From “Beneficiaries” to “Political Subjects”: Identifying the Role of Ethnic Minorities in Grassroots Democratic Practices in the Northwest Region of Vietnam

Ensuring and promoting the people’s right to mastery, including that of ethnic minority communities, is a fundamental principle in the process of building a socialist rule-of-law state in Vietnam. Within this context, the present article analyzes the transformation of the role of ethnic minorities in the Northwest region—from being passive recipients of public policy to becoming active political subjects in grassroots democratic practices. Drawing on the political theories of Marxism–Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, and key documents of the Communist Party of Vietnam, this paper clarifies the conceptual foundations, internal content, and necessary conditions under which ethnic minorities can effectively act as political agents—capable of participating in decision-making, policy implementation, and the oversight of public power within their communities. Based on field research in selected provinces of the Northwest, the article identifies positive manifestations of this role transformation while also highlighting institutional, cognitive, and capacity-based barriers. From these findings, it proposes specific policy recommendations to institutionalize the political subjectivity of ethnic minorities in grassroots democracy, thereby enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of state power in ethnically diverse and marginalized regions—aligned with contemporary demands for sustainable and equitable political development.