The ceremony saw the attendance of Dang Ngoc Hau, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee; leaders of the board’s ethnic affairs bureaus in localities; representatives of departments and agencies; former leaders of the provincial Board for Ethnic Affairs; incumbent leaders of the Boards for Ethnic Affairs of Hoa Binh, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces; and representatives of the People's Committees of districts and Son La city. 

On August 13, 2004, the Son La provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 95/2004/QD-UB on the establishment of the provincial Board for Ethnic Affairs, and operation regulations of units in charge of ethnic affairs at district and commune levels. To date, the board has gathered 21 staff members and three specialised departments. The network of ethnic affairs agencies in 12 districts and Son La city brings together 40 officials and civil servants. The board always closely follows its assigned tasks, programmes and plans, and directs its chapters in districts and Son La city to perform well their tasks and meet requirements in each period.

Over the past 20 years, Son La province has received over 10 trillion VND (398 million USD) from the Government. The Board for Ethnic Affairs has advised the provincial People's Committee, invested, and supported the development, production, and infrastructure construction in disadvantaged mountainous areas. 

It has also helped 30,000 poor households build houses; built over 4,500 water, traffic, and electricity facilities, classrooms, irrigation works, and cultural houses, along with 25 settlement sites, benefiting 1,590 households with 5,000 residents; and created conditions for 10,570 poor ethnic minority households to access capital for production. 

The board has implemented ethnic policies concertedly, giving a facelift to ethnic minority-inhabited areas that are in extreme difficulties. The poverty rate in the whole province dropped to 14.17%; 199 out of 204 communes, wards and towns have concrete roads to their centre; 99% of households have access to safe grid electricity; 97.5% of households use hygienic water; all communes have administrative offices and health stations; and 96.85% of hamlets have cultural houses.

Speaking at the event, Hau lauded contributions of generations of the board’s leaders and staff members, and suggested it further build a contingent of qualified and capable officials to meet the requirements of assigned tasks; proactively research, give advice and raise proposals regarding the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on ethnic affairs; accelerate the implementation of national target programmes and policies for reputable people in ethnic minority areas; and improve the lives of ethnic minorities in all aspects.

On this occasion, the Board for Ethnic Affairs and five individuals received the certificates of merit from the Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs. The provincial People’s Committee also presented a scroll and certificates of merit to eight individuals who have made outstanding performance in patriotic movements.