Effectiveness of poverty reduction efforts in Hung Loi

Hung Loi is a particularly disadvantaged commune in Yen Son district (Tuyen Quang province), with a total of 1,730 households and 7,839 inhabitants. The commune's socio-economic life is primarily based on agricultural production, with the Mong ethnic group accounting for over 50% of the population. The lives of the people in the commune are fraught with difficulties. Typhoon No. 3 (Yagi) swept away approximately 45,000 livestock and poultry in the mountainous Tien Yen district (Quang Ninh province), mostly chickens that were ready for market. This poses a significant risk of a chicken shortage during the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday as people will not have enough time to restock their flocks. During the discussion on the draft Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Health Insurance Law at the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, National Assembly deputies paid attention to the issue of expanding the scope of beneficiaries of the policy whose insurance premiums are paid or subsidized by the State, with a particular emphasis on ethnic minority students. Phuoc Trung is one of the particularly disadvantaged communes in Bac Ai district (Ninh Thuan province), with over 90% of its population being ethnic minorities, mainly the Raglay people. Over the past period, thanks to the accelerated implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030 (National Target Program 1719), the lives of the Raglay people in the area have been increasingly improved, with hundreds of households rising out of poverty, contributing to the prosperity of the locality. Thuan Chau is the district with the most communes in Son La province, with a large area, including 24 out of 29 communes in Zone III, with 271 particularly difficult villages; ethnic minorities account for over 94% of the district's population. Over the years, Thuan Chau district has been striving to implement national target programs, including the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, Phase 1: From 2021-2025 (referred to as National Target Program 1719). As of September 30th, the total capital mobilized by the Social Policy Bank branch in Nghia Lo town reached VND 543,815 million, equivalent to 99.3% of the annual plan; disbursed loans to 2,324 customers totaling VND 122,959 million, with outstanding loans reaching VND 542,565 million, equivalent to 99.36% of the plan, an increase of VND 48,729 million compared to the beginning of the year. The growth rate reached 9.87%. Credit quality is maintained, with the overdue loan rate below 0.1%. Hung Loi is a particularly disadvantaged commune in Yen Son district (Tuyen Quang province), with a total of 1,730 households and 7,839 inhabitants. The commune's socio-economic life is mainly based on agricultural production, with the Mong ethnic group accounting for over 50% of the population, and the lives of the people in the commune face many difficulties. On October 31st, the Vietnam Women's Museum organized a communication event "Sunshine on the Mountains" at Bac Ha Secondary and High School, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. The event is part of Project 8 “Implementing Gender Equality and Addressing Urgent Issues for Women and Children”, led by the Vietnam Women's Union. The summary news bulletin of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper, dated October 31st, includes the following noteworthy information: Tradition and modernity intertwine at the Ninh Binh Festival 2024; Preventing tourists from getting lost on Lang Biang peak; and Elevating the quality of Muong Dong medicinal products. Along with other current news from ethnic minority and mountainous regions: Over two days (October 29th and 30th, 2024), the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Binh Thuan province organized the first provincial-level competition on understanding laws related to ethnic affairs in 2024. The competition had the participation of 105 contestants from 7 delegations: Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan, Tanh Linh, and Duc Linh. On the morning of October 31st, the 2024 competition on understanding laws related to ethnic affairs was inaugurated in Pleiku City, Gia Lai province. Nearly 250 contestants from 14 teams, from districts, towns, and cities across the province, participated. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union has just announced the list of 60 outstanding teachers to participate in the "Sharing with Teachers" program in 2024. Among them are... 25 teachers are from ethnic minority groups. On October 31st, the Ethnic Affairs Committee of An Giang province, in coordination with the People's Committee of Thoai Son district, organized a gift-giving event for ethnic minority households, poor households, and disadvantaged households in Phu Thuan commune (Thoai Son district, An Giang). A 7-year-old boy in Dien Ban town ( Quang Nam ) was bitten by a dog, but instead of being taken to the hospital for rabies vaccination, his family sought treatment from a traditional healer. More than a month later, the boy died after testing positive for the rabies virus.

Teachers from the District's Vocational and Continuing Education Center are teaching agricultural machinery repair to the Mong ethnic minority people in Hung Loi commune, Yen Son district.

Over the years, the local Party committee and government have focused all resources on effectively reducing poverty in the commune. Recognizing sustainable poverty reduction as a crucial task contributing to socio-economic development and achieving the goal of building advanced new rural areas, the entire political system of Hung Loi commune has been actively involved in implementing sustainable poverty reduction with many synchronized and effective solutions. Emphasis has been placed on effectively exploiting the local potential and advantages, creating favorable conditions for poor households to develop their internal strengths and improve their lives. As a result, the poverty rate has gradually decreased annually, the material and spiritual lives of the people have improved, and socio-economic development has progressed.

To effectively reduce poverty, the Party Committee and government of Hung Loi commune have set forth tasks and solutions aimed at increasing income, improving people's lives, reducing the poverty rate, and preventing re-poverty. First and foremost, they focus on effectively disseminating the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on poverty reduction, aiming to raise awareness, gradually eliminate the mentality of dependence and reliance, and foster the will to overcome poverty among the people. Annual surveys and reviews of poor households are conducted according to regulations. Based on these surveys, the commune compiles and categorizes poor households into different groups to provide appropriate support and assistance.

