Sustainable development is a crucial issue that has been particularly emphasized by the Party and the Government of Vietnam, especially in areas with a large population of ethnic minorities. The Southern Central Highlands is currently home to nearly 50 ethnic groups, among which local ethnic minorities such as the Ê Đê, K’ho, and M’nông are striving to develop their economy, culture, and society sustainably. However, this development process faces numerous challenges from both objective and subjective factors, including natural conditions, government development policies, ethnic psychology, and religious factors. At present, Catholicism and Protestantism are the two main religions within the ethnic minority communities of the Southern Central Highlands. Introduced to the region from the late 19th to early 20th century, these two religions flourished in the second half of the 20th century and have become major elements in the spiritual lives of the communities. Religion has had and continues to have significant impacts on the economic, cultural, and social development of local ethnic minorities, contributing positively to the process of sustainable development. This article uses data collected from the community through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and survey questionnaires to analyze the impact of religion on the economic, cultural, environmental, and social aspects of local ethnic minorities in the South Central Highlands in the context of sustainable development.

In 2014, Binh Duong has 2.885 the Khmer people, being the second largest ethnic minority compared to the Hoa people. They have contributed to the multi-ethnic culture of Binh Duong. Hundreds of works on the Khmer in the Mekong Delta considered their culture as a typical of Theravada Buddhist culture in Vietnam but this proposition is not suitable for the Khmer community in An Binh, Phu giao district who is this object of this study. By qualitative data sources from in-depth interviews, participant observations and approach to the historical particularism, this study documented the cultural characteristics of the Khmer in An Binh and analyzed the factors that make culture of the Khmer in An Binh different from the culture of the Khmer in the Mekong Delta. Natural conditions and socio-historical context make the cultural practices of the Khmer in An Binh more similar to the culture of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands than the Khmer culture in the Mekong delta, especially, customs and folk beliefs.