VZCZCXRO5969
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #0590/01 1531128
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021128Z JUN 06
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0931
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0682
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0975

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL ECON EAID KIRF SOCI PGOV VM
SUBJECT: ETHNIC KHMER OF TRA VINH PROVINCE 
 
REF: HCMC 587; B) 03 HCMC 1100; C) 04 HCMC 1554 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000590  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  In early May, the Ambassador visited Tra Vinh 
Province in the Mekong Delta and discussed ethnic Khmer issues 
with provincial officials, local Khmer and a leading Khmer 
Buddhist cleric.  Ethnic Khmer make up 30 percent of the 
population of Tra Vinh and conditions for this minority 
community continue to improve.  There was no apparent official 
discrimination against the Khmer community.  Khmer pagodas -- 
nominally affiliated to the GVN-recognized Vietnam Buddhist 
Sangha -- play a central role in preserving ethnic Khmer culture 
and language.  Ref A reports on broader socio-economic issues in 
the northern Mekong Delta.  End Summary. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a May 3 to 5 visit to the northern Mekong Delta, 
the Ambassador explored socio-economic, human rights and 
religious freedom issues affecting the ethnic Khmer community in 
Tra Vinh Province.  With approximately 300,000 ethnic Khmer, out 
of a total provincial population of 1 million, Tra Vinh has the 
largest concentration of ethnic Khmer in Vietnam.  (Vietnam's 
total ethnic Khmer population is approximately one million.) 
Ethnic Khmer practice Theravada Buddhism as do most Cambodians 
and Thai.  Most Vietnamese practice Mahayana (Chinese) Buddhism. 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Despite a growth rate of over 14 percent in 2005, Tra 
Vinh remains poor.  Per capital GDP was USD 400 in 2005 compared 
with a national average of USD 640.  According to GVN criteria, 
32 percent of inhabitants are below the national poverty line. 
This represents a modest improvement of roughly six percentage 
points from 2003, when ConGenOffs last visited (ref B).  Ref A 
provides additional information on overall socio-economic 
conditions in the Northern Mekong Delta. 
 
Provincial Government on the Khmer 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) People's Committee Chairman Tran Hoan Kim acknowledged 
that "poverty in Tra Vinh is high, especially for the Khmer." 
The Chairman said that, on average, ethnic Khmer tend to have 
more children, have a lower literacy rate, and live in remote 
areas that are difficult for development and access to health 
services. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Kim proclaimed that  his province has made progress in 
improving the socio-economic conditions for the ethnic Khmer 
community.   In 1992, one out of nine ethnic Khmer children 
attended school.  This figure is now one out of four.  Central- 
and provincial-government assistance programs also have helped 
the poorest Khmer in the province access better housing and 
clean water.  Tra Vinh will focus on ecotourism and tourism 
related to the Khmer culture in its efforts to promote the 
tourism sector in the province, Kim explained.  The Ambassador 
commented that that "too many Khmer still are not going to 
school." 
 
Ang Pagoda 
---------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Along with Chairman Kim and provincial minority and 
religious affairs officials, the Ambassador called on The Most 
Venerable Thich Soc Xanc, the leader of the Angkorzaboray Pagoda 
(Ang Pagoda) and visited the ethnic Khmer village of Sa Binh. 
The 56-year old Most Venerable has been the abbot of 
thousand-year-old Pagoda since 1985.  The pagoda technically is 
affiliated with the GVN-recognized Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. 
Thich Xanc told the Ambassador that the Ang pagoda does not 
receive contributions from overseas but does receive donations 
from the local Khmer community. Because the pagoda is a national 
cultural heritage site, it also receives funds from the Ministry 
of Culture and Information for renovations and maintenance. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Pagoda houses 42 monks who practice Theravada 
Buddhism.  It also functions as a training center, offering an 
eight-month course on Buddhist studies in the Khmer language. 
The course is intended for high-school age monks from different 
Khmer pagodas in the province who have completed Grade 9.  The 
course is equivalent to completing 10th grade.  In addition, the 
Pagoda offers a summer-school course on the Khmer language for 
ethnic Khmer students who attend public schools.  In cooperation 
with other pagodas in the province, the Ang pagoda also 
supplements government services to assist the Khmer community. 
 
