Research Approach to the Ethnic Minorities with Very Small Population in Vietnam

Abstract

The ethnic minorities with very small population in Vietnam are those ones numbering below ten thousand people. Accordingly, in the project on “Supporting the socio-economic development of the very small population ethnic minorities in the 2016-2025 period” of the Vietnamese government, there are sixteen ethnicities benefiting from that project. To study these ethnic minorities, the author puts them in comparison with the UN question of minority groups, a number of international organizations and in the context of ethnic policy of Vietnam. From the viewpoint of policy towards the ethnic minorities with very small population and the need of attaching special importance to the aim of human resource development and cultural identity preservation, the author suggests three following research directions: medical anthropology, multi-cultural education and sustainable development of ethnic cultures. These approaches mainly are guiding ones, but when implemented, it is necessary to further define the concrete research theories, methods and contents.