(VOVWorld) – On Tuesday in Soc Trang province, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue attended a conference on ethnicity, religion, security, and defense in Vietnam’s south-western region.

Vuong Dinh Hue, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Southwestern Steering Committee (Photo: VGP)

He called for efforts to improve the living standards of locals, who are from ethnic groups and affected by salt water intrusion. He said local administrations and ministries should incorporate ethnic, religious, and border security policies into their socio-economic development programs as well as allocate budgets for local poverty reduction over the next 5 years. During the past 5 years, the south-western region has seen its poverty rate reduced from 33% to13%.