Second ethnic minority congress opens in Central Highlands

The congress gathered nearly 150 delegates representing 30,000 people of 14 ethnic groups residing in the district.

So far, eight out of nine communes of Đắk Hà have been linked to the network of asphalted roads.

Many agricultural and irrigation projects have been built, watering over 3,000 ha of wet rice and nearly 16,000 ha of perennial trees.

Đăk Hà has paid great attention to preserving ethnic identities and traditions by restoring 52 traditional communal houses, protecting 85 sets of gongs and 250 other musical instruments, maintaining 26 brocade weaving establishments and many folk festivals in 61 ethnic minority hamlets.

Earlier, on September 15, the first district-level ethnic minority congress was opened in Lục Ngạn District of the northern province of Bắc Giang.

On June 8, 2009, the PM approved the plan on organizing the ethnic minority representative congresses in order to review the emulative movements in ethnic minority areas.

The congresses will be organized at three levels: district, provincial and central. The district and provincial meetings will last for one day, within the third and fourth quarters of 2009.

The two-day nationwide congress is scheduled in mid-May 2010.

By Hoàng Phương