Information on the protection and promotion of human rights of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam According to the 2014 Population Census, more than 12.3 million people are of ethnic minorities, accounting for 14.3% of Viet Nam's 90-million population. The ethnic minorities are living mainly in the mountainous areas, especially the North-western region, the Central Highlands and the Southwestern region. The ethnicities of Viet Nam have the tradition of solidarity, mutual assistance in the fight against foreign invasion, in the conquest of nature, and in nation-building. Each and every ethnicity has its own cultural identity that enriches the unified yet diversified culture of Viet Nam. Rights of minorities in Viet Nam are ensured by laws and policies. Complementarily, national programmes have been designed and implemented to assist minority communities, especially in the areas of poverty reduction, education, health care, employment, and in particular, preservation of their cultural, linguistic, and customary identities. Despite recent limited State’s overall budget, investment and assistance for socio-economic development for communities of ethnic minorities and those in remote and mountainous areas always remains a high priorities. 1. Laws and policies Viet Nam attaches special importance to the assurance of equal rights among all ethnicities, as enshrined in Article 5 of the 2013 Constitution: "The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a unified nation of all ethnicities living together in the country of Viet Nam. All the ethnicities are equal and unite with, respect and assist one another for mutual development; all acts of discrimination against and division of the ethnicities are prohibited. The national language is Vietnamese. Every ethnic group has the right to use its own spoken and written language to preserve its own identity and to promote its fine customs, practices, traditions and culture. The State shall implement a policy of comprehensive development and create the conditions for the minority ethnicities to draw upon their internal strengths and develop together with the country". The 2013 Constitution also asserts the fundamental and overriding principle of nondiscrimination, as embodied in its Article 16 that reads: "All citizens are equal before the law. No one shall be discriminated against in his or her political, civil, economic, cultural or social life." The above-mentioned principle of the Constitution has been elaborated throughout the entire legal system of Viet Nam, and institutionalized and embodied by laws, including the Law on National Assembly Election, the Law on Nationality, the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Civil Code, the Civil Procedure Code, the Labour Code, the Law on Education, the Law on Protection of People's Health, the Law on Compensation Liability of the State, and many other legal documents. In the last ten years, the National 1