
La Hu children in Muong Te district, Lai Chau province. Photo: CWS
Phi Hung is a four-year old boy from Vietnam’s La Hu ethnic minority group who, along with his two-year-old brother and countless other ethnic minority children, does not have a birth certificate. When his parents joined a child rights awareness-raising session in his village, they like all others in remote Mu Chi village (Muong Te – Lai Chau) in northwest Vietnam, did not know that their sons have the right, in law, to a certified birth. Hung’s parents, and others, were truly shocked to learn that their children have other legal rights, too. As a first step to realize their rights, Hung’s parents said they would go to the People’s Committee in their commune the very next day to request birth registration for both their boys. And, from now on, they will try to understand their children’s rights better so they can help fulfill them.