Despite impressive progress at national level, major challenges exist in uneven poverty reduction achievement across the population groups and regions in Viet Nam. The national multi-dimensional poverty rate is 9.2%. Meanwhile, the rate for ethnic minorities is 35.7%, rates for some groups are even higher than 80%.

“Listening to ethnic minority people’s views and guidance and acting together with them” as well as empowering ethnic minority communities and local governments will help make the policies and programs more sensitive to (and gain from) their culture and traditions, thus increasing the impacts of the policies and programs.