¶8. (SBU) According to the Most Venerable, the number of pagodas 
in the province has increased from 139 in 1975 to 141 at 
present.  Local authorities facilitated the mid-April 
celebration of the ethnic Khmer New Year.  He added that the 
Khmer community recently received "verbal Government approval" 
to open a Theravada Buddhism academy in Can Tho City -- the 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000590  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
largest city in the Mekong Delta.  Thich Xanc expects the 
academy to open in four  to six years; once the Khmer community 
identifies land for the school, it will apply formally for a 
permit.  Thich Xanc expects the GVN-supported academy to have 
about 50 students in its first year. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Thich Xanc explained that the economic welfare of the 
Khmer people in Tra Vinh has improved.  For example, the 
community now has access to better animal husbandry 
technologies.  The biggest shortcomings for the Khmer community, 
he added, are housing and access to capital to engage in 
business and production.  He was not worried about assimilation 
of the ethnic Khmer people, noting that the Khmer people have 
managed to keep close to their Khmer roots even when they move 
to HCMC.  Intermarriage between ethnic Vietnamese and Khmer in 
Tra Vinh is "normal."  Provincial Chairman for Religious Affairs 
Thach Du subsequently commented that children of intermarried 
couples are more likely to be raised ethnic Vietnamese if their 
families live in an urban environment, but the opposite is true 
in the countryside. 
 
Sa Binh Village 
--------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Accompanied by Tra Vinh media and government 
officials, the Ambassador was given a tour of the 70 percent 
ethnic Khmer Sa Binh Village.  The local village chief told the 
Ambassador that the 2,823 residents grow rice, vegetables, and 
fruit and raise cows and pigs.  A few villagers own grocery 
stores.   According to the village chief, over 80 percent of 
households have motorbikes.  Some 70 percent of homes are 
electrified -- many have televisions -- but only 15 percent have 
running water.  The village has one kindergarten, one primary 
school and one secondary school.  All classes are in Vietnamese. 
 The local medical clinic is one kilometer away. 
 
¶11. (U) The Ambassador visited two ethnic Khmer homes in Sa 
Binh; both families were informed of the visit in advance.  The 
first was a family of seven, with five children ranging from 
ages 16 to 27.  The eldest daughter is married and lives apart; 
she graduated from a three-year teaching college.  The youngest 
child is in ninth grade.  She told the Ambassador that she wants 
to be a doctor.  The girl acknowledged, however, that only a few 
students graduate from the local high school every year. 
 
¶12. (SBU) The second household was a family of five with three 
children ranging from 15 to 28.  The eldest was also married and 
lived apart. The youngest was in the 11th grade. She too hopes 
to be a doctor.  The father, who grew rice and coconuts, said 
that he does not have the means to send his daughter to 
university. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Comment:  While access was controlled, we did not see 
evidence of systematic or overt government discrimination 
against the Khmer community.  Despite its affiliation to the 
Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the Khmer pagoda system does appear to 
function for all intents and purposes independently.  It plays a 
significant role in preserving the Khmer culture and language. 
Poverty in the ethnic Khmer community appears to be much more a 
function of its rural footprint.  The ethnic Vietnamese in the 
village the Ambassador visited did not appear any better off 
than their ethnic Khmer neighbors.   As in our visit to the 
ethnic Khmer community in the neighboring province of Soc Trang 
(ref C), ethnic Khmers appear to be benefiting from the overall 
improvement in the economy perhaps as much as the majority 
Vietnamese, but are starting from a lower economic base.  End 
Comment. 
WINNICK