Yen Son commune was established by merging Chieng On and Yen Son communes. The commune currently comprises 22 villages with over 12,000 inhabitants, belonging to five ethnic groups: Thai, Mong, Kinh, Kho Mu, and Xinh Mun. Over the years, using funds from Program 1719, the locality has invested in the construction of 7 transportation projects, 3 cultural centers, and 1 centralized water supply project, totaling nearly 9 billion VND; it has also provided support for repairing and rebuilding houses for 125 poor and near-poor households.

Comrade Lo The Thi, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Son commune, said: "During the implementation process, the commune has promoted the role of the Fatherland Front Committee of the commune, intensified propaganda and mobilization of the people to participate in protecting and supervising the projects. As a result, the projects have been implemented on schedule and have yielded practical results after investment."

The Nhôm - Hua Mi road in Yen Chau commune was funded by Program 1719, contributing to easier travel for the local people.

Thanks to the resources of Program 1719, the appearance of rural highlands in Yen Son has improved significantly. To date, 100% of villages have roads leading to their centers; 99% of households have access to the national power grid; 100% of schools and classrooms have been upgraded; and all villages have cultural centers. The average per capita income has reached 21.7 million VND/year, and the multidimensional poverty rate has decreased to 35.2%. This is an important foundation for the locality to strive towards building advanced new rural areas in the future.

In Chieng Hac commune, where over 91% of the population are ethnic minorities, Program 1719 has also proven effective. After the merger, the commune now has 41 villages with over 18,000 inhabitants. Mr. Cao Xuan Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Hac commune, stated: “In 2025, the commune will be allocated over 8 billion VND from Program 1719 to invest in repairing and upgrading many essential infrastructure projects such as inter-village roads, intra-village roads, and irrigation works serving production. The locality prioritizes particularly disadvantaged villages lacking infrastructure, thereby creating favorable conditions for people to develop their economy and improve their living standards.”

Visiting Na Nga village (Chieng Hac commune), we could clearly feel the excitement of the villagers as the irrigation project, which serves agricultural purposes, was completed and put into use at the beginning of 2026. The project ensures irrigation water for over 12 hectares of double-cropped rice and other crops. Mr. Ha Van Truong, head of Na Nga village, shared: “Thanks to funding from Program 1719, the village received investment to upgrade a 380-meter-long irrigation canal, serving the Huoi Sia production area with approximately 5 hectares of cultivated land belonging to 17 households. The completed project has overcome the water shortage during the dry season and raised the village's canal reinforcement rate to 85%.”

During the period 2021-2025, Son La province was allocated over 5,817 billion VND to implement 10 projects under Program 1719. From this resource, the entire province has supported the resolution of land shortages for housing and production for 640 households; constructed 85 water supply projects; resettled and stabilized the population for 956 households in 17 locations; invested in and renovated 256 rural transport projects and more than 140 other infrastructure projects.

In addition, more than 70,600 workers were connected to jobs and received vocational training; more than 7,800 poor and near-poor households received vocational training; and the infrastructure of 179 ethnic boarding and semi-boarding schools was invested in. As a result, the poverty and near-poverty rate in particularly difficult communes decreased by an average of 4.47% per year; 100% of communes have paved or concrete roads leading to their centers; 99.5% of households use safe electricity; and 97.5% of the rural population has access to clean drinking water.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Son La province, affirmed: “Program 1719 has created comprehensive changes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, not only in infrastructure and livelihoods but also in improving the quality of education and healthcare, and consolidating the great unity of ethnic groups. In the coming time, the Department will continue to advise the province to prioritize investment resources for particularly difficult areas, linking support for production development with exploiting the potential and advantages of the locality; at the same time, improving the efficiency of capital management and use, ensuring that projects have long-term effectiveness.”

During the period 2026-2030, Son La province continues to identify the development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas as a key, long-term task, linked to the goals of sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development. The province focuses on effectively mobilizing and integrating resources to invest in essential infrastructure, improve the quality of education and healthcare, develop livelihoods, create jobs, and preserve and promote the cultural identity of ethnic groups.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/xa-hoi/dan-toc-ton-giao/cac-van-de/don-bay-nang-cao-doi-song-dong-bao-vung-cao-1042510