The Prime Minister on March 5 issued a decision on measures to promote the resettlement and permanent use of agriculture among ethnic minority people from 2007-2010.

The policy is aimed at helping nomadic ethnic minority communities to settle down and develop production, eradicate hunger and poverty, contribute to forest and environmental protection and participate in security and social order maintenance programs.

The Vietnamese government wants to bring to an end the slash-and-burn practice and nomadic lifestyle nationwide by 2010. It also endeavours to build roads, power supply and irrigation systems, schools and houses in at least 70 percent of the resettlement areas and provide accommodation, farm land, and clean water to all ethnic minority households under the resettlement programme.