Further Discussion on the Situation and Causes of Poverty among Khmer People in An Giang Province

Abstract

Although the State and local authorities have had many guidelines and policies to improve the living standards of the Khmer in the Southwest region, the poverty rate in this ethnic group is still high. There have been many studies clarifying the causes, and most gave the explanation that the Khmer people have a low intellectual level, are not active, and do not have the will and effort to rise. Based on the results of fieldwork in An Giang province, this article shows that despite the lack of productive land and difficult agricultural cultivation conditions, the Khmer are active in expanding their livelihood activities. Along with that, economic development projects have been implemented by local authorities, but a number of the State’s investment policies are not appropriate and effective, becoming one of the main causes of the low rate of Khmer households escaping poverty. Therefore, this article argues that for the Khmer people to quickly escape poverty, the State’s programs and projects need to be more effective.