Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Jan. 17 (VNA) -- A number of internationally funded development projects for ethnic minority groups in mountainous provinces have successfully encouraged the local communities to contribute to socio-economic development in recent years.

The assessment was made at a review workshop held in the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen on Jan. 15-16 by the Commission for Nationalities and Mountainous Areas.

The event drew in representatives from foreign donors such as the Cooperation for International Development and Solidarity of Belgium (CIDSE), the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and Nordic Assistance to Viet Nam (NAV), and from ethnic minority groups in the beneficiary provinces of Lang Son, Thai Nguyen and Hung Yen in the north and Thua Thien-Hue in the central region.

How to further promote local contributions to projects on agricultural and forestry development in highland areas was centrepiece of the workshop.

Experience showed that such development projects as construction of running water systems in Lau Thuong commune, Thai Nguyen province, and test-running a model of sustainable farming on terraced fields in An Go commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien-Hue province, have partially contributed to boosting production and improving living conditions for minority people.

The success of these projects has been largely attributed to material and labour contributions from the local populations, the workshop concluded.--VNA