Minority Group In Vietnam Research Articles

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights for ethnic minority girls in Vietnam.

There has been significant progress in improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) for girls across low- to- middle-income countries (LMICs). However, progress has been uneven, and disparities persistent across and within countries. For example, Vietnam is one of only nine countries to have achieved the 2015 maternal mortality rate (MMR) target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a nation, but for some sub-populations, progress has been much slower, and MMR is more than twice that the national average. Ensuring equity is a current focus of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda that seeks to Leave No One Behind. This paper explores some of these inequities and potential drivers for ethnic minority adolescent girls in Vietnam, with a specific focus on the Tay community, the largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam. This paper highlights the challenges to progress, including areas where there is still limited evidence about the range of socio-cultural factors that may determine sexual and reproductive health outcomes for Tay adolescent girls. In the era of the SDGs, Vietnam's national policy platforms and current aid architecture provide a solid basis on which to build research, policy and practice investments that improve the health of adolescent ethnic minority girls in Vietnam.

Preserve and Promote the Traditional Cultural Values of the Tay and Nung people in Tourism Development in Cao Bang Province, Vietnam

The development of tourism linked to the unique cultural values of each ethnic community is becoming an essential trend in the tourism sector. The Tay and Nung ethnic communities in Cao Bang province are among the ethnic minority groups in Vietnam, with rich cultural and social lives that hold significant importance in tourism development. The traditional cultural values of the Tay and Nung people deeply embody the cultural identity of the ethnic group and represent a rich cultural potential in the tourism development of Cao Bang province. Successfully managing the relationship between preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the Tay and Nung people in Cao Bang province in connection with sustainable tourism development will contribute to changing livelihoods, enhancing the quality of life for the people, and ensuring the sustainable development of the country.

ПРЕДСТАВИТЕЛЬНАЯ БЮРОКРАТИЯ И ИНКЛЮЗИВНОСТЬ: ГРАЖДАНСКОЕ УЧАСТИЕ ЭТНИЧЕСКИХ МЕНЬШИНСТВ В УПРАВЛЕНИИ ВО ВЬЕТНАМЕ

In the context of Vietnam, with fifty-four ethnic minority groups and sixty-three provinces/municipalities, this study aims to fill a gap in the literature by looking at ethnic representation and its influence on citizen participation at the local level based on Representative Bureaucracy and Inclusion theory. We use the combination of three datasets the Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), the Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affair, and the General Statistics Office of 63 provinces in Vietnam from 2012 to 2017. We run a panel data analysis random-effects model (REM) with White-Huber standard errors to correct heteroskedasticity in current years to estimate the effects. Findings support the research hypothesis that ethnic minority groups in Vietnam are negatively associated with citizen participation in the local government, particularly in civic knowledge. Additionally, the level of citizen participation is also negatively related to the urbanization, unemployment, and poverty rates of each province. However, it is positively associated with the education level of each province's population. With these findings, this study also proposes some policy implications to ensure the development rights of ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

Drivers of land use efficiency among ethnic minority groups in Vietnam: a longitudinal study

This paper examines factors influencing agricultural land-use efficiency among 35 ethnic minority groups in Vietnam during the 2010–2018 period. A hybrid approach comprising the Difference-in-Difference model with Propensity Score Matching (DID_PSM) is adopted to examine the effect of different land sizes, land elevations, and land tenure on land-use efficiency. The results show that: (1) land size and agricultural production form an ‘U-shaped’ relationship; (2) farming on high land decreases efficiency by around 7.7%–8.0%; (3) farmers purchasing or hiring land in long-term are 7.3%–8.2% more efficient. The paper also discusses typical land characteristics of mountainous areas including steep and fragmentation related to the three comparing factors. From these results, implications are made for Vietnamese authorities about ‘land accumulation’ policies and other ‘farming on elevation’ techniques.

