Hmong children learning in their mother tongue at Lao Chai Primary School in Sa Pa, northern Vietnam.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the power of first language education in the highlands of Peru. Here’s another example from Vietnam. According to UNESCO statistics, programs like this are expensive but are an investment in the future of the country. According to one of the interviews, this program leads to “…improved communication skills [that] would help minorities in everything from finding work and securing bank loans to signing up for health services…Language is important because it influences everything…”  Cheering them on!