBER FROM 100,000 TO 1 MILLION PEOPLE. MOST OF THE MINORITIES LIVE IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AND CENTRAL HIGHLAND REGIONS WHICH COMPRISE ABOUT 75% OF VIETNAM'S LAND AREA. THESE REGIONS ARE OF KEY STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR HANOI AS THEY CONTAIN MOST OF THE COUNTRY'S FOREST AND MINERAL RESOURCES. THERE IS A HUGE GAP IN DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN THE MINORITIES IN THE HIGHLANDS AND THE VIETNAMESE IN THE CITIES: THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF MINORITY VILLAGES IS ONLY ONE FORTIETH OF THE LEVEL IN HANOI. GOVERNMENT PROMISES OF AID AND DEVELOPMENT HAVE, ON THE WHOLE, REMAINED UNFULFILLED.