Amidst this barrier, People’s Council delegates who are also party cell secretaries and village chiefs become special “interpreters” for the people. Using their mother tongues and simple ways of speaking, they help villagers understand, believe in, and follow the resolutions of the Party and the State. Not only do they convey information, but they also listen and reflect the legitimate thoughts and aspirations of voters to the authorities at all levels, allowing resolutions to deeply permeate life, reaching every home and every mindset of the people.

Part 1: Language barrier makes resolutions difficult to reach the people

Điện Biên has 19 ethnic groups, including many very small ones like Cống, Si La, Phù Lá, and Xinh Mun. In many highland villages, the Vietnamese language (tiếng phổ thông) remains an “invisible wall” separating the assembly hall from the village, making the communication and implementation of resolutions from People’s Councils at all levels difficult for the people. When resolutions cannot “speak” in the people’s language, the gap between guidelines, policies, and the lives of the people remains distant and obstructed – this has been a concern for those involved in elected work in the border areas for many years.

The language “gap”

Điện Biên province has over 83% of its population belonging to ethnic minorities, with the Hmong accounting for over 38%, Thái nearly 36%, Kinh about 17%, and the remainder being Khơ Mú, Dao, Kháng, Phù Lá, Tày, and some other very small ethnic groups. In many highland and border villages, many people, especially the elderly (over 60), are still not proficient in the Vietnamese language. In numerous places, from community activities to party cell meetings or daily communication, people still use local languages entirely. For them, the Vietnamese language is still the unfamiliar “language of the lowlanders.”

The language barrier significantly affects the reception and implementation of the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies. Nậm Sin village (in the border commune of Mường Nhé) has nearly 60 households with over 200 Si La ethnic people – one of Vietnam’s 15 very small ethnic groups. Previously, the village was isolated from the outside world, and people were mainly self-sufficient. In recent years, the village’s appearance has changed, but due to long-standing customs and a closed lifestyle, the villagers still mainly speak Si La, and many cannot use the Vietnamese language.

Mr. Lỳ Hồng Sơn, Chief of Nậm Sin village, shared: “Not everyone in the village can speak Vietnamese. Many older people have spent their entire lives connected to the mountains and forests and have never attended school, so their ability to listen and understand Vietnamese is very limited. When officials come to disseminate resolutions and policies of the Party and State, the villagers often just sit silently, nodding along, and few dare to ask questions because they are shy or afraid they don’t understand. Therefore, many guidelines, policies, and resolutions remain unfamiliar to the people and have not been effective.”

The Hmong ethnic group is the largest in the province but also has the highest rate of people who do not know Vietnamese. Due to the custom of living on high mountains, isolated amidst the forests, with little interaction with the outside world, the use of Vietnamese in many villages is still limited. Take the case of Mrs. Thào Thị Giàng from Phìn Hồ village, Si Pa Phìn commune; she is nearly 50 years old but cannot read, write, or speak Vietnamese. Her life revolves year-round around the upland fields, and all activities and communication are conducted in the Hmong language.

Mr. Cháng A Dung, Secretary of the Party Cell in Phìn Hồ village, Si Pa Phìn commune, stated: “The whole village has 178 households with over 1,000 people, 100% of whom are Hmong. Cases like Mrs. Giàng, who doesn’t know Vietnamese, are not rare in the village. There are about 300 people in the village who don’t know Vietnamese, and almost every household has someone who knows it but isn’t fluent. The language barrier has long made it difficult for people to access information and policies, affecting economic development and poverty reduction.”

Not only among the Si La or Hmong, but among many other ethnic groups in Điện Biên province, the use of the Vietnamese language still represents a significant “gap.” The language barrier not only hinders communication but also affects awareness and development. When the Vietnamese language has not yet become a smooth bridge between officials and ethnic minority people, between resolutions and life, then transforming the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies into concrete actions in every highland village of Điện Biên remains very difficult.

Long-term consequences

Over the years, the provincial People’s Councils at all levels have issued many resolutions on socio-economic development and poverty reduction. However, the language barrier remains an obstacle, causing the implementation of resolutions and policies in many areas to be obstructed. In many places, people “hear but don’t understand,” or “understanding is incomplete,” leading to passivity, dependence, or incorrect implementation of the resolution’s spirit. Language limitations also reduce the effectiveness of voters’ supervision, feedback, and petitions, making it difficult for the people’s voices to reach the authorities.

In 2018, the provincial People’s Council issued Resolution No.05/2018/NQ-HĐND on December 7, 2018, regarding support for agricultural and forestry production development to promote the restructuring of the agricultural sector in the province. The resolution clearly defined the beneficiaries, content (23 items), and conditions for support, creating a framework to boost production and increase farmers’ income. However, due to language barriers and limited awareness, communication efforts were ineffective, and many people could not access the policy. In some places, grassroots officials did not fully grasp the regulations and lacked coordination, causing the implementation of the resolution to be slow.

A review showed that the effectiveness of implementing Resolution No.05/2018/NQ-HĐND was unclear. The support policy was scattered, and many contents were not embraced by the people and businesses, such as support for land consolidation, sturgeon and salmon farming, cherry blossom planting, and converting upland fields to forest plantations. Eight out of 23 content items could not be implemented. Some contents were overlapping or unsuitable for the reality and the direction of agricultural restructuring, such as support for improving buffalo and cattle herds or castrating male buffaloes and cattle that did not meet breeding standards. Notably, some people stated they had never heard of or known about this support policy.

The language barrier is also clearly evident in voter meetings and supervision activities. Many voters have opinions but hesitate to speak for fear of saying something wrong, being unclear, or the delegates not understanding. The reality at many voter meetings in highland communes and villages is that opinions are mainly presented by commune leaders, party cell secretaries, or village chiefs. There are meetings where, after the officials finish speaking, the people nod, seemingly in agreement, but when implementation begins, no one acts – not out of opposition, but because they haven’t understood. This fails to promote the role of supervision and criticism - one of the most important rights of voters concerning elected bodies.

According to Mr. Ngô Văn Thanh, Secretary of the Pu Nhi commune Party Committee (former Vice Chairman of the former Điện Biên Đông district People’s Council), the cause of this situation stems from the voters’ limitations in language, awareness, and ability to express themselves. Many villagers understand the issues but don’t know how to present them, or they are hesitant because they don’t speak Vietnamese fluently. Some want to offer suggestions but fear speaking incorrectly or unclearly, so they choose silence. When the people’s voices are not expressed, the rights of supervision and criticism are narrowed, making it difficult for resolutions to accurately reflect the breath of life.

The language barrier is a “soft bottleneck” but significantly affects the efficiency of elected activities in the highland and border areas of Điện Biên. Because when the people’s voices are not fully heard, when resolutions are not “translated” into the language of the ethnic communities, the gap between policy and life remains. For resolutions to enter life, it requires not only correct and relevant decisions but also delegates who are party cell secretaries and village chiefs, knowledgeable about customs and fluent in the language of their own ethnic group – these special “interpreters” who are quietly, day and night, extending the bridge between the assembly hall and the village, so that the Party’s voice truly becomes the voice of the people’s hearts.

(to be continued)