The Funds of Knowledge Approach: An Opportunity to Access Education for Ethnic Minority Students in Vietnam

The funds of knowledge approach has been increasingly studied and applied to teaching practices in many developed countries. Learning about students’ funds of knowledge and incorporation into their learning enables teachers to increase relevant learning experiences, empowering a socio-constructivist approach to teaching and learning. It is acknowledged to help students learn meaningfully by connecting lessons to students’ funds of knowledge, especially to ethnic minority students, color, immigrant students, or disadvantaged students. However, there is a lack of studies and papers on the funds of knowledge approach in education in Vietnam. This article aims to introduce this educational approach and contribute to solving the challenges that ethnic minority education in Vietnam is facing. The article also suggests further studies to promote the application of the Funds of knowledge approach in Vietnam, thereby improving the quality of ethnic minority education in Vietnam and value the cultural resources, languages, and local knowledge of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam.
 

Text in the Social Life of Ethnic Groups in Vietnam

More than half of ethnic groups in Vietnam have their own scripts. These writing systems are fairly diverse in terms of forms, origins, changes, and social functions. In Vietnam nowadays, except Quốc ngữ writing (Quoc ngu - the script of the Vietnamese), other writing systems do not have positive social functions or significant roles in the social life. Language education and language interactions in the areas of ethnic minority people do not generally include the writing. Many ethnic minority groups are at risk of losing their languages and their traditional cultures maintained and developed through their mother tongues. Writing can help manage this risk as shown in the example of the Quốc ngữ writing. What can be done to diffuse and use writing more effectively? This is an urgent issue for the writing systems in the social life of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam.

The Utilization of Maternal Healthcare Services Among Ethnic Minority Populations in Vietnam.

Previous studies have observed lower utilization of maternal healthcare services by ethnic minority groups in Vietnam compared with the majority Kinh community. This study sought to assess the utilization of maternal healthcare service-associated factors within 12 ethnic minority groups. The cross-sectional study enrolled 996 women from 12 ethnic minority groups in Vietnam in 2019. Women had pregnancy outcomes in the last 5years. The two variables for maternal healthcare utilization were [1] a minimum of four antenatal contacts and [2] health facility-based delivery. We examined the association of individual characteristics of maternal healthcare services using multilevel modeling. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. This nationally representative study found that 34.1% of women from ethnic minority backgrounds had four or more antenatal contacts during pregnancy, ranging from 8.3% in Mong community to 80.2% in Cham An Giang. Most of the women (94.4%) delivered at health facilities. Factors independently correlated with having fewer than four antenatal contacts included being illiterate, early marriage, unemployment, religious affiliation, household economy, and distance to the nearest health facility. Factors significantly associated with home delivery were living in the most disadvantaged areas and having fewer than four antenatal contacts. Substantial inequity exists in antenatal coverage both within ethnic minority groups and between socio-economic groups. The low coverage of having at least four antenatal contacts and its' correlates with facility-based delivery suggests that the government should focus efforts on increasing the number of antenatal contacts for ethnic minority women.

Shortage in Access to Basic Social Services: A Case Study of Ethnic Minority Groups in Vietnam

The research uses shortages in the multi-dimensional poverty criteria and household living standards survey data collected by the General Statistic Office to evaluate the access to basic social services by ethnic minorities. The result shows significant differences in shortages between the Kinh and ethnic minorities, among ethnic minority groups and among localities. Differences in geographical location, level of development and lacking specific policies are the main causes. A number of policy recommendations has been made to narrow the gap in access to basic social services among ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. Keywords: Ethnic minorities, basic social services, shortage in access to basic social services, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-17-15 Publication date: June 30th 2020

Musical Minorities: The Sounds of Hmong Ethnicity in Northern Vietnam by Lonán Ó Briain

