Binh Lieu: Spreading the spirit of emulation in building advanced new rural areas.

Binh Lieu is the first mountainous, border, and ethnic minority district in the country to complete the New Rural Development program. The achievements after 13 years of implementing this national target program have become a great driving force for the district to continue building advanced and model new rural areas, spreading the spirit and enthusiasm for emulation and production to every village and every person.

Visiting Huc Dong commune (Binh Lieu district) during the ginger flowering season reveals the vibrant beauty of one of the first two advanced new rural communes in this border region of our country. A radiant, prosperous, and thriving countryside. Nestled amidst the majestic mountains and forests are Thai-style houses still smelling of fresh paint, fields fragrant with the scent of new rice seedlings, and the bright red blossoms of ginger plants in full bloom.

Leading us to a cassava field situated alongside a straight paved road in Na Ech village (Huc Dong commune), Mr. La A Nong, Director of Dinh Trung Development Cooperative, shared: "I was born and raised in Na Ech village. Since I was a child, I witnessed my grandparents, parents, and grandparents making cassava vermicelli. Even after going away to university, I decided to return and dedicate myself to the traditional cassava vermicelli making craft of my homeland. With support from the district and facilitation from the commune and village, in 2014 I established the Dinh Trung Development Cooperative, whose main business is the production and sale of cassava vermicelli."

The new look of the countryside in Huc Dong (Binh Lieu district).

To date, after nearly 10 years since its establishment, the Dinh Trung Development Cooperative consumes 500-600 tons of raw cassava tubers annually, producing 10-20 tons of finished cassava vermicelli, generating revenue of approximately 2 billion VND and a profit of 200-250 million VND. In addition to cassava vermicelli production, Mr. La A Nong's family also grows star anise and cinnamon. Through agriculture, hill and forest farming , and production development, Mr. La A Nong's family earns 500-600 million VND annually, has built a large, spacious, and modern house, acquired a car, and become a model well-off household in the commune.

Warehouse of Dinh Trung Development Cooperative at the end of the vermicelli production season (March 2024). *Photo: Do Hung*

In Huc Dong, there are many examples of successful entrepreneurs who have become wealthy in their hometown, like Mr. La A Nong. The development of traditional crafts, linked to the One Commune One Product (OCOP) model, has been effectively implemented and deepened, fostering the formation of four cassava vermicelli production cooperatives. Alongside this is the model of household production with investment in modern machinery and equipment, which helps improve productivity and product quality, thereby increasing revenue and income for producers, contributing to the overall prosperity and well-being of Huc Dong.

The people have proactively and boldly invested in many new production models to rise up and become wealthy. While in 2022, the year the advanced new rural development program was completed, Huc Dong commune had no poor households and an estimated average income of 65.18 million VND/person, by the end of June 2024, the average income of the commune had increased to 72 million VND/person. In April 2024, Huc Dong commune officially received the decision recognizing it as having achieved the advanced new rural development standard in 2022, becoming the second of six communes in Binh Lieu to complete the advanced new rural development program and embark on the journey of building a model new rural area.

Huc Dong commune currently has 4 cooperatives and 4 factories producing Binh Lieu cassava vermicelli.

Not only in Huc Dong commune, but the new spirit and pride of this mountainous border district, the first ethnic minority district in the country to complete the New Rural Development program, is spreading strongly to every village and hamlet in the area, encouraging and motivating the people of Binh Lieu to enthusiastically compete in labor; proactively and boldly implementing new production and business models to get rich. From the beginning of 2024 to the present, the entire district has established 2 more cooperatives, 26 business households, and people have registered to participate in implementing 23 production development models. 595 households (including 6 poor households and 96 near-poor households) have boldly borrowed capital to develop production. The total amount borrowed in the first 6 months of the year reached over 49 billion VND.

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