The Government issued Decree No. 272/2025/ND-CP dated October 16, 2025 on the determination of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2026 - 2030, effective from December 1, 2025.
This Decree stipulates the criteria for determining villages, hamlets, hamlets, hamlets, residential areas, residential groups and equivalents (hereinafter referred to as villages); communes, wards, special zones (hereinafter referred to as communes); provinces and cities (hereinafter referred to as provinces) of ethnic minority areas; villages, communes, mountainous provinces.
Criteria for determining particularly disadvantaged villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas (hereinafter referred to as particularly disadvantaged villages).
Criteria for determining communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas according to development level, including communes in regions I, II and III.
The process, records, and authority to determine, classify and announce the results of determining, classifying villages, communes, and provinces in the 2026 - 2030 period.
Effectiveness of the implementation List of villages, communes, provinces in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; particularly difficult villages; communes in areas I, II, III.
Responsibilities of agencies and organizations in organizing the implementation of this Decree.
Notably, Article 4 of the Decree clearly states the criteria for determining mountainous villages, communes and provinces.
Accordingly, mountainous villages are villages that meet at least one of the following two criteria:
At least 2/3 of the natural area is located at an altitude of 200m or more above sea level;
At least 2/3 of the natural area has a terrain slope of 15% or more.
A mountainous commune is a commune that meets at least one of the following two criteria:
At least 2/3 of the natural area is located at an altitude of 200m or more above sea level;
2/3 of the villages or more are mountainous villages.
A mountainous province is a province that meets at least one of the following two criteria:
At least 2/3 of the natural area is located at an altitude of 200m or more above sea level;
2/3 or more communes are mountainous communes.