Reviewed by: Musical Minorities: The Sounds of Hmong Ethnicity in Northern Vietnam by Lonán Ó Briain Marie-Pierre Lissoir (bio) Musical Minorities: The Sounds of Hmong Ethnicity in Northern Vietnam. Lonán Ó Briain. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. xxi + 208 pp., figures, tables, music examples, website content (audio and video), glossary, bibliography, index. ISBN 978-0-19-062697-6 (paperback), $29.95; ISBN: 978-0-19-062696-9 (hardcover), $99.00. Companion website: http://www.oup.com/us/musicalminorities. Hmong populations, belonging to the Hmong-Yao ethnolinguistic family, are settled in several countries of continental Southeast Asia: China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Many also migrated to other continents—primarily North America (United States and Canada) and Europe (especially France). Part of the many minority groups of these Southeast Asian countries, the Hmong and their identity are often clearly and rigidly defined, either by the former colonial power, the local authorities, or neighboring ethnic groups. Due to the community's history and numerous migrations, Hmong culture and music have been described largely by scholars and amateurs in comparison to other ethnic groups of the region. Rare are the research works, however, that provide as subtle and nuanced an understanding of the sounds of the Hmong community as does this book by Lonán Ó Briain. The book is introduced with two case studies that directly plunge the reader into Ó Briain's fieldwork in Vietnam. These sketches from the field are regularly used throughout the different chapters of the book, describing musicians or providing specific interpretations. The author bases his reflections and analyses on these empirical examples that perfectly illustrate the "several ways of experiencing ethnicity" (5). As indicated by its title, the book discusses several aspects of the sounds surrounding Hmong communities, which are influenced by history, economy, politics, tourism, and religion. The different recordings available on the companion website are a valuable addition, as the twenty-four videos and seven audio recordings of traditional and pop music, rituals, and touristic performances illustrate the variety of sounds and music of the ethnic group. The author uses the Hmong RPA (Romanized Popular Alphabet) for the Hmong terms and explains the writing system to the reader. A very useful glossary of Hmong and Vietnamese words also appears at the end of the book. Ó Briain approaches ethnicity and its boundaries not only "in relation to the state" but also as a complex and multivalent phenomenon carried out by a population endowed with agency and resilience (8). He examines "the manifestation, manipulation, and contamination of ethnicity through sound," pointing out that "the circulation of these symbolically loaded sounds perpetually reformulates the meanings of Hmong ethnicity and minority identity in Vietnam" (9). This use of sound as a medium to approach Hmong identity "liberates the concept of ethnicity from fixed boundaries and categories," [End Page 149] illustrating the malleability and complexity of the concept (9). As he does for ethnicity, the author avoids compartmentalized musical categories, as they don't produce "conclusive results because of the diversity of contexts" in which Hmong music is performed. These categories should be understood as continuously in mutation, in flux (80). With this volume, Ó Briain offers a work of great intellectual integrity and transparency, based on empirical work illustrated by case studies, discussing the research of other scholars and presenting his own interpretations based on his personal experience and his informants' perceptions. The book genuinely reflects the constant mutations of Hmong culture and the representations of their identity. The first chapter, "On Becoming Vietnamese," examines how popular Vietnamese-language songs build the image of minority groups in Vietnam and participate, with all the stereotypes these songs carry, in its inscription within Vietnamese national consciousness. Chapter 2, "Hybridity and the Other in Modern National Music," explains through the case of a modified Hmong reed pipe how Hmong musics and sounds were integrated into the national musical landscape. This case study illustrates "the potential of music to reflect and refract social and political dynamics" (57). The next chapter, "Hmong Traditional Music and Folklore," presents different perspectives on Hmong traditional and folkloric music performed in the Sa Pa district that counter reductive portrayals of minority groups in Vietnam. The chapter is built around...

Ensuring basic education for ethnic minority groups in Vietnam

Ensuring basic education for ethnic minority groups in Vietnam

Analysis of Access and Equity in Higher Education System in Vietnam

The higher education system in Vietnam has expanded rapidly during the past two decades. Yet, the equity in terms of access to higher education in the country is understudied. This paper is an attempt to look at Vietnam’s current higher education system in terms of access and equity. Using logistic regression model and data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey 2016, the paper also examines the factors explaining the enrolment in higher education in Vietnam. It shows that there has been a wide gap in the access between the rich and the poor, and between the Kinh/Hoa majority and the ethnic minority group in Vietnam. Therefore, public policies to assist disadvantaged groups getting access to higher education will be needed

Ethnic Minority Educational Success: Understanding Accomplishments in Challenging Settings

