The aspiration to escape poverty in Yen Phong

With a strong desire to improve, flexible and creative approaches, fostering the self-reliance of the people, and supported by government policies, Yen Phong commune is gradually transforming its appearance. Effective farming and livestock models, and spacious houses springing up amidst the hills, are testaments to the local community's continuous efforts in escaping poverty and building a new rural area.

Ms. Hoang Thi Duyen with her breeding goats, a product of the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction.

In 2024, Ms. Hoang Thi Duyen, residing in Na Nga village, received support to build a new, sturdy house from the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. Having lost her husband early, she raised three young children alone, and for many years, her family's livelihood depended solely on a few acres of garden land. The new house is not only a warm home but also a source of joy and motivation for her to continue striving in life.

Along with housing support, Ms. Duyen also received 6 female goats and 1 male breeding goat from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction, along with guidance on care and disease prevention. After nearly a year, the goat herd thrived and had its first litter. With a new home, a stable livelihood, and the dedicated support of the government and her neighbors, Ms. Duyen gained even more strength to overcome difficulties and raise her children to adulthood. "Being helped during my most difficult times has given me more motivation to strive for a better life," Ms. Duyen said emotionally.

Yen Phong is a remote commune with a predominantly hilly and mountainous terrain, making transportation difficult. These factors were once major obstacles to socio -economic development, resulting in a consistently high poverty rate. However, with the will and determination of this former revolutionary ATK (Anti-French Resistance Zone), Yen Phong has transformed these difficulties into a driving force for progress. The hilly terrain has now become an advantage for developing planted forests and endemic plant species such as cinnamon, tea, and medicinal herbs.

With funding from national target programs, local Party committees and authorities have directed the integration of various policies to help people develop livelihoods suitable to their specific conditions. Many models of economic forestry, goat farming, cinnamon cultivation, and tea cultivation have been effectively implemented, creating jobs and stable income for the people. Along with this, rural infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and clean water has been invested in, contributing to changing the face of the highlands.

Beyond providing individual support, Yen Phong is moving towards a new approach: linking production and creating community livelihoods. In 2024, Na Nga village established a tea-growing cooperative with 8 participating households, including poor and near-poor households. Participating in the model, people receive support in terms of seeds, fertilizers, processing machinery, and technical training.

After six months, the first tea plantations began yielding harvests, providing a stable source of income. "Growing tea yields quick results and involves less risk compared to other crops. Many households have escaped poverty and are now living more comfortably," shared Ms. Ha Thi Hue, head of the cooperative group.

Leveraging the potential of its forest land, Yen Phong commune focuses on developing forestry and clean agriculture , a sustainable direction in its long-term development strategy. Besides planting acacia, pine, and cinnamon, the people also participate in the FSC sustainable forest management model, with hundreds of hectares already certified, opening up opportunities to bring plantation timber to the international market. In addition, a model for cultivating Codonopsis pilosula is being implemented on 5 hectares, with plans to expand by another 2 hectares in 2025, promising high economic value.

Alongside forestry, Yen Phong commune is developing organic rice production on a scale of 46.7 hectares, of which 16.7 hectares have been certified, and the rest are in the process of completing the necessary documentation. By participating in this model, people are shifting from small-scale production to production according to established processes, creating clean products and enhancing the value and reputation of local agricultural products.

Leaders of Yen Phong commune inspect the poverty reduction model in Na Nga village.

Thanks to practical and effective methods, Yen Phong commune's poverty reduction rate averages 3-4% per year. There are no longer any starving households, no households falling back into poverty, and people's lives are improving. Average per capita income has increased year by year, and many households have become well-off thanks to the development of forestry and livestock farming.

By 2025, Yen Phong aims to reduce the number of poor households by at least 52 and near-poor households by 81, bringing the poverty rate down to approximately 7.6%. The total capital for the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction is over 2.2 billion VND, of which nearly 1.5 billion VND is allocated to projects diversifying livelihoods and developing poverty reduction models. The commune also strives to create jobs for 140 workers, with 16 people going to work abroad on temporary contracts – a direction proving effective in many villages and hamlets.

According to Mr. Ha Van Ham, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Phong commune, poverty reduction is identified as a key task, requiring the synchronized involvement of the entire political system. The commune focuses on developing models suitable to the natural conditions and local strengths, such as breeding goats, growing tea, producing organic rice, and exporting labor. Poverty reduction is not just about support, but about giving people the opportunity to stand on their own two feet.

Thanks to the effective implementation of national target programs and the leveraging of the advantages of hilly and forested land and endemic crops, poverty reduction efforts in Yen Phong have yielded significant results. The concerted efforts of the government and the people have helped this remote commune gradually stabilize its life, expand production, create more jobs, and increase income. Yen Phong is concretizing its aspiration to escape poverty through practical and effective methods, contributing to changing the lives of its people.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202511/khat-vong-thoat-ngheo-o-yen-phong-bc877a2/