Decree 41/2025/ND-CP functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs

DECREE

Defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs^[1]

Pursuant to the February 18, 2025 Law on Organization of the Government;

At the proposal of the Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs;

The Government promulgates the Decree defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

Article 1. Position and functions

The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs is an agency of the Government performing the state management in the following sectors and fields: ethnic minority affairs, and belief and religious affairs, and the state management of public services in the sectors and fields falling under the Ministry’s management as specified by law.

Article 2. Tasks and powers

The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs shall perform the tasks and exercise the powers defined in the Law on Organization of the Government, the Government’s regulations on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structures of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, and has the following specific tasks and powers:

1. To submit to the Government draft laws and draft resolutions of the National Assembly, draft ordinances and draft resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, and draft decrees of the Government under the Government’s approved annual lawmaking programs and plans, and resolutions, projects and schemes as assigned by the Government or Prime Minister.

2. To submit to the Government or Prime Minister for further submission to the National Assembly for promulgation policies on ethnic minority, belief and religious affairs under the Ministry’s state management.

3. To submit to the Government or Prime Minister strategies, master plans, long-term, medium-term and annual development plans, as well as national important projects and works in the fields under the Ministry’s state management.

4. To submit to the Prime Minister drafts of decisions, directives, national target programs and other documents under the Ministry’s state management or as assigned by the Government or Prime Minister.

5. To promulgate circulars, decisions, directives, and other documents under the Ministry’s state management.

6. Regarding ethnic minority affairs

a/ To submit to the Government or Prime Minister for promulgation particular  policies, and programs, projects and schemes on socio-economic development in communes, villages and hamlets with difficult or extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, border communes, and communes being former resistance bases; policies on investment and provision of support to stabilize the livelihood of ethnic minority people; policies and projects to support inhabitants in extreme difficulty-hit areas; and policies and projects on conservation and development of ethnic minority groups with very small populations and those meeting with numerous difficulties or particular difficulties;

b/ To submit to the Government or Prime Minister for promulgation policies toward prestigious persons in ethnic minority communities; to submit to competent authorities for promulgation policies on development of human resources, attraction and addition of cadres, civil servants and public employees to work in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; policies on raising of the people’s intellectual level, training, further training and employment of ethnic minority officials, and particular policies for cadres and civil servants of agencies engaged in ethnic minority affairs; policies for ethnic minority people to exercise the right to use their spoken and written languages, preserve the national identity and practice their fine customs, habits, traditions and cultures; and policies on investment in and development of education and training institutions to meet requirements of education and training activities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas;

c/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or to promulgate according to the Ministry’s competence, criteria for identifying ethnic minority and mountainous areas by development level, and the list of ethnic minority and mountainous communes and villages by development level, and criteria for identifying ethnic minority groups meeting numerous difficulties or particular difficulties;

d/ To coordinate with related ministries and agencies in formulating plans on allocation of resources for investment in the socio-economic development and other resources to localities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to propose, and participate in the appraisal of, programs, projects, schemes and policies on ethnic minority and mountainous areas in accordance with law;

dd/ To direct, guide and examine the organization of provincial- and district-level congresses of delegates of ethnic minority groups; to organize activities for exchanging and sharing experiences among delegates of ethnic minority groups and prestigious persons in ethnic minority communities and hold other events related to ethnic minority affairs in order to strengthen Vietnam’s national unity bloc;

e/ To perform the task of managing specialized schools and other educational institutions as assigned by competent authorities in accordance with law;

g/ To investigate, survey, study and summarize information about  the socio-economic development of ethnic minority groups as well as their composition, names, customs and traditions, and other ethnic minority-related matters.

7. Regarding belief and religious affairs

a/ To assist the Government in performing the unified state management of belief and religious affairs in accordance with law;

b/ To organize the implementation of the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies, laws, strategies, plans, programs, schemes and plans on or related to beliefs and religions after they are promulgated or approved by competent authorities;

c/ To act as the focal point in contacting domestic and international religious organizations, conducting religious diplomacy and fight for human rights in the field of religions; to strengthen the unity in the community of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam;

d/ To guide belief communities and religious organizations and individuals to operate in accordance with law;

dd/ To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, sectors, localities, central bodies of socio-political organizations and related organizations in providing information on, carrying out public communication about, and mobilizing the people in, the implementation of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s laws and policies on beliefs and religions;

e/ To perform the unified management of the publishing of purely belief and religious publications, books of rites, works, teaching materials and cultural products of belief communities and religious organizations with operation licenses granted by the State;

8. To direct and guide the development of advanced models being typical collectives and individuals and prestigious persons in ethnic minority communities; to commend according to the Ministry’s competence or propose competent authorities to commend typical collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in work, production, construction, socio-economic development, security and social order maintenance, and implementation of the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, to commend according to the Ministry’s competence or propose competent authorities to commend and apply regimes and policies to organizations and individuals engaged in belief and religious activities.

9. To direct, guide and organize the implementation of legal documents, strategies, master plans, plans, policies, programs, projects, schemes, national target programs, national important works, decisions and directives under the Ministry’s state management after they are promulgated or approved.

10. To examine legal documents concerning ethnic minority, belief and religious affairs that are promulgated by ministries and provincial-level People’s Councils and People’s Committees; to participate in the formulation of legal documents related to ethnic minority, belief and religious policies in accordance with law.

