Gia Lai Province to Provide Land for Ethnic Minorities

Gia Lai province in Vietnam is implementing a new policy to allocate land for housing and agricultural production to ethnic minority households facing shortages. This initiative aims to ease the difficulties faced by these communities and foster their socio-economic development.

The provincial People's Council approved the resolution, which allows ethnic minority families without adequate land for housing to receive plots according to provincial limits. It also permits the conversion of other legally used land types to residential use, excluding protective and special-use forests. Fees for land use and conversion will be waived or reduced.

For households lacking agricultural land or possessing less than half the standard amount, the policy grants additional farmland without usage fees. If local agricultural land is unavailable, priority will be given to leasing managed land from local authorities, forestry enterprises, or former state farms. In cases where agricultural land cannot be provided, ethnic minority households needing non-agricultural land for business can lease it with exemptions or reductions on rental fees.

Beyond individual land grants, the policy mandates that commune-level authorities must allocate communal land for living spaces, with areas of at least 200 square meters, and sports facilities, at least 500 square meters. These community spaces are to be developed in accordance with local customs, traditions, beliefs, and cultural identities.

According to the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Department, Gia Lai has over 831,000 ethnic minority residents, making up 23.4% of the population. Many live in mountainous, remote, or border areas with limited socio-economic conditions. The lack of adequate land for housing and production has hindered sustainable poverty reduction and development, making this new policy a crucial step toward improving their livelihoods.