Decree 297/2026/ND-CP defining functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs

DECREE

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

Pursuant to Law No. 63/2025/QH15 on Organisation of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 303/2025/ND-CP of November 19, 2025, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structures of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

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 of the sectors and fields of ethnic minority affairs, beliefs and religions, 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 Organisation of the Government, the Government’s regulations on functions, tasks, powers and organisational 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 and draft resolutions of the Government under the Government’s annual lawmaking programmes and plans, and resolutions, projects and schemes as assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister.

2. To submit to the Government for further submission to the National Assembly for promulgation policies on ethnic minority affairs, beliefs and religions under the Ministry’s state management.

3. To submit to the Government or the Prime Minister strategies, master plans, and 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 programmes and other documents under the Ministry’s state management or as assigned by the Government or the 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 competent authorities for promulgation particular  policies, and programmes, projects and schemes on socio-economic development in communes and villages with difficult or extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, border communes, and communes in former resistance bases; policies on investment and support for stabilisation of the livelihood of ethnic minority people; policies and projects on support for 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 competent authorities for promulgation policies towards prestigious persons in ethnic minority communities; to promulgate policies on development of human resources, attraction and additional supply of cadres, civil servants and public employees to work in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; policies on elevation of the people’s intellectual level, and training, further training and employment of ethnic minority cadres, and particular policies towards 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 their national identities and practice their fine customs, habits, traditions and cultures; and policies on investment in and development of education and training institutions to facilitate 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 provinces, communes and villages classified by development level, and criteria for identifying ethnic minority groups meeting numerous difficulties or special 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, programmes, projects, schemes and policies on ethnic minority and mountainous areas in accordance with law;

dd/ To direct, guide and examine the organisation of provincial- and commune-level congresses of ethnic minority delegates; to organise activities of exchanging and sharing experiences among ethnic minority delegates and prestigious persons in ethnic minority communities and hold other events related to ethnic minority affairs in order to strengthen Viet Nam’s national unity bloc;

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

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

7. Regarding belief and religious affairs

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

b/ To act as the focal point for contacting domestic and international religious organisations, and carrying out religious diplomacy and fight for human rights in the field of religions; to consolidate the great unity of religions in Viet Nam;

c/ To guide belief communities and religious organisations and individuals to operate or carry out activities in accordance with law;

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

dd/ To manage the publishing of purely belief and religious publications, canons, works, teaching materials and cultural products of belief communities and religious organisations licensed for operation 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 labour, 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 towards organisations and individuals engaged in belief and religious activities.

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

10. To examine legal documents concerning ethnic minority, belief and religious affairs 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 concerning the fields under the Ministry’s management, and regularly or irregularly report thereon to the Government or the Prime Minister under regulations; to act as the focal point for monitoring and summarising ethnic minority, belief and religious policies; to review and urge the implementation of ethnic minority, belief and religious policies at ministries, ministerial-level agencies and in localities; to propose competent agencies to promulgate, amend, supplement and improve ethnic minority, belief and religious policies to suite the practical conditions and requirements and tasks of the ethnic, belief and religious work set by the Party and the State.

12. To direct and organise public communication about, and mobilise ethnic minority people, communities of religious believers and followers, and religious organisations or individuals 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 organisations and individuals, and the equality among religions in accordance with law; to formulate, and organise the implementation of, schemes and projects on promotion of public communication about ethnic minority and mountainous areas, provision of information to these areas, and online broadcasting of radio and television channels’ ethnic minority-oriented programmes in the Internet.

13. To organise and direct scientific research into strategic, fundamental and urgent issues concerning ethnic minority affairs and ethnic, belief and religious policies; to conduct theoretical research and practical review of ethnic, belief and religious affairs; to apply and transfer scientific research outcomes, and develop and promote digital technology, digital transformation, innovation and environmental protection for ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

14. To undertake international cooperation in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law; to assume the prime responsibility for proposing the conclusion and implementation of treaties; to conclude and implement international agreements on ethnic, belief and religious affairs for attracting resources to support development investment in ethnic minority and mountainous areas and areas meeting with difficult or extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in accordance with law; to manage, direct or participate in the implementation of programmes 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 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 summarise the practical development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas and the performance of ethnic, belief and religious tasks by ministries, ministerial-level agencies and local administrations; to propose competent agencies to consider and settle matters related to ethnic, belief and religious affairs, ethnic minority people, and belief or religious followers.

18. To receive and visit, and coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities in responding to aspirations of, ethnic minority people and belief or religious followers 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 organise the implementation of, the Ministry’s administrative reform plan, and publicise 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 organisational apparatus and cadres; job positions, state payrolls, civil servants, public employees and workers, and the implementation of the salary regime and policies on preferential treatment, commendation, rewarding, disciplining, and professional training, further training of civil servants, public employees and workers under the Ministry’s management in accordance with law.

23. To manage finances, assets and public investment as assigned, and organise the implementation of regulations thereon in accordance with law.

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

Article 3. Organisational structure

1. The Department of Planning and Finance.

2. The Department of Organisation and Personnel.

3. The Department of Legal Affairs.

4. The Department of International Cooperation.

5. The Department for Public Communication About Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

6. The Office.

7. The Vietnam Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

8. The Department of Ethnic Strategy and Policy.

9. The Digital Transformation Centre.

10. The Vietnam Academy for Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

11. VietNamnet newspaper.

12. The Journal of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Research.

The units specified in Clauses 1 thru 8 of this Article are administrative organisations assisting the Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs in performing the state management and internal administration; the units specified in Clauses 9 thru 12 are public non-business units serving the state management of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

The Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs shall promulgate decisions defining the functions, tasks and organisational structures of the units under the Ministry (specifying that the Department for Public Communication About Ethnic and Religious Affairs has 2 units headquartered in Dak Lak province and Can Tho city); and submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation the list of other public non-business units attached to the Ministry under regulations.

Article 4. Transitional provisions

The Department of Policies and the Vietnam Academy for Ethnic Minorities shall continue performing their tasks and exercising their powers in accordance with law until the Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs’ decision defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structures of the Department of Ethnic Strategy and Policy and the Vietnam Academy for Ethnic and Religious Affairs takes effect.

Article 5. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect on July 24, 2026.

2. This Decree replaces the Government’s Decree No. 41/2025/ND-CP of February 26, 2025, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and Decree No. 114/2025/ND-CP of June 3, 2025, amending Clause 12, Article 3 of the Government’s Decree No. 41//2025/ND-CP of February 26, 2025, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

Article 6. Implementation responsibility

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level 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

HO QUOC DUNG