11. To assume the prime responsibility for conducting preliminary and final reviews and evaluation of the implementation of the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws related to ethnic minority affairs, and regularly or irregularly report thereon to the Government or Prime Minister in accordance with law; to act as the focal point in monitoring, summarizing, reviewing and urging the implementation of ethnic minority policies at ministries, ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies and in localities; to propose competent agencies to promulgate, amend, supplement and improve ethnic minority policies to make them suitable to reality as well as requirements and tasks concerning ethnic minority affairs set by the Party and the State.

12. To direct and carry out public communication about, and mobilize ethnic minority people and communities of religions believers and followers to implement, the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws, and promote their fine customs, habits and traditions; to carry out public communication about and dissemination and education of laws under the Ministry’s state management, ensuring the freedom of belief and religion of organizations and individuals, and the equality among religions in accordance with law; to formulate, and organize the implementation of, schemes and projects to promote public communication about ethnic minority and mountainous areas and carry out online broadcasting of programs of radio and television channels for ethnic minority people in the Internet; to implement the legal aid policy for ethnic minority people.

13. To organize and direct scientific research in strategic, basic and urgent issues concerning ethnic minority affairs and ethnic minority, belief and religious policies; to conduct theoretical research and practical review of ethnic minority affairs; to apply and transfer scientific and technological advances and ensure the environmental protection in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to carry out  information technology application and digital transformation activities; to build infrastructure for connection and sharing of information and data on ethnic minority affairs within and beyond the Ministry’s competence.

14. To carry out international cooperation in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law; to attract resources to support development investment for ethnic minority and mountainous areas and areas meeting with difficult or particularly difficult socio-economic conditions in accordance with law; to manage, direct or participate in the implementation of programs and projects funded or invested by foreign partners or international organizations in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in accordance with law.

15. To develop a system of statistical indicators under the Ministry’s state management, a database on ethnic minority, belief and religious affairs and a set of data on Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups.

16. To inspect and examine the implementation of policies and laws; to settle complaints, denunciations and petitions of citizens; to prevent and fight corruption, negative practices and waste, and handle violations of law in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law.

17. To monitor, examine and summarize the reality in ethnic minority and mountainous areas and the performance of ethnic minority, belief and religious tasks by ministries, ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies and in localities; to propose competent agencies to consider and settle matters related to ethnic minority, belief and religious affairs, ethnic minority people and people of belief or religion.

18. To receive and visit, and coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities in responding to aspirations of, ethnic minority people and people of belief or religion in accordance with regulations and policies.

19. To provide training, further training, and professional guidance in the fields under the Ministry’s state management and in accordance with law.

20. To decide on, and organize the implementation of, the Ministry’s administrative reform plan and publicize administrative procedures in the fields under the Ministry’s state management; to perform other administrative reform tasks in accordance with law.

21. To perform the state management of public services and provide public services in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law.

22. To manage the Ministry’s organizational apparatus and payroll of civil servants, number of public employees, job positions and structure of ranks of civil servants and public employees based on their professional titles; to decide on the appointment, re-appointment, transfer, rotation, secondment, resignation, relief from duty, dismissal, commendation, disciplining, work cessation, and retirement of, salary regime and policies on preferential treatment, training and further training for, civil servants, public employees and employees under the Ministry’s management under regulations.

23. To make annual budget estimates; to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in formulating and summarizing budget revenue-expenditure estimates by sector and field under the Ministry’s management for submission to the Government; to manage and organize the implementation of, and conduct account-finalization of, state budget funds; to perform other tasks related to the management of the state budget, finance and assets in accordance with law.

24. To perform other tasks and exercise other powers as assigned by the Government or Prime Minister and in accordance with law.

Article 3. Organizational structure

1. The Planning-Finance Department.

2. The Organization and Personnel Department.

3. The Legal Affairs Department.

4. The International Cooperation Department.

5. The Inspection.

6. The Office.

7. The Vietnam Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

8. The Department for Public Communication About Ethnic Minority and Religious Affairs.

9. The Department of Policies.

10. The Digital Transformation Center.

11. The Vietnam Academy for Ethnic Minorities.

12. The Ethnic Minority and Development Newspaper.

13. The Journal of Ethnic Minorities Research.

The units specified in Clauses 1 thru 9 of this Article are those assisting the Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs in performing the state management; the units specified in Clauses 10 thru 13 are non-business units serving the state management of the Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

The Vietnam Government Committee for Religious Affairs is a departmental-level organization, with an organizational structure consisting of 7 divisional units; the Office and Inspectorate of the Ministry have their own divisions under regulations.

The Department for Public Communication About Ethnic Minority and Religious Affairs has 2 units headquartered in Dak Lak province and Can Tho city.

The Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs shall submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation the list of other public non-business units attached to the Ministry under regulations.

Article 4. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect on March 1, 2025.

2. This Decree replaces the Government’s Decree No. 66/2022/ND-CP of September 20, 2022, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs; and annul Clause 14, Article 2 of the Government’s Decree No. 63/2022/ND-CP of September 12, 2022, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Article 5. Implementation responsibility

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decree.-

On behalf of the Government
For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
NGUYEN HOA BINH