For most people in Vietnam, living conditions have steadily improved
since the doi moi reforms began in 1986. But inequalities continue to
widen, especially between people living in rural and urban areas, and
between majority and minority ethnic groups. And local people,
especially if they come from a minority group, still have little say in
how their communities are run. Although in theory some national
policies promote bottom-up planning and decision making, in practice
there is a long way to go until this happens on the ground. This case
study looks at a project that was part of Oxfam’s Right to Be Heard
programme. Based in Bac Ai district, it aimed to strengthen the
participation of poor men and women from the Raglai ethnic minority in
local government programmes and also to build skills among local
government officials.