'Fresh new look' of Dien Bien as an achievement of New Rural Program
WVR - Located in the west of the Northwest region, Vietnam, Dien Bien is a province with complex terrain, mainly steep and rugged hills and mountains, where many ethnic minorities live and their lives are still in hardship. Since the New Rural Construction Program was implemented, a breakthrough has been made into improvement of life, the rate of poor households in this provincial rural area has decreased to 36.57%.
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Dien Bien is the only province in the country that shares borders with two countries Laos and China, with 19 ethnic groups, of which there are Mong ethnic group accounting for 38.12%, Thai ethnic group for 35.69%, the Kinh ethnic group for 17.38%, the Kho Mu ethnic group for 3.3%, and the remaining ethnic groups for 5.51%. Each ethnic group has its own unique features in language, customs, culture, thus creating a colorful picture of Dien Bien culture.
The province has 126/129 communes of ethnic minority areas, among which there are 27 communes and wards classified as Zone I, 05 communes of Zone II, 94 communes as Zone III. There are 57 extremely difficult villages and hamlets.
With a low starting point in implementing the New Rural Construction Program, in 2011, Dien Bien had 130 communes, wards and towns, including 101 extremely difficult communes, 29 border communes and 1,097 difficult villages and hamlets. The poverty rate was high as accounted over 50%; average income per capita was low, only VND 5.5 million/person; the socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas was crumbling and lacking in uniformity. Most hamlets are in highlands, remote areas and scattered, far from the center; the information and communication system is still limited. Local people migrated through the border, making the governance more complicated, always posing a potential risk of causing social insecurity and chaos.
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| Promotion of coffee planting helps farmers in Muong Ang district, Dien Bien province to escape poverty. (Photo: Dien Bien Newspaper) |
The movement is vibrant and widespread
Under the drastic leadership and steering capacity of the provincial authority, with the participation of grassroots authorities and the consensus of the people, the New Rural Construction Program has created a breakthrough in rural construction in Dien Bien. At the same time, it makes an important contribution to the province's socio-economic development achievements.
New rural construction has become a vibrant and widespread movement, the countryside is planned towards comprehensive development. Critical Infrastructure are fully mobilized for investment; political security, social order and safety are stable and maintained; the rate of poor households decreased, the conditions for health care, education and culture, the material and spiritual life of the people are gradually improved; the rural environmental landscape has been upgraded, grassroots democracy has been promoted. In particular, people's lives in disadvantaged villages, border villages and resettlements have gradually been stabilized and developed. Spontanous migration and re-migration are also limited.
The local authorities have issued specific plans to direct, guide and assist communes in implementing new rural village and hamlet targets; proactively organize campaigns to clean village roads and alleys, plant flowers, and build “bright - green - clean – beautiful” roads through regularly organizing and launching the emulation movements and campaigns such as: "The whole country joins efforts to build new rural areas", "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized cities", "5 Ney, 3 Clean”, "Countryside road lighting program", all of which contributed to the fresh new look of villages and hamlets.
Central, comprehensive, long-term mission
According to the report of the Dien Bien Provincial People's Committee, by early October 2023, 44 communes have attained the criteria of new rural standards; Among them, there is one commune achieving Advanced New Rural Area which is Lay Nua commune (Muong Lay town). The number of villages and hamlets recognized as attaining the new rural and model new rural standards is 125 villages and hamlets in the districts of Dien Bien, Nam Po, Tuan Giao, and Muong Cha. Thanks to the implementation of the New Rural Construction Program, the rate of poor households in rural areas in Dien Bien province has decreased to 36.57%.
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| People in Che Phai 1 hamlet, Chieng Sinh commune, Tuan Giao district, Dien Bien province participate in making concrete roads to the hamlet. (Photo: Dien Bien Newspaper) |
To promote the achieved results and complete the goals of the New Rural Construction Program for the period 2021-2025, in the coming time Dien Bien will focus on implementing a number of assignments and solutions: namely, promote communication, disseminate information and mobilize the participation of entire political system and people from all walks of life, raising people's awareness, their roles, and responsibilities.
It is set as a provincial continuous task to enhance communication and mobilize people in villages and hamlets to implement the New Rural Program through mass organizations such as Farmers Association, Women's Union, Youth Union, Veterans Association, etc. There is also a plan to update and report on models, advanced examples, initiatives and good experiences on new rural construction on mass media for dissemination and replication. Thus, the implementation of the Agricultural Sector Restructuring Project and the "One Commune One Product" Program will be done effectively.
To successfully complete the task of implementing the New Rural Program until 2025, Mr. Vu A Bang - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province said: “The province determines that building new rural areas is a key, comprehensive task, and long-term undergoing in the development of agriculture, farmers, rural areas, and socio-economic development.”
Dien Bien hopes that the province continues to receives the attention and support from the Government, Ministries and Central branches, providing additional resources for the locality to invest in upgrading, developing and perfecting infrastructure system, in the communes, villages and hamlets.
