Part 1: When the national language becomes a barrier

Behind that figure lies a journey of conveying election information past language and literacy barriers across highland and border zones - where many voters remain unable to read, write, or speak Việt Namese - the national common language. From village meetings and public address loudspeaker broadcasts to porch gatherings on stilt houses, conversations across hillside swiddens, and discussions late into the night... the contingent of Party cell secretaries and village heads became an exceptional bridge, translating electoral content from Việt Namese into native mother tongues, helping voters clearly understand their rights and civic duties, and contributing to the election’s overarching success.

The linguistic divide

Huổi Tao village, Pu Nhi commune, is home to 177 households with more than 700 residents, primarily belonging to the Hmông and Thái ethnic groups. Despite lying only about 15km from the provincial center (Điện Biên Phủ ward), the village still has numerous people who are illiterate or unable to speak the national language. Over 70 years of age, Lò Thị Pâng is one such case. Unable to read or write, and neither speaking nor comprehending the national language, she encounters considerable hurdles when receiving information concerning guidelines and policies. Whenever village meetings occur or cadres arrive for outreach work, she often “stands on the sidelines” or must rely on others to interpret the contents into the Thái language.

According to Quàng Văn Đức, Head of Huổi Tao village, among more than 700 residents in the village, approximately 50 people cannot write or speak the national language, and about 40 individuals can listen to it but are not fluent. Disparities in spoken and written language cause difficulties in daily life and create an informational void, particularly regarding details directly touching upon citizens’ rights and obligations.

This language disparity is likewise evident in Pá Chả village, Mường Pồn commune, where 84 households and 421 residents are 100% Hmông. Hờ A Cờ, Head of Pá Chả village, stated that the village is located nearly 35km from the commune center along the Lao border; residents face harsh living conditions, and not everyone is proficient in the national language. Approximately 20% of the village population is illiterate and unable to understand or speak the national language. Therefore, during village assemblies, alongside presentations in the national language, cadres must clarify and discuss matters in the Hmông tongue.

Vàng A Sử, from Pá Chả village, is 45 years old but illiterate and unable to use the national language. For him, written notifications and informational documents cannot be read independently; he must rely on literate villagers to read and explain them in his mother tongue. Issues relating to policies, regimes, and administrative procedures are consequently inaccessible on his own. Sử’s situation reveals that the barrier does not stop at an inability to read or write, but entails complete dependency in receiving information.

Beyond Huổi Tao or Pá Chả, illiteracy remains widespread across numerous highland and border communities in Điện Biên. In Phù Lồng village, Pu Nhi commune, roughly 20% of the 920 residents are illiterate or lack proficiency in the national language; in Từ Xa village, Na Son commune, the proportion is about 15% out of over 1,000 residents; in Phìn Hồ village, Si Pa Phìn commune, approximately 30% of over 1,000 residents are illiterate or face limitations in using the national language.

These figures illustrate that the linguistic and literacy divide persists in the daily life of a segment of highland residents, especially among the Hmông, Khơ Mú, and Phù Lá ethnic groups. Statistics show that in 2020, nearly 20% of the province’s population aged 15-60 had not achieved Level 2 literacy standards (individuals who have not completed literacy eradication or primary education curricula); by 2025, this rate had decreased but still stood at over 10%. The proportion of the population aged 15-18 attending upper secondary school or its equivalent reached 70.7% in 2021 and 77.9% in early 2025.

Illiteracy eradication and education universalization across the province have attained notable achievements over recent years, yet across remote highland villages, reading, writing, and using the national language remain a gap that must be bridged. When citizens cannot read a legal text independently or fully comprehend spoken outreach from cadres, conveying guidelines and policies to the grassroots-level cannot be truly comprehensive.

Illiteracy “restricts” voting rights

The election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 tenure is an occasion for voters to exercise their democratic rights of mastery, directly choosing representatives of their will and aspirations. For each ballot to carry real efficacy, information regarding the election and candidates must reach every voter. However, limitations in the national language among a segment of the populace created a barrier to information absorption, noticeably impacting communication and electoral work.

In Từ Xa village, Na Son commune, Sùng Thị Dợ (born 1949) and her daughter Ly Thị Mỵ (born 1971) are both illiterate and do not know the national language. For their household, election outreach materials and documents could not be read or studied independently. Vừ A Chứ, Village Head of Từ Xa, shared that Dợ’s family consists of just the mother and daughter working swidden fields year-round; being illiterate and lacking the national language, they previously grasped virtually no election information. Only when cadres came directly to their home to explain and communicate in the Hmông language did Dợ and her daughter learn the election date, polling location, nominated candidates, and their own civic rights and duties.

The case of Dợ and her daughter demonstrates that disseminating information does not automatically mean the public has received and understood it. To ensure voters comprehend their rights and obligations, the Điện Biên provincial Election Committee directed agencies, units, and localities to step up outreach efforts, including requiring the compilation of bilingual materials (Việt Namese and Hmông or Thái). However, alongside the Hmông and Thái groups who make up the majority, there remain very small ethnic minority communities (such as the La Hủ, Xinh Mun, Phù Lá, and Lào) possessing distinct languages and writing systems; meanwhile, the ability of a portion of voters from these groups to use the national language remains limited.

The Phù Lá are one of the province’s small ethnic groups (totaling nearly 200 people province-wide), possessing their own spoken language and residing primarily in Sáng Nhè and Pú Nhung communes; Sáng Nhè commune alone has 149 Phù Lá residents. In Nà Sa hamlet, Sáng Nhè commune, Lý Thị Thương noted that because the Phù Lá live interspersed with the Hmông, they can comprehend some Hmông, but not everyone is fluent in Hmông, and especially not in the national language. Therefore, when election information is broadcast in the national language or Hmông, a segment of residents still struggles to absorb it fully.

Practical realities demonstrate that for individuals who are illiterate and do not understand the national language, information posted on noticeboards or delivered to villages may not necessarily reach them. Candidate lists may be displayed right before their eyes, yet they cannot read or research them; promotional flyers also struggle to exert their intended impact. When written words and language turn into obstacles, the capacity to access information proactively is curtailed, making residents far more dependent on explanations from cadres, village heads, or relatives.

According to Trần Hải Hà, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the department directed the intensification of election outreach through diverse formats including official documents, pamphlets, candidate lists, billboards, posters, and mass media channels. In particular, 1,300 election outreach items were translated into Hmông and Thái to facilitate public access. Nevertheless, across several remote and isolated villages, accessing election information still encountered significant hurdles, especially among the elderly and those illiterate in the national language.

Linguistic barriers are not insurmountable. At the grassroots-level, Party cell secretaries and village heads carried out a specialized mission: delivering information from authorities to the people in languages they understand, while conveying thoughts and aspirations from villages up to competent authorities. They serve as the indispensable “bridge” ensuring election information does not merely remain on paper, but genuinely reaches each voter so they can understand and exercise their choice.