Central Highland is located in the southwest of Vietnam, covering natural area of 5.5 million km2, including 5 provinces: Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dac Lac, Dac Nong and Lam Dong. It has 58 administrative units at city and district levels (3 cities, 5 towns and 50 districts), 691 units at communal, ward and township levels (580 communes, 65 wards and 46 townships) and 6,889 hamlets, highland villages regarded as strategic location in terms of ecological environment, politics, security and national defense and economics of the whole country.
Over the historical changes in the residents, from after 1975 up to now, the population of the whole region has 5,021,376 people, classified as 47 ethnic groups, divided into 2 parts: new ethnic groups 3,738,325 people, including 3,362,500 Kinh people, ethnic minorities in the North 375,825 people and local ethnic minorities 1,280,200 people. Unlike many mountainous areas throughout the country, in the tradition, Central Highland village is the self-governed, independently residing and exclusive unit. Each village is an economic, social and cultural institute and a natural, separate and self-contained living space. Therefore, the organization and operation of village has great importance in the existence and development of local ethnic minorities in particular and the Central Highland in general.
To enable the readers to have more detailed information on the organization and operation of highland village, we would like to introduce the book entitled Organization and operation of highland village in the sustainable development of the Central Highlands. Covering 227 pages, sized 14.5 x 20.5 cm, printed and legally copyrighted in September 2010, the book is the result of the investigations and researches by Dr. Bui Minh Dao in many years, especially in 2008 and 2009, with the material support from some coworkers in the Institute of Sustainable Development of the Central Highlands and the enthusiastic assistance from the staff and the people of the Central Highland localities during the field trip. The book is aimed clarifying actual organization and operation of the Central Highland villages in the history, from such periods as French colonialism, Ngo Dinh Diem regime, Nguyen Van Thieu regime, revolutionary base in the two resistance wars and especially from 1975 up to now in various aspects: economic, social and cultural living space and natural living space. On that basis, propose viewpoints, recommendations and solutions as scientific basis to contribute to building new highland village in the sustainable development of the Central Highland.
Apart from the Foreword and the Conclusion, the book content is divided into the following parts:
Part I: Overview on the local ethnic minorities in the Central Highland;
Part II: Organization and operation of the Central Highland village from the tradition until 1975;
Part III: Organization and operation of the Central Highland village from after 1975 up to now;
Part IV: Some issues and viewpoints, recommendations, solutions to building the Central Highland villages in the present sustainable development.
Hopefully, this book will become a necessary material for those who are interested in and research the development of the Central Highland.
Ha Vinh
