The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has implemented dozens of socialpolicies to improve the living conditions of the local Khmer ethnicminority.

The locality has provided them withproduction and residential land and social services such as healthcare,vocational trainings and job placements, said Tran Quoc Thanh, Head ofthe provincial Ethnic Minority Department.

AnGiang has also cooperated with the Mekong Delta Rice Institution and theUniversity of Can Tho to provide local Khmer people with seeds andskills assistance, while encouraging them to apply science andtechnology and restructure agricultural production.

A number of irrigation systems have been constructed in Tri Ton andTinh Bien districts to expand production land for Khmer people.

Target programmes have effectively boosted local socio-economicdevelopment and security, including the new-style rural area buildingprogramme and the 135 programme investing one billion VND (46,500 USD)each in 17 border communes.

An Giang is home toover 22,600 Khmer ethnic households with over 91,000 people, accountingfor 4.23 percent of the provincial population.

The majority are located in Tri Ton and Tien Bien districts, living offthe harsh land with its severe and extreme weather conditions, while therest are scattered across Chau Phu, Chau Thanh and Thoai Son districts.

According Thanh, the rate of local impoverishedand near-impoverished households in Khmer ethnic areas has constantlyreduced over the past 40 years, posting at 14.55 percent currently.

The figure is expected to stand at around 10 percent in 2015.-VNA