The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed allocating VND2 trillion (USD95 million) over the next three years to aid the settlement of immigrants to the Central Highlands.

 Ethnic people in mountainous areas

At the conference on immigration and population dispersion on August 13, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc drew attention to the problem. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, many households have moved to the highlands, increasing the population and causing some troubles for the municipal authorities.

"Even though many families have settled down, the situation remains complicated. It's especially difficult to dissuade those who wish to immigrate to the northeast and the highlands. But the large numbers of people moving have caused some troubles for the authorities in terms of management and ensuring social order," said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The average number of households relocating to the highlands has been about 2,000 per year over the last decade, but it has also been volatile over time. In 2008, the number reached 4,247, but dipped to 695 in 2013. Most of these people are poor and from ethnic minorities traditionally located in northeastern provinces. The flood has increased the amount of people in the Central Highlands living in poverty.

 Poverty plagues people 

Due to poverty their poverty, many do not possess land for homes or agriculture lands and lack proper healthcare and education. As a result, the region has also had to deal with increasing deforestation and land disputes. The latest report shows the problem has somewhat improved, as thousands of families have moved to settlement areas where they receive basic services provided for by municipal authorities.

The minister proposed to direct more investment toward these disadvantaged areas in order to further improve the displacement problem. He said, "This will require VND2 trillion over the next three years. We suggested to spending VND500 billion to deal with the most immediate problems in the year first."

The deputy prime minister said, in order to completely deal with this problem, municipal authorities will have to address the root causes and adjust policies so as to improve the living standards for citizens of the region.