50 years of greenery along the Da Nhim River

Nestled in the heart of the Southern Central Highlands, Don Duong district stands out not only for its beautiful natural scenery alongside the cool, green Da Nhim River, but also as a vivid testament to the relentless development efforts since its liberation 50th anniversary (April 2nd, 1975 - April 2nd, 2025). Fifty years have passed, and the green of the largest vegetable fields in Lam Dong province, the green of the new rural economy, the green of nature, and the very breath of life in Don Duong, along with effective social welfare and poverty reduction policies, are gradually affirming Don Duong's position in the province's socio-economic development landscape.

• MANY EFFECTIVE SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES

Don Duong District has implemented many specific support policies to improve the lives of its people. According to Tran Hung Dung, Vice Chairman of the Don Duong District People's Committee, the district has implemented many social welfare support policies, such as: waiving or reducing tuition fees for 100% of students from poor households, providing health insurance cards for the poor and the elderly, completing 100% of the housing construction plan for poor households, and providing electricity subsidies for poor households... These efforts have helped improve the lives of the people, especially ethnic minorities, who account for more than 31% of the district's population.

Over the years, the Party committees and government of Don Duong district have concretized the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws on rapid and sustainable poverty reduction. The district has proactively and creatively propagated, directed, and mobilized people to participate, while allocating budget and funds for poverty reduction and adjusting policies to be more beneficial to poor people. As a result, the poverty rate among ethnic minority households has decreased by 4-5% each year, and their living standards have improved significantly. By the end of 2024, Don Duong district no longer had any poor households, with 144 near-poor households, accounting for 0.59%, of which 99 were near-poor households belonging to ethnic minorities, accounting for 1.29%.

By 2025, Don Duong district will have no more poor households, and the living standards of ethnic minority people will be improved.

• LEADING IN HIGH-TECH AGRICULTURE

The Da Nhim River, originating from the Lang Biang plateau, has provided abundant irrigation water for the district's famous vegetable fields. Over the years, Don Duong district has focused on developing high-tech agriculture with many modern production models. In the potato fields of Kambutte village, the harvest atmosphere is vibrant with the sounds of machinery and the laughter of the locals. Mr. Tou Prong Cuong, a local farmer, said: “Now in Kambutte, no one talks about poverty anymore. We have production linkages, guaranteed output, and no longer rely on the weather.”

In the process of developing and building a model new rural district, Don Duong has built upon core values, developing high-tech agriculture in line with trends while preserving its unique identity. The main priority is focusing on planning production areas, selecting advantageous products, investing in high-tech and organic agriculture, linking value chains, attracting businesses, and consolidating land... all aimed at creating high-quality, environmentally friendly products. The new driving force for agricultural economic development is policy reform, followed by scientific and technological innovation to create value. Therefore, continued development, along with digital infrastructure, logistics, veterinary systems, and plant protection, is a strategic step that Don Duong district is pursuing.

The district is on track to change the economic mindset of agriculture and add value to the Model New Rural Development Program in the coming years. Agriculture will now create added value, not just increase production. This includes applying technology, Industry 4.0, and focusing on processing, preservation, packaging, and e-commerce. At the same time, it will segment the market to meet the requirements of each open market in the partnership agreements that Vietnam has joined. This will create a "boost" for agricultural production.

In 2020, the two communes of Tu Tra and Da Ron in Don Duong district were recognized by the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee as the first high-tech dairy farming area in the province, covering a total area of ​​10,639 hectares. Currently, they meet five criteria for high-tech application: organizing production and product consumption linked in a value chain, with businesses, cooperatives, and cooperative unions as key players; production meeting quality standards and high economic value; 100% of businesses, cooperatives, farms, and farmers meeting high-tech farming criteria; using biological products to protect the environment; and the area reaching a minimum scale of 10,000 dairy cows or more.

Along with the development of high-tech agriculture, Don Duong has attracted many businesses to invest in tourism and agricultural production. The district has become an attractive destination for investors, with many high-tech agricultural production models, such as the Samten Hills Dalat cultural and spiritual tourism area, which has been mentioned on the world tourism map, and other impressive agro-tourism models.

For two consecutive years, Don Duong has ranked first in administrative reform.

• SOLIDIFYING MODEL NEW RURAL AREAS

Don Duong District has been selected as one of four pilot districts to build a model new rural district focusing on high-tech applied agriculture in the period 2019-2025. To date, the district has 8 communes that have achieved the model new rural district standard and strives to have 100% of its communes achieve the advanced new rural district standard by 2025.

Chairman of Don Duong District People's Committee Nguyen Van Huu said: "We have developed an action plan to implement the District Party Committee's resolution, which directs the acceleration of administrative reform and the application of information technology in handling applications for citizens and businesses."

The district maintained its top position in the provincial administrative reform index in 2022 and 2023. Don Duong is continuing to implement national digital technology platforms, build digital maps of agriculture and rural areas, and promote the digital economy in rural economic development. The district is aiming for a sustainable future, not only in agriculture but also in all other fields, in order to improve the quality of life for its people.

The green Da Nhim River continues to flow, carrying the dreams and aspirations of the people here. With tireless efforts, Don Duong is gradually asserting its position on the economic development map of Lam Dong province, aiming for a brighter future for its people. Don Duong district is not only a successful model in poverty reduction but also a prime example of sustainable development, where people not only escape poverty but also reach for greater dreams in life.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202505/50-nam-xanh-ben-dong-da-nhim-74b26ae/