During a working session held on April 22 in Hanoi with Silvia Danailov, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, Minister Dung emphasized the need for a strategic change: “Instead of spreading resources across all children, efforts should focus on those most in need - children from ethnic minorities and remote mountainous regions.”

Recalling their shared field visit to Yen Bai following Typhoon Yagi, Ms. Danailov praised Minister Dung as a trailblazer in advocating for child-related policy reforms in Vietnam.

UNICEF has long worked with the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs to generate research and evidence supporting policies for ethnic minority children. These efforts helped lay the foundation for the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Regions (Program 1719).

UNICEF proposes five key areas of cooperation

At the meeting, Ms. Danailov proposed five priority areas for enhanced cooperation with the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs:

Evidence-based policymaking: UNICEF is working with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and several central agencies to document 40 years of Vietnam’s renewal process. They are also preparing a report for Vietnam 2045, which includes recommendations and identifies key challenges for ethnic minority children.

Digital skills education: In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training, UNICEF is pushing for digital literacy and technology access for ethnic minority students. The goal is to evaluate how Vietnam’s digital agenda can benefit these children.

Child nutrition: Malnutrition remains a serious issue, with stunting affecting 32% of ethnic minority children. UNICEF advocates for increased investment in nutrition programs, especially in the upcoming phase of Program 1719 (2026–2030).

Multidimensional poverty reduction: While Vietnam has made progress, UNICEF hopes to share successful models from other countries to further reduce multidimensional poverty among ethnic minority children.
International cooperation: UNICEF has formed a working group with other development partners to advance the ethnic minority agenda. Ms. Danailov affirmed her commitment to working closely with the ministry to achieve shared goals.

Strategic shifts in education and healthcare

Minister Dao Ngoc Dung welcomed UNICEF’s suggestions and noted: “Vietnam must renew its thinking and approach in caring for children, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds.”

He highlighted that Vietnam has over 4.2 million ethnic minority children - among the most vulnerable in the country.

Minister Dung revealed that in the next five years, Vietnam will implement major changes in education and healthcare:

A nationwide plan will be launched to build boarding schools in remote and border areas, starting from the most disadvantaged regions and expanding toward urban centers.

Under the direction of General Secretary To Lam, ethnic minority children will attend cultural classes in the mornings and learn foreign languages, arts, and life skills in the afternoons.

These children will not only receive free education but are expected to receive free meals as well.

On the healthcare front, all citizens will have access to regular health check-ups, with free treatment as a future goal.

Proposal for a five-year partnership with UNICEF

Minister Dung proposed a formal five-year cooperation agreement between the ministry and UNICEF, to be signed during the national “Action Month for Children,” marking the 50th anniversary of UNICEF’s presence in Vietnam.

He called for an independent and objective evaluation of Program 1719, alongside a comprehensive assessment of ethnic minority children. “We must improve policies on child nutrition and promote mother-tongue instruction - currently, over 30% of ethnic minority children cannot speak their own native language,” he stressed.

He also recommended including a dedicated sub-project on child poverty reduction in the 2026–2030 phase of Program 1719, focusing specifically on ethnic minority and mountainous children.

Ms. Danailov welcomed the proposals and confirmed UNICEF’s readiness to collaborate with the ministry and other Vietnamese agencies. She agreed with Minister Dung’s view that future efforts should prioritize the children “left behind” - the disadvantaged and ethnic minority groups.

Since 1975, UNICEF has been one of the first international organizations to partner with Vietnam after reunification, even before Vietnam joined the United Nations in 1977.

Bình Minh