At the same time, the commune has strengthened the synchronized implementation of loan policies, making it easier for people to access preferential loan sources, especially those from the Social Policy Bank. The total outstanding bank loan balance in the commune currently stands at 91.454 billion VND, of which 53.854 billion VND comes from the Social Policy Bank. This is the source of capital that helps poor and near-poor households, and households with difficult circumstances in the commune, to borrow funds to create jobs, invest in production, livestock farming, etc.

Leaders of the Hung Loi Commune Farmers' Association guide poor ethnic minority households in learning about loan support from the Social Policy Bank.

Ms. Giang Thi Thu, a Mong ethnic minority woman from Na Tang village, was previously classified as a poor household. In 2019, she was given the opportunity to borrow 50 million VND from the District Social Policy Bank. Combined with her savings and existing sewing and embroidery experience, she invested in sewing machines, fabric pressing machines, and embroidery machines to open a traditional clothing workshop at home. After achieving success, she invested in another machine in early 2023. Each year, her workshop produces and sells 4,000 to 5,000 products, mainly dresses, blouses, and accessories for the Mong ethnic minority, creating jobs for 11 workers with an income of approximately 4-5 million VND per month. Ms. Thu shared that thanks to the capital from the Social Policy Bank and the assistance of commune officials, her family has escaped poverty and now enjoys a more comfortable life.

In addition, the commune focuses on vocational training, labor export, and job creation for rural workers. This is one of the sustainable and effective measures for poverty reduction. Annually, the commune People's Committee conducts surveys on vocational training needs in the villages and labor market demands to open appropriate vocational training classes linked to agricultural production and other industries and professions in the area. The Fatherland Front, various departments, and mass organizations in the commune actively encourage and support members and the people to participate in training courses and vocational education.

In 2023 and 2024, Hung Loi commune coordinated the opening of 4 vocational training classes for 140 participants and 8 training courses with over 1,000 participants. With the knowledge gained from these vocational training classes and courses, along with access to loans, many effective economic development models have been implemented. Advanced science and technology have been applied by the people in production, cultivation, and livestock farming, helping disadvantaged families gradually stabilize their lives and escape poverty. Labor export is a priority, and the commune always facilitates access to loans for its young people to work abroad. Currently, 27 people from the commune are working abroad, earning high incomes that have significantly improved their lives. In addition, Hung Loi is also a locality where many production support projects have been implemented, such as: the beekeeping project, the horse breeding project, the stream duck breeding project, and the buffalo farming supply chain project, which have helped hundreds of families find a way to develop their economy and gradually escape poverty.

Ms. Giang Thi Thu, from Hung Loi commune, Yen Son district, opened a workshop specializing in sewing and embroidering traditional ethnic costumes to develop her family's economy.

Quan village (Hung Loi commune) has 98 households, all of whom are ethnic Mong people. At the end of 2023, a review identified 64 poor households, making poverty reduction a top priority. Mr. Lau Van Tai, head of Quan village, shared: Village officials and community organizations have actively promoted and encouraged the people to develop forest-based economic activities and raise large livestock, as this is a local strength. This will provide households with additional income and improve their living standards. Currently, each household in the village owns 2-3 hectares of forest; the total number of buffalo and cattle exceeds 200. Many households have achieved considerable economic success, such as Mr. Lau Van Dau's household with 20 hectares of forest, two trucks for transporting timber, and one excavator; and Mr. Hoang Van Mai A's household with over 10 hectares of forest and dozens of buffalo and cattle. By the end of 2023, the village had lifted 12 households out of poverty.

Regarding social welfare activities, such as repairing and building houses of compassion and solidarity; giving gifts and providing support to the poor, poor students, and families in difficult circumstances, Hung Loi commune always receives attention from the Party Committee, the government, the Fatherland Front, and its member organizations. The Fatherland Front and its member organizations have carried out many practical activities to help the poor with seeds, capital, production experience, organizing vocational training classes, and job placement... Every year, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune directs the "For the Poor" Fund Campaign Committee to effectively raise funds, averaging 20-30 million VND per year. From this fund, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune has better cared for the lives of poor and near-poor households and people in difficult circumstances; on holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), and the start of the new school year, poor households, households in difficult circumstances, and poor students all receive practical and meaningful gifts.

Specifically in 2023 and 2024, the commune focused all its resources and mobilized contributions from many organizations and individuals inside and outside the commune to support poor, near-poor, and disadvantaged households with dilapidated houses. 110 houses were built, with financial support exceeding 5 billion VND.

Furthermore, the commune's Party Committee and government focused on effectively implementing social welfare policies; promptly reviewing and approving applications for social assistance; and ensuring the full and timely disbursement of allowances to eligible individuals in accordance with regulations. In 2024, a preliminary review showed that the commune reduced the number of poor households by 190. Specifically, the number decreased from 1,010 to 820 households, a reduction rate from 58.4% to 47.8%.

Mr. Ban Van Than, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Loi commune, said that although the poverty rate has decreased significantly, Hung Loi is still a poor and disadvantaged commune with low per capita income. The local Party committee and government have identified the key tasks for the coming period as continuing to promote propaganda work, changing people's mindsets and practices; replicating successful economic models; effectively utilizing national target programs to create livelihoods, helping people develop production, increase income, and achieve sustainable poverty reduction.

Yen Son (Tuyen Quang): Female Head of Savings and Loan Group is dedicated and responsible in her work.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/hieu-qua-cong-tac-giam-ngheo-o-hung-loi-1730368544394.htm