National target program: 'Leverage' for developing ethnic minority areas

After 5 years of implementation, the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period has completed phase 1 (2021-2025) with many positive results. The appearance of villages and hamlets has clearly improved. Many community tourism models associated with the preservation of traditional cultural values have been formed, contributing to improving the quality of life.

In the coming time, Mr. Phuong Dinh Anh - Deputy Chief of the Central Office for New Rural Development Coordination, said that integrating three National Target Programs (New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, Socio-economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas) into a common program will be a strong "lever" to help ethnic minorities continue to have many opportunities to develop and escape poverty sustainably.

Ensure people receive timely benefits

- First, could you please tell us the opinion of the Central Office for New Rural Development Coordination on the importance of integrating the three national target programs above into a common National Target Program?

Mr. Phuong Dinh Anh : In the Government's report to the National Assembly on the merger of the 3 Programs, it affirmed the view that the merger of the 3 national target programs (new rural construction; sustainable poverty reduction; socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas) is of utmost importance, to realize the Party and State's goal of making the people rich, the country strong, and the people have a prosperous and happy life. This is also the highest goal, which needs to be unified in terms of awareness.

Integrating the three programs into one common program does not reduce policies, but helps to focus more on ethnic minority mountainous areas in the coming time with many aspects.

According to the assessment, the current "core poor" areas are mainly the areas where ethnic minorities live. The poverty reduction program was previously implemented nationwide, but now this program needs to focus on investing heavily in this area to help ethnic minorities have a better life and escape poverty sustainably.

Furthermore, the construction of new rural areas in recent times has been carried out nationwide, in which areas with favorable conditions have achieved many positive results. The remaining areas need to be focused on investment, especially in ethnic minority and disadvantaged areas to improve people's lives.

Buckwheat flowers.

It can be seen that the 3 integrated programs will focus on increasing investment in disadvantaged areas, ethnic minority and mountainous areas until 2035; instead of the national target program on socio-economic development for ethnic minority and mountainous areas only being implemented until 2030.

In addition, the integration of the above programs is also expected to improve implementation efficiency, avoid overlaps and duplications, and quickly bring support policies into life, ensuring that people benefit promptly and substantially.

Improve the appearance of villages and hamlets

- As you mentioned, the new rural construction over the past 15 years has achieved many positive results. Could you review some of the outstanding achievements of the National Target Program on New Rural Construction in recent times?

Mr. Phuong Dinh Anh : After more than 15 years of implementation, the program has achieved "great, comprehensive, historic" results, with profound impacts on the socio-economy in rural areas. By the end of June 2025, the whole country had 6,084/7,669 communes (accounting for 79.3%) meeting new rural standards, of which 2,567 communes (42.2%) met advanced new rural standards and 743 communes (12.2%) met model new rural standards.

Poverty reduction is also strong, with the rural multidimensional poverty rate decreasing by about 1.93%. The average income per capita in rural areas in 2024 will reach about 54 million VND/person.

Rural infrastructure has made a breakthrough development, in which more than 90% of villages and hamlets have asphalt or concrete roads to the center for cars.

New rural areas also contribute significantly to the overall socio-economic development of the country. Forms of production organization in agriculture have made breakthroughs, in which cooperatives play a core role. Linking production and business chains has been innovated to suit the market, large-scale production of goods; forming a safe agricultural product chain...

Old house.

When the new rural development goes into depth, an urgent requirement is to create sustainable economic momentum, increase real income for people, in which the OCOP program combined with the rural tourism program has contributed significantly to awakening the potential and raising the level of Vietnamese agricultural products.

The above combination has also contributed to the formation of livable rural tourist villages, not only creating non-agricultural jobs, but also attracting a large number of tourists to visit. Thanks to that, people have more income and raise awareness in preserving landscape, environment and culture.

Need to implement the "Lump sum budget" mechanism

- With your experience in implementing the National Target Program on new rural construction, what suggestions do you have so that the upcoming common National Target Program will be implemented effectively and maximize resources?

Mr. Phuong Dinh Anh : When the 3 National Target Programs are integrated into a common National Target Program, it is necessary for competent authorities to issue a management mechanism and organize the implementation of the Program to ensure convenience when implementing it in practice.

In addition, it is necessary to implement the "Lump sum budget" mechanism - that is, the Central Government allocates total capital (career capital together with investment capital) to the province according to output targets.

On that basis, the province will decide on the detailed allocation to localities to carry out the tasks. Thus, the Central Government will not "hold hands and direct" this capital source to buy cows, that capital source to build roads...

Competent authorities need to review, amend, and promulgate regulations on specific mechanisms for production development projects, small-scale investment projects with uncomplicated techniques, in which the State only supports a part of the investment costs, the rest is contributed by the people, with the participation and supervision of the people.

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