It is estimated that about 7,000 Vietnamese-origin people are living and studying in Slovakia. Photo: VOV

The Slovak Government on June 7 officially recognized the Vietnamese community as the country’s 14th ethnic minority group and approved regulations for the community. The decision was made on the basis of the recommendations of the Slovak Government council on human rights, ethnic minorities, and gender equality, and experts.

The Vietnamese community fully meets the criteria "in quantity," "has lived in Slovakia for nearly 70 years," and the 3rd generation has fully integrated into society".

In fact, up to now, there is no general regulation on the recognition of an ethnic minority community in Slovakia. However, there are a number of key criteria related to this that are based on the recommendation of the Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Human Rights, Ethnic Minorities, and Gender Equality, introduced by the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV).

According to this agency's assessment, the Vietnamese community has existed, developed and formed for nearly 70 years in Slovakia, which is a particularly important criterion.

The second criterion is about the number of Slovak people of Vietnamese origin. The results of the 2021 census in Slovakia show a total of nearly 3,000 Slovak people of Vietnamese origin.

In addition, there are a number of other criteria considered before this decision is about the integration of the community. The Vietnamese community, especially the young Vietnamese generation in Slovakia, has deeply integrated into the host society; Vietnamese people have actively participated in the professions and made many contributions in the fields of socio-economic development in general in Slovakia.

The recognition of the Vietnamese community by Slovakia as the 14th ethnic minority community in the country is a historic milestone for the Vietnamese community in Slovakia in particular and the overseas Vietnamese community in general.

It is the result of the process of formation and development of the community over the past seven decades as well as the continuous efforts of the Vietnamese community in this country with a population of 5.5 million people.

The Slovak government has recognized the Vietnamese community as the 14th ethnic group and the first ethnic group outside of Europe. This shows that the Vietnamese community is really strong in number, and members of the community, especially the younger generation, have deeply integrated into the host country.

Through information channels and exchanges with some politicians of Slovakia, the local government and people have highly appreciated the integration and contribution of Vietnamese people here.

Vietnamese people in Slovakia celebrate Lunar New Year festival. Photo: VNA

Slovakia is also the second country after the Czech Republic to recognize the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority. Maybe it's due to the Vietnamese in Slovakia in particular and abroad in general have always made great efforts in preserving their traditional cultural identity and making positive contributions to other countries.

The Vietnamese Association in Slovakia sees the Slovak Government’s recognition as an opportunity to bring more benefits to the Vietnamese community. Besides its responsibilities and obligations, the Vietnamese community will also enjoy a number of rights, especially issues related to preserving and promoting Vietnamese language and culture.

Before Vietnam, there were 13 ethnic minorities who received a state budget for ethnic minority cultural support. Therefore, when recognized as one of the ethnic minorities in Slovakia, the further activities to maintain national cultural identity, teaching and learning Vietnamese will be supported by the state. This will be a solid foundation to continue preserving the culture and affirming the image of Vietnamese people in the international arena.

The last time Slovakia recognized a community as an ethnic minority was 13 years ago for the Serbian community.

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