Multidimensional poverty reduction: From policy to practice

Following the merger, poverty reduction efforts in Lao Cai entered a new phase: broader in scope, more diverse in conditions, and more decisive in approach. From the Mong villages on the summit of Cu Vai to the Dao villages along the Nhiu Co San mountain range, from the cinnamon-growing areas of Van Yen to the riverside residential areas of the central ward, the multidimensional poverty reduction campaign in Lao Cai is being implemented synchronously, with the people at the center and the strong determination of the entire political system.

Báo Lào Cai•27/05/2026

Commitment to comprehensive and synchronized poverty reduction.

According to the announcement by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lao Cai province at the launching ceremony of the "For the Poor" Fund in 2026, by the end of 2025, the province still had 22,944 poor households, accounting for 5.5%, and 24,685 near-poor households, accounting for 5.93%. The majority of poor households are concentrated in 23 mountainous and border communes, with rates ranging from 20% to 40%.

Poor households in Chấn Thịnh commune are being provided with breeding cows to develop livestock farming.

The challenges to poverty reduction are even greater as, from February 15, 2026, according to Decree No. 351/2025/ND-CP, the multidimensional poverty line for the 2026-2030 period will be adjusted upwards. Accordingly, the poverty line for rural households will be raised from 1.5 million VND to 2.2 million VND per person per month. This change in the "measure" means that the number of poor and near-poor households according to the new standard will increase, requiring a more decisive and comprehensive approach to poverty reduction.

Multidimensional poverty reduction goes beyond simply increasing income; it also involves ensuring access to basic social services such as healthcare, education , housing, clean water, sanitation, and information.

Illustrative image.

The Resolution of the First Congress of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, term 2025-2030, identifies the viewpoint of "putting people at the center," comprehensively caring for 7 pillars of happiness including: health , education, housing, clean water, electricity, information, and employment/income. Lao Cai is also the first locality in the country to implement the Happiness Index, currently reaching 68.3%, clearly reflecting the development orientation that uses the quality of life of the people as a measure.

A view of the First Congress of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, term 2025-2030.

To concretize that goal, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 138/KH-UBND on implementing the sustainable poverty reduction target by 2026 with a total estimated budget of over 5,181 billion VND. Of this, approximately 4,328 billion VND will come from the State budget, with the remainder mobilized from social contributions and other legal sources.

The province aims to reduce the overall poverty rate according to the multidimensional poverty standard by 1.5% or more during the 2021-2025 period; specifically, the target is to reduce it by 2.25% or more in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

The province is focusing on implementing a comprehensive set of solutions to achieve the poverty reduction target by 2026.

In addition, Decision No. 16/2026/QD-TTg on the principles of central budget allocation continues to prioritize resources at the highest level for particularly disadvantaged communes and villages, border areas, ethnic minority areas, and mountainous regions.

Central government budget resources continue to be prioritized for particularly disadvantaged communes and villages, ethnic minority areas, and mountainous regions.

Diverse livelihoods on the soil layers of our homeland

Muong Bo commune, where over 97% of the population are ethnic minorities, was once considered a "poverty hotspot," but has now become a "livable rural area."

With funding from national and local target programs, many effective economic models have been developed, such as fruit tree cultivation, mushroom farming, and community tourism, contributing to creating stable livelihoods for the people. By 2025, the average per capita income is expected to reach 40 million VND/year; the poverty reduction rate for the period 2021-2025 is projected to reach 8.7%/year .

Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien - Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Bo Commune

People in Muong Bo commune are harvesting fresh shiitake mushrooms.

Multidimensional approaches to poverty reduction begin with diversifying livelihoods. In Phong Du Thuong commune, the model of organic cinnamon cultivation, large-scale livestock farming combined with medicinal plant cultivation under the forest canopy is creating an interwoven income "network" for the people.

In Lam Thuong commune, many local products such as bamboo shoots, Muscovy ducks, and sticky rice have been included in the OCOP (One Commune One Product) chain, gradually increasing the value of these goods.

In Tram Tau, the shift in crop cultivation on sloping land – from inefficient corn and rice to taro, hawthorn, and Bat Do bamboo shoots – is contributing to changing the economic landscape of a locality that was once among the poorest in the country.

Meanwhile, in the communes of Nam Co and Lam Giang, preferential loan programs have become a "lever" helping hundreds of households develop production and rise out of poverty.

Providing livestock to poor households in Phong Du Ha.

In Phong Du Ha commune, by 2025, 38 households will have escaped poverty, bringing the poverty rate down to 1.99%; the multidimensional poverty reduction rate will reach 2.24%. According to local leaders, the overarching principle is "conditional support," taking the initiative of the people as the foundation for sustainable poverty reduction.

Mr. Do Quang Trung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Phong Du Ha commune, said: "Based on state resources, people must proactively contribute, change their mindset and methods in order to escape poverty sustainably. The selection of beneficiary households is carried out openly and democratically through evaluation at the village level; households must also commit to building livestock shelters and participating in training to improve livestock farming techniques."