Regardless of remarkable educational achievements for over the last 20 years, the academic attainment of Vietnam’s ethnic minority students continues to lag behind that of majority students. At upper-secondary education, not only has the educational disparity persisted, but it has increased over time. Recent studies have found ethnic minority students have to face many challenges including poor family socioeconomic background, long distances to school, poor school quality, and linguistic and cultural barriers. Despite challenges, some ethnic minority youths do enroll in and complete their upper-secondary education. Therefore, understanding how ethnic minority students manage to overcome barriers and succeed educationally can provide important insights regarding the means that policymakers, educators, and parents can pursue in order to address the educational disparity. The resilience literature exploring association between household adversities and children’s responses indicates that hardship does not always result in detrimental effects. This study used a mixed-methods approach and explored data from the Families and Communities in Transition study to examine risks and factors promoting upper secondary education among the Thai youth, the second largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam. The study found that poverty, low educated parents, low parental engagement in child’s education, school distance, being bullied, teased, and induced to dropout were challenges to ethnic minority’s upper-secondary school. More importantly, the study provided supporting evidence for a positive attitude toward schooling and effective support from their parents, relatives, school and in-school peers can prevent ethnic minority student from school dropout and promote their educational success.

Hemoglobin Constant Spring is markedly high in women of an ethnic minority group in Vietnam: A community-based survey and hematologic features

A community-based survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and gene frequency of Hemoglobin Constant Spring (Hb CS) and other forms of thalassemia among an ethnic minority in Vietnam. A total of 298 ethnic minority women, the Có-Tu, participated. Hematological parameters and hemoglobin profiles were analyzed using standard automated analyzers. Alpha- and beta-thalassemia mutations were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based technology. Of the 298 women, 141 (47.3%) carried thalassemia genes. Hemoglobin Constant Spring (Hb CS) is the most common with a markedly high frequency of 0.143 (overall prevalence=26.2%). The heterozygous state of Hb CS was found in one-fifth (20.5%) of women participating. Seven women (2.4%) were Hb CS homozygote. The overall prevalence for Hb E was 13.8%, and 10.7% for α(+)-thalassemia. Other forms of thalassemia included 0.67% β-thalassemia, and 0.34% Hb Paksé. None of the participants had the α(0)-thalassemia gene. The study provides basic epidemiological information about Hb CS as well as other forms of thalassemia for a specific group of an ethnic minority in Vietnam. The data will be useful for further study on the distribution of thalassemia in Southeast Asia.

“Happy to Be Born Hmong”

Members of the Hmong ethnic minority group in Vietnam are making up for shortcomings in state broadcasts by accessing transnational media principally via three new music technologies: video compact discs, cell phones with MP3 playback capability, and the Internet. The musical media supplied via these recently introduced technologies are permitting an unprecedented intensification of cultural interactions with Hmong in other parts of the world. Despite numbering over one million people, the Hmong minority group in Vietnam have been largely ignored by music scholars until recently. This article examines how the Hmong are accessing these musical technologies and considers the impact that the resulting interactions are having on Hmong culture in Vietnam.

Anthropometric differences and body composition among ethnic minorities in northern Vietnam

Little is known about ethnic differences in body size and composition among minority groups in Vietnam. We used data from an ongoing study (PRECONCEPT) of women of reproductive age (WRA) in Thái Nguyên province, Vietnam to 1) compare selected anthropometric measures and body composition indices across ethnic groups; and 2) evaluate cutoff points for mid‐upper‐arm (MUAC) and calf circumference (CC) for screening undernutrition. A battery of anthropometric measurements (weight, height, MUAC, CC, triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness) was obtained for 4918 WRA. Body mass index (BMI), mid upper arm muscle (MUAMA) and fat area were calculated. The prevalence of underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m) and overweight (BMI >; 23 kg/m) were 32% and 5%, respectively. Mean (± SD) MUAC for the largest ethnic group, the Kinh (24.3 ± 2.1) was significantly lower than both Tay (24.6 ± 2.2) and San Chi (24.8 ± 2.2). Similar differences were seen for BMI (Kinh: 19.4 ±1.9; Tay :19.6 ±1.9, and San Chi:19.9 ± 2.0). The differences in BMI and MUAMA remained significant after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, energy intakes, education and food insecurity. ROC analysis showed high predictive strength of MUAC and calf circumference in screening underweight women. Further studies are needed to explain differences in body composition among ethnic minority subpopulations.Funding: The Mathile Inst. and the Micronutrient Initiative