The Vietnamese government has issued Decree No. 41/2025, defining the functions, responsibilities, and organizational structure of the newly established Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.
This ministry is tasked with state management of ethnic affairs, religious and belief matters, and the administration of public services within its jurisdiction.
According to the decree, the ministry will submit laws, resolutions, and policy proposals related to ethnic and religious affairs to the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.
It will also develop long-term strategies, national projects, and socio-economic development programs for ethnic minority and mountainous regions, border areas, and former revolutionary safe zones.
On ethnic affairs, the ministry will propose special policies to support livelihood stability, human resource development, and education for ethnic minority communities.
It will also oversee initiatives to recruit and train ethnic minority officials, ensuring greater representation in the public sector.
On religious and belief matters, the ministry will coordinate national policies on religious freedom, interfaith unity, and international religious relations.
It will act as a liaison with domestic and international religious organizations and handle human rights issues related to religious practices.
The ministry will also engage in international cooperation, attracting foreign investments and aid for developing ethnic minority and disadvantaged regions. It will oversee programs funded by international organizations to ensure compliance with national regulations.
Structurally, the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs will comprise 13 departments and offices. This includes nine government agencies responsible for policy development and four public service units such as the Digital Transformation Center, Ethnic Academy, Ethnic and Development Newspaper, and the Ethnic and Religious Studies Journal.
The Government Committee for Religious Affairs will now operate under this ministry, functioning as a department-level agency with seven sub-units.
Additionally, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Propaganda Department will have regional offices in Dak Lak and Can Tho.
This decree replaces Decree No. 66/2022, which previously defined the structure of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, and Decree No. 63/2022, which outlined the functions of the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding religious management.
The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs was formed by merging the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
With this restructuring, the new ministry reduces its administrative units by 18.8%, with a total workforce of 1,085 employees.
Minister Dao Ngoc Dung, formerly Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, has been appointed as the first head of the ministry. (Dantri, Baochinhphu, Danviet)