In Thac Tien village, Mo Vang commune, more and more spacious and well-built houses are appearing.

In Thac Tien village, Mo Vang commune, the rural landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with 100% of inter-village roads being concreted, 88.4% of houses being solidly built, and 100% of households having regular access to electricity. The biggest driving force behind this change comes from cinnamon trees – the main crop of the locality.

Mr. Dang Nho Hung, Secretary of the Thac Tien Village Party Branch, shared: “Today, Thac Tien has billionaires and millionaires, largely thanks to over 1,500 hectares of cinnamon. People are guided on organic cinnamon production techniques to enhance product value. Convenient transportation infrastructure also helps make production and consumption more efficient.”

When community-based tourism opens the way to poverty reduction.

If agricultural and forestry livelihoods are considered the "vertical axis" of poverty reduction, then community tourism is becoming the "horizontal axis," opening up new development opportunities for highland and border communes.

On March 24, 2026, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 780/QD-UBND upgrading the Bat Xat Nature Reserve to Bat Xat National Park – Vietnam's 36th national park, covering an area of over 18,510 hectares in the communes of Muong Hum, Den Sang, and Y Ty. Established in 2016, this nature reserve is gradually becoming a national-level "green lung" and a significant advantage for developing ecotourism and community-based tourism in the border highlands.

Bat Xat Nature Reserve was established in 2016.

Reports presented at the Provincial Party Standing Committee's working session with the cluster of 7 communes on May 12, 2026, showed many positive signs from this direction. In 2025, Den Sang commune is expected to welcome over 40,000 visitors, generating revenue of 12.2 billion VND; Y Ty commune is projected to welcome over 16,000 visitors in the first four months of 2026, with revenue reaching nearly 20 billion VND.

Along with the development of community tourism, agricultural production in the cluster of 7 communes has also shifted towards commercial production linked to the OCOP program. The entire cluster currently has 47 OCOP 3-star products; temperate vegetable growing areas have been established in Y Tý, banana growing areas in A Mú Sung - Trịnh Tường, and tea and pear growing areas in Mường Hum. As a result, the average poverty reduction rate of the cluster reaches 2-3% per year.

A view of the training session on community tourism development.

In Den Sang, poverty reduction is no longer just a matter of "what crops to grow, what livestock to raise," but also a journey to transform a highland village into a tourist destination.

On May 6-7, 2026, at the Bat Xat National Park Management Board, the project “Promoting Gender Equality through Enhancing the Economic Efficiency of Agricultural Production and Tourism Development - GREAT 2,” organized by Clickable Vietnam Co., Ltd. in collaboration with Bat Xat National Park and the People's Committee of Den Sang commune, trained 45 officials, guides, and porters in Den Sang, Y Ty, and Muong Hum on safety standards in adventure tourism, trekking skills, and safe mountaineering.

Through such training courses, many local workers - especially women and young people from ethnic minorities - have more opportunities to participate in the tourism service chain, gradually creating new livelihoods right in their hometowns.

A large number of locals and tourists participated in the Traditional Culture Festival of Ethnic Communities in Den Sang Commune in 2026.

Previously, on February 27-28, 2026, Den Sang commune organized the Spring Festival of Traditional Culture of Ethnic Communities - the first major festival after the merger, attracting a large number of tourists. Through community tourism activities, many Red Dao, H'Mong, and Giay women are now not only involved in farming and traditional embroidery but also become homestay owners, tour guides, and porters, creating additional income right in their locality.

Comrade Duong Quoc Huy, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, delivered the concluding remarks at the working session with the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the cluster of 7 communes in the northern area of the province.

Regarding tourism development orientation, Comrade Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, suggested that localities adhere closely to the planning, focusing on effectively exploiting traditional cultural values, ethnic identity, and unique natural landscapes to develop sustainable tourism. In particular, it is necessary to continue highlighting distinctive tourism products such as community tourism, ecotourism, cultural experience tourism, festivals, and culinary tourism.

To date, 100% of poor and near-poor households and social welfare beneficiaries in the province have been issued health insurance cards; approximately 62,000 people receive monthly social welfare allowances.

During the period 2021-2025, the entire province processed 78,525 applications from people with meritorious service, paid regular allowances to more than 8,000 people; on average, vocational training and job placement were provided for over 30,000 workers each year. In addition, more than 26,000 houses were built with support for people with meritorious service, poor and near-poor households, and households affected by natural disasters.

With the goal of reducing the poverty rate across the province by 1.5% or more by 2026, and by 2.25% or more in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, Lao Cai is gradually realizing its objective of improving the quality of life for its people, aiming to build a border region that is "green, harmonious, distinctive, and happy".

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/giam-ngheo-da-chieu-tu-chu-truong-den-thuc-tien-